Hollywood icon Cybill Shepherd is getting candid about certainly one of her most well-known romances, her transient however unforgettable relationship with Elvis Presley. The 75-year-old actress surprised followers with recent particulars about their Seventies love affair throughout her stay present, “An Night with Cybill Shepherd: Music, Dialog & Tales,” held Friday on the Catalina Jazz Membership in Los Angeles. Shepherd, finest identified for “The Final Image Present” and “Moonlighting,” revealed that her tune “Graceland (Revisited)” was impressed by her time with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, who handed away in 1977 at simply 42 years previous.

The Memphis-born actress, who’s lengthy been linked to a number of Hollywood heavyweights, mirrored on the connection she shared with Presley, describing him as magnetic, religious, and in contrast to anybody she’s ever met. “[Elvis] was a bit of bit too near God or any individual,” she instructed the viewers, in keeping with PEOPLE, including that regardless of his larger-than-life persona, “Elvis was actually cool although.”

Earlier than launching into her emotional tribute tune, “Graceland (Revisited),” co-written with former musical director Tom Adams, Shepherd channeled her inside Presley, playfully mimicking his signature drawl for the group earlier than calling him “an important man. She then transitioned into the soulful efficiency that had viewers members hanging on each notice.

Their fling, which befell within the early Seventies, got here at a time when each stars had been on the top of their fame. Whereas Shepherd has beforehand hinted that their romance didn’t final lengthy, her tone this weekend was full of nostalgia quite than remorse, a transparent signal that the King left a long-lasting mark.

The 2-hour occasion wasn’t nearly Elvis. The actress additionally dished on her different well-known entanglements, together with her steamy fling with Don Johnson on the peak of his Miami Vice stardom. “Don Johnson and I didn’t do scenes collectively, however we did have a number of enjoyable,” she teased. “No, we didn’t do scenes in entrance of the digicam; we messed round behind the digicam.”

Shepherd defined that whereas engaged on the 1985 TV miniseries “The Lengthy Sizzling Summer time,” she was initially eyeing a unique position, however producers instructed her she was “too fairly” for the half initially performed by Joanne Woodward. “I didn’t hit that half, however I bought one other one,” she stated with amusing.

Whereas a lot of the night targeted on Cybill Shepherd’s well-known romances, the “Taxi Driver” star additionally took a second to honor probably the most necessary figures in her skilled life, none aside from Orson Welles. The legendary actor, author, and director, finest identified for “Citizen Kane,” served as what Shepherd referred to as her “mentor.” She revealed that their connection went far past movie units and crimson carpets. “He got here to stay with [director] Peter Bogdanovich and I,” Shepherd shared with the group, recalling a time in her life full of creativity and chaos. “And Orson and I bought very shut, and he was an important affect in my life.”

Shepherd credited Welles with serving to her keep grounded amid the whirlwind of Hollywood fame, particularly as her rising stardom within the Seventies drew fixed media consideration. “He helped me keep targeted on what was necessary,” she stated. “Preserve my deal with that and simply preserve transferring. In order that was good.”

Lengthy earlier than she was sharing tales about Elvis Presley and Don Johnson, Cybill Shepherd had already cemented her place as certainly one of Hollywood’s most magnetic stars, each on and off the display. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Shepherd’s profession skyrocketed within the early Seventies when she was forged in Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Final Image Present,” a efficiency that earned her a Golden Globe nomination and immediate sex-symbol standing. She adopted it up with unforgettable turns in “The Heartbreak Child” and Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” proving she was greater than only a fairly face. She was a powerhouse of expertise and charisma.

However simply as her performing profession exploded, so did her love life.