A Look Back at Dolly Parton’s Most Iconic Movie Roles, from “9 to 5” to “Steel Magnolias”

Jack SmartTue, August 25, 2026 at 10:48 PM UTC

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(Left-right:) Dolly Parton in ‘Steel Magnolias,’ ‘9 to 5,’ ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock; Everett Collection; Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock -

Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25 at age 80

The late country icon delivered several iconic performances on the big screen following her debut in 9 to 5

Parton spoke to PEOPLE throughout the years about her unlikely jump from music to acting

Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. Known as a country music icon and philanthropist, she was just as memorable for her roles in indelible movies.

But when the musician made her big-screen debut in 1980’s 9 to 5, it was up to Jane Fonda to convince Hollywood that Parton could make that jump. The late Burt Reynolds, Parton’s costar in 1982’s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, was similarly on board. When asked if her transition to acting would be successful, he reportedly scoffed: “Dumb question. Dolly Parton was made to be a movie star.”

Later in her Hollywood career, Parton appeared as herself or as characters inspired by her persona, including made-for-TV movies like A Smoky Mountain Christmas, Wild Texas Wind, Unlikely Angel, Blue Valley Songbird and Christmas on the Square (and 2011’s Gnomeo and Juliet, when she voiced country girl Dolly Gnome).

But in 2014, she opened up to PEOPLE about still awaiting her dream role. “At least once in my life, I’d like to do one great movie where I could really be an actress and not just Dolly Parton, the boobs and the hair,” she said.

In honor of the legendary actress-musician, PEOPLE is rounding up the most memorable theatrical films featuring Parton’s singular presence.

9 to 5

‘9 to 5’Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

Parton’s performance in 1980’s instant-classic 9 to 5 surely ranks among Hollywood’s greatest feature film debuts of all time. Opposite Fonda, Lily Tomlin and the late Dabney Coleman, the first-time actor more than holds her own.

The role of Southern office secretary Doralee Rhodes “was tailor-made” for Parton, she previously told PEOPLE. Because she shared top billing with Fonda and Tomlin, she quipped at the time, “if the movie flops, all the blame won’t be on my shoulders.”

One of the comedy’s most enduring legacies is also Parton’s, thanks to its theme song “9 to 5,” which the country star wrote on set after discovering she could use her acrylic fingernails to simulate the sound of a typewriter. The song became one of her biggest radio hits and made her an Oscar nominee.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

‘The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas’Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock

For her second Hollywood role, Parton again found herself a fit as Mona Stangely, the warm-hearted madam at the center of 1982’s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. A version of her 1973 composition “I Will Always Love You” was also featured in the film.

The musician made plenty of winking jokes about the racy role, including saying once, “I make a better whore than a secretary.”

The nominating body behind the Golden Globe Awards agreed, giving Parton a nod for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, one of her six total nominations.

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Rhinestone

‘Rhinestone’Credit: 20th Century-Fox/Getty

Parton continued her streak starring opposite Hollywood icons and climbing music charts after contributing to film soundtracks. In the rom-com Rhinestone, she played country singer Jake Farris opposite Sylvester Stallone‘s New York cabbie Nick Martinelli.

The 1984 film was, however, considered a critical and commercial flop. In her 1994 autobiography Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, Parton riffed: “I guess the public didn’t want to see Sylvester Stallone do comedy – or see me do Sylvester Stallone.”

Steel Magnolias

‘Steel Magnolias’Credit: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty

Ask any film fan about a favorite Parton role and they’re likely to pick Truvy Jones, glamour technician of the South. The 1989 adaptation of Robert Harling’s play Steel Magnolias, about a group of Southern women weathering life’s storms, solidified the music icon’s acting bona fides.

“I understood exactly who she was,’’ Parton previously said of the character. Steel Magnolias remains beloved for its all-too-rare female-led ensemble, which included Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and breakout star Julia Roberts.

Field recalled bringing her six-month-old son Sam to the set “all the time and my friends took care of him,” she told PEOPLE in May 2026. “We all just rolled him around, and Dolly [was wiggling] her fingernails [at him].” The group of women formed a tight bond while making the film. “We all just completely adored each other, and we would go shopping on the weekends all together. Even Dolly sometimes,” recalled Field. “We’d go to the market. We played games.”

Straight Talk

‘Straight Talk’Credit: Snap/Shutterstock

As a radio-show therapist doling out wisdom in 1992’s Straight Talk, Parton brought a lot of her own experiences to the big screen. “We Dollyized it as much as we possibly could,” the “Jolene” singer once said. “I drug up every old country saying I’d ever heard.”

The Beverly Hillbillies

‘The Beverly Hillbillies’Credit: 20TH CENTURY FOX/Alamy

One of many films in which Parton played herself in all her rhinestoned glory, 1993’s The Beverly Hillbillies was based on the hit TV show of the same name. By singing several songs with a full band at the end of the movie, Parton helped lift a project that was otherwise panned by critics.

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

‘Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous’Credit: Warner Bros.

In 2005’s Sandra Bullock-led sequel to Miss Congeniality, Parton again appeared as herself. The story goes that Bullock convinced the music legend to appear in a cameo by writing a letter repeatedly filled with the word “please.” Parton reportedly responded: “Okay.”

Joyful Noise

‘Joyful Noise’Credit: Van Redin/Warner Bros.

In the 2012 comedy Joyful Noise, fans got to see Parton and the one and only Queen Latifah spar. It was at Parton’s insistence that her costar got to make plastic surgery jokes at her expense. “l said, ‘Look, I’m not touchy about this. If we can get a laugh, I’m all for it,” Parton told NPR.

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