HBO to Debut Oscar-Nominated Documentary GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS, 4/5

From the late '50s to the early '60s, Hollywood starlet Dolores Hart appeared in ten films, acting opposite such big names as Elvis Presley, Montgomery Clift and Anthony Quinn. But in 1963, she shocked family, friends and fans by abandoning her blossoming career to become a Benedictine nun.

In GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS, Hart (now Mother Prioress of the Abbey of Regina Laudis) tells her story with insightful candor and humor, offering a unique glimpse at the spiritual journey of a former rising star, her fateful decision and her current life in a rural Connecticut abbey. Recently nominated for a Best Documentary Short Oscar(R), the exclusive HBO presentation debuts THURSDAY, APRIL 5 (8:00-8:40 p.m. ET/PT). Rebecca Cammisa (the Oscar(R)-nominated "Which Way Home") directs.

Other HBO playdates: April 8 (4:00 p.m.), 10 (11:15 a.m.), 13 (4:30 p.m.), 14 (9:45 a.m.) and 19 (2:15 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: April 11 (8:00 p.m.), 17 (7:50 a.m.), 21 (9:40 a.m.) and 26 (8:15 a.m., 11:00 p.m.)

The only child of divorced Chicago parents, Dolores Hart was plucked from obscurity to play Elvis' love interest in 1957's "Loving You," and when she received his first on-screen kiss, Hollywood instantly fell for the gorgeous 19-year-old. She was subsequently engaged to handsome young architect Don Robinson and starred in a number of other high-profile movies, including 1957's "Wild Is the Wind," with Anthony Quinn, 1958's "King Creole" (also with Elvis), 1960's "Where the Boys Are," 1961's "Francis of Assisi" and 1963's "Come Fly with Me," her final film.

Hart surprised Hollywood, her friends and especially her fiancé when she joined the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn. to become a cloistered Benedictine nun. "I never felt I was leaving Hollywood," says Mother Prioress Dolores Hart, recalling her decision today. "God was the vehicle, the 'bigger Elvis,' " she asserts with a smile.