Riley Keough Explained: Age, Movies And TV Shows

For a long time, Riley Keough was introduced to the world as Elvis Presley’s granddaughter. That in itself would be enough to keep most people in the spotlight. But over the last decade, Riley Keough has quietly reshaped that narrative.

This guide walks you through her age, background, most important roles and the projects that really show what she can do on screen.

Riley Keough: Age, Family and Early Life

She was born on 29 May 1989 in Santa Monica, California, which makes her in her mid-thirties. She is the eldest child of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley and musician Danny Keough, and the first grandchild of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.

Growing up, Riley Keough moved between very different worlds: rock and roll legacy, life on tour with her mother, and quieter stretches of time with her father. That mix seems to have given her a grounded mindset, even while surrounded by fame.

Before she became known for acting, Riley Keough started out as a model in her teens. She walked runways and appeared in big-name fashion campaigns, getting used to cameras and long workdays early on. Later, when she stepped into film and TV sets, that experience translated into calm confidence in front of the lens.

First Steps On Screen: Early Riley Keough Movies

When people talk about riley keough movies and tv shows, they often start with her breakout appearances in the early 2010s.

• The Runaways (2010) – a rock biopic where Riley had a small but memorable role alongside Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.
• The Good Doctor (2011) – a tense indie thriller which gave her one of her first substantial parts.
• Magic Mike (2012) – Steven Soderbergh’s stylish drama about male strippers, where she appeared in a supporting role and reached a wider audience.

These early projects show a clear pattern: Riley Keough is drawn to interesting directors and layered material rather than just chasing the biggest paycheque. Even when her role is small, she tends to make it feel specific and lived-in.

Mad Max and Beyond: Building a Serious Film Career

The title that pushed Riley Keough into mainstream awareness was Mad Max: Fury Road. In that film, she plays Capable, one of the wives fleeing a tyrant in a brutal post-apocalyptic desert. On paper, it’s not the lead role. On screen, however, she brings warmth and vulnerability to a world of explosions, dust and chaos. Her scenes with Nicholas Hoult’s character show how much emotion she can convey with very little dialogue.

After Mad Max, her film choices became even more interesting:

• American Honey – a raw, road-trip drama shot almost documentary-style, where Riley plays Krystal, the tough and manipulative leader of a magazine sales crew.
• It Comes at Night – an intimate, unsettling horror film where tension creeps in slowly and the performances carry most of the fear.
• Logan Lucky – a heist comedy that let her show a sharper, funnier side.
• Zola – a wild, stylish film based on a viral Twitter thread, where Riley takes on the messy, chaotic role of Stefani and fully commits to it.

If you want to get a real sense of Riley Keough’s range in film, these are the titles to put on your watchlist first. They form the backbone of any serious talk about Riley Keough movies and tv shows.

TV Roles That Changed Everything

Riley Keough’s television work is just as important as her big-screen projects. Two series in particular stand out.

The Girlfriend Experience

In the first season of The Girlfriend Experience, Riley Keough plays Christine Reade, a law student who enters the world of high-end escorting. The series is slow, icy and emotionally complex. There are long stretches where not much is said out loud, yet you feel Christine’s internal shifts and power struggles.

This role showed that Riley Keough could carry a series almost entirely on her shoulders. She spends most of the show in close-up and stillness, and somehow you can’t stop watching her.

Daisy Jones & The Six

The project that truly pushed Riley Keough into the centre of pop-culture conversation is Daisy Jones & The Six, a limited series about a fictional 1970s rock band. Here, she plays Daisy Jones, a talented but self-destructive singer who joins an already successful group and changes everything.

The part required her to:

• Sing and perform as the band’s frontwoman
• Capture both the explosive younger Daisy and a more reflective older version in documentary-style interview scenes
• Navigate a complicated mix of creative chemistry, addiction, love and ego

For many viewers, this series was their introduction to Riley Keough, and it completely changed how they thought about her. Instead of just “Elvis’s granddaughter”, she became a full-fledged star in her own right, with awards nominations and huge fan buzz to prove it.

If you only watch one entry from the list of riley keough movies and tv shows, Daisy Jones & The Six is a strong place to start.

Behind the Camera: War Pony and Creative Voice

Riley Keough is not content to stay only in front of the camera. She co-wrote and co-directed War Pony, a film set on the Pine Ridge Reservation that follows the lives of two young Lakota men. It’s a quiet, human story that focuses on community, survival and identity rather than big Hollywood spectacle.

The fact that her first major step into directing was such a grounded, socially aware project says a lot about where her interests lie. When you look at the full spread of Riley Keough movies and tv shows, a pattern appears: she is drawn to stories at the edges of power, people who are searching for themselves, and worlds that don’t get enough attention on screen.

Riley Keough’s Acting Style: Why She Stands Out

What makes Riley Keough so compelling to watch? Part of it is the way she underplays. She rarely screams, flails or goes for big, “showy” acting moments. Instead, she lets small shifts – a look, a pause, a tight smile – do the heavy lifting.

Here are a few traits that keep coming up in her performances:

• Subtle intensity – emotions run deep but are often held just under the surface.
• Comfort with ambiguity – she is willing to play characters who are unlikeable, selfish or confusing.
• Physical presence – even in quiet scenes, she feels fully rooted in her body, which helps sell both intimacy and tension.

This style works especially well in prestige TV and slower, character-driven films, which is where a lot of the strongest riley keough movies and tv shows can be found.

Quick Watchlist: Riley Keough Movies and TV Shows

If you want a focused list to work through, here is a simple watch order:

Films

1. Magic Mike – accessible, stylish early appearance
2. Mad Max: Fury Road – iconic, visually stunning action with an emotional core
3. American Honey – intense indie character piece
4. Logan Lucky – lighter, fun crime caper
5. Zola – bold, modern and darkly funny

TV

1. The Girlfriend Experience – calm, icy, psychological drama
2. Daisy Jones & The Six – music, romance and heartbreak in one package

FAQs About Riley Keough

1. How old is Riley Keough?

Riley Keough was born on 29 May 1989, so she is in her mid-thirties. She has been acting on screen for more than a decade, steadily building a career that feels more and more confident with each project.

2. What are the best Riley Keough movies to start with?

If you’re new to Riley Keough, begin with Mad Max: Fury Road and American Honey to see her in both blockbuster and indie environments. Then watch Logan Lucky for something lighter and Zola to experience one of her boldest, most talked-about performances.

3. Which TV shows is Riley Keough best known for?

The two essential series are The Girlfriend Experience and Daisy Jones & The Six. The first shows her carrying a cool, stripped-back drama almost entirely on her own. The second shows her singing, performing and leading a large ensemble cast in a big, emotional story.

4. Is Riley Keough only famous because of Elvis?

Her family connection to Elvis Presley is a big part of her story, and it will always be mentioned in profiles and interviews. But if you look closely at Riley Keough movies and tv shows, it’s clear she has put in years of work on challenging projects, often in smaller indie films where a famous surname isn’t enough. Her career has been built on choices and performances, not just heritage.

5. Does Riley Keough work behind the camera too?

Yes. She co-wrote and co-directed War Pony, a feature film that focuses on life on the Pine Ridge Reservation. That project shows a strong interest in stories that sit outside the usual Hollywood spotlight and proves that her creative voice goes beyond acting.

Riley Keough’s journey is a good reminder that slow, thoughtful career-building still matters in an industry obsessed with overnight success. Whether you discovered her through Daisy Jones & The Six or only knew her as Elvis’s granddaughter until now, diving into Riley Keough films and series reveals an artist who is steadily carving out her own space, one complicated character at a time.