By Stephen Lackey
Dolly Parton literally broke the heart of the entire world on Tuesday, August 25th, with the announcement of her passing after a short battle with cancer.
She’s best known for her big personality and even bigger heart. She was a legendary country music artist, an entrepreneur who ventured into everything from the mega-successful Dollywood theme park to hotels and resorts, and a philanthropist who supported cancer research, childhood literacy, COVID-19 vaccine research and countless other causes.
Her big heart also put her at the forefront of advocating for women, the LGBTQ community and anyone who found themselves on the outside looking in. Her message was always remarkably simple: everyone’s different, everyone’s wonderful and everyone deserves love.
What is easy to forget amid such an enormous legacy is that Dolly Parton also had a substantial film career.
Over the years, Parton appeared in 12 theatrically released films, ranging from starring roles and ensemble performances to cameos, voice work and appearances as herself:
9 to 5 (1980)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
Rhinestone (1984)
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Straight Talk (1992)
The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) – cameo appearance
Frank McKlusky, C.I. (2002)
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005) – cameo appearance
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) – voice role
The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom (2011) – voice cameo
Joyful Noise (2012)
Hollywood to Dollywood (2011) – documentary appearance as herself
Her first film role came in 1980’s 9 to 5, where she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The film was a major hit, and its title song became one of the defining songs of Parton’s career.
She followed it two years later with The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, starring opposite Burt Reynolds. Then came Rhinestone with Sylvester Stallone and, in 1989, one of her most beloved performances as Truvy Jones in Steel Magnolias.
Parton continued acting throughout the following decades, sometimes taking leading roles and sometimes simply showing up to lend a movie a little bit of Dolly. Straight Talk gave her another starring vehicle, while The Beverly Hillbillies and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous let her have some fun with her own larger-than-life celebrity. She later lent her unmistakable voice to Gnomeo & Juliet and returned to a major starring role alongside Queen Latifah in 2012’s Joyful Noise.
And her screen career went far beyond movie theaters.
Parton’s total IMDb credits exceed 45 appearances, encompassing television movies, holiday specials, concerts, series and appearances as herself. Movies such as A Smoky Mountain Christmas, Wild Texas Wind and Unlikely Angel helped make Dolly a fixture on television screens as well as radios and movie screens.
It’s an impressive filmography for someone whose acting career almost feels like a footnote compared with everything else she accomplished.
Dolly Parton was a singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She built businesses, wrote songs that became part of American culture, gave millions of children books through her Imagination Library and spent decades preaching kindness and acceptance without ever making either seem complicated.
She was truly a national treasure.
And while the world will rightfully spend the coming days remembering the music, the generosity, the humor and that unmistakable personality, it’s worth remembering that Dolly Parton also left us quite a few movies.
Maybe now is the perfect time to watch one.
