Dolly Parton Roles: 9 Films And TV Shows You Can Watch At Home Now

It’s easy to forget that, in addition to the fact she was an award-winning singer-songwriter, cherished philanthropist and the co-owned of a literal theme park in her honour, Dolly Parton also forged a successful career for herself as an actor.

After establishing herself as a hugely successful figure in the country music scene, Dolly turned her hand to acting in the early 1980s, going on to share the screen with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

Many of her films are still available to watch today – and if you’re looking for a way to celebrate Dolly’s life and legacy this summer bank holiday, we reckon checking a couple of them out could be a great way to do it.

Here are just nine of the Dolly performances you can watch at home right now…

Never one to do anything by halves, for her movie debut, Dolly shared the screen with Oscar winner Jane Fonda and nominee Lily Tomlin in the Southern workplace comedy 9 To 5.

The film saw its three female leads’ characters teaming up to get their own back on their misogynistic boss – with many hailing it as still being relevant almost 50 years after its original release.

Of course, 9 To 5 is also famous for its title track, which became one of Dolly’s signature tunes, and even earned the musician her first Oscar nod in the Best Original Song category.

9 To 5 is now streaming on Disney+

After the success of 9 To 5, Dolly’s next film venture was a screen adaptation of the stage musical The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.

She played Mona Stangely, who ran the central brothel, leading a cast that included Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her efforts as an actor.

Of course, a musical project like The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas also allowed Dolly ample opportunity to show off her skills as a musician as well as her acting chops, with the singer-songwriter contributing a new song to the soundtrack, which also included a new version of her song I Will Always Love You.

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas is available to buy on YouTube, Apple TV+ and Prime Video

Dolly’s next movie projects were a little more off-the-wall, including the musical rom-com Rhinestone, in which she went head-to-head with Sylvester Stallone, and the comedy Straight Talk, about a dance instructor whose frank advice leads to her becoming a successful radio presenter (neither of these are available to stream in any official capacity, though they have both been uploaded to YouTube in full, not that we’d encourage that sort of thing…).

Nestled between the two is the tear-jerking dramedy Steel Magnolias, about a group of women in Louisiana who frequent the same beauty salon.

Dolly played Truvy, the salon’s owner, sharing the screen with some true acting greats, including Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley Maclaine and an up-and-coming Julia Roberts.

Just be warned – if you’ve not already seen Steel Magnolias, when we say it’s a tear-jerker, we’re not kidding around.

Steel Magnolias is now streaming on Channel 4

The Simpsons’ chaotic Super Bowl episode from its 10th season is a viewing experience to truly make your head spin, cramming in controversial jokes that sparked multiple complaints from viewers, a subplot where Vincent Price may or may not have resurrected from the dead and a cameo from “billionaire tyrant” (his words, not ours!) Rupert Murdoch himself into its 20-minute runtime.

While the episode may have a bit of a mixed reputation among Simpsons fans, one thing that’s an undeniable highlight is Dolly Parton’s brief appearance as herself, during which she manages to break Homer and his friends out of prison, pie off Krusty The Klown and fabulously delivers lines like “where I come from… the south… people say please”.

The Simpsons: Sunday Cruddy Sunday is now streaming on Disney+

For many of those who grew up in the 2000s, their first introduction to Dolly Parton will have been when she shared the screen with her real-life goddaughter Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana.

In the Disney family sitcom, the Jolene singer played Miley Stewart’s “Aunt Dolly” in numerous episodes, offering the titular character advice on both her homelife and secret career as a pop star.

Naturally, she and Miley also teamed up for some duets that allowed them to show off their vocal chemistry, as the two would throughout the Wrecking Ball star’s subsequent pop career.

Hannah Montana is now streaming on Disney+

By the 2010s, Dolly had all but taken a back from big-screen acting, aside from the occasional cameo as herself or small voice role.

However, she made a return to the movie world when she was cast opposite Queen Latifah in Joyful Noise, a musical comedy about two women tasked with saving a small-town gospel choir, with very different ideas as to how it should be run.

As if the presence of Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah wasn’t enough charisma for one movie set, the film also features Keke Palmer as the latter’s on-screen daughter, with Courtney B Vance and Jeremy Jordan among the supporting cast.

Joyful Noise is available to buy on YouTube, Apple TV+ and Prime Video

Dolly Parton spent almost 60 years living in the global spotlight, and as a result, countless documentaries have been made about her.

The difference with Dolly Parton: Here I Am is that it featured not just interviews with the superstar’s nearest and dearest, but also the woman herself, looking back at her extraordinary career while also, as always, looking ahead to what she still wanted to achieve.

It was also helmed by multiple Bafta winner Francis Whately, who previously oversaw docs about subjects as wide-ranging as David Bowie, Dame Judi Dench, Hillary Clinton and Winston Churchill.

Dolly Parton: Here I Am is now streaming on BBC iPlayer

In the late 2010s, Dolly Parton inked a deal with Netflix, the first offering from which was the anthology series Heartstrings.

Each episode of the show was based around a re-enactment of a different song from Dolly’s back catalogue – and, naturally, they also featured a cameo from the singer, who helped move the story along and ultimately save the day.

Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings is now streaming on Netflix

Now, Christmas On The Square probably isn’t something we’d be sitting down to watch in the middle of an August bank holiday. But if that sounds like your idea of a good time, we’re not here to judge.

Rumour has it, the phrase “camp as Christmas” was retired in 2020 when this film was released, as viewers agreed that it was never going to get more camp or Christmassy than Dolly as an angel, trying to convince a miserly Christine Baranski to understand the true meaning of the festive season through song.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas On The Square is now streaming on Netflix