Zale Parry
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Rosalia (Zale) Parry is an American pioneer scuba diver, underwater photographer and actress.


Diving

Parry started diving in the 1940s as a young girl. Born in
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
in 1933, she was raised on a Wisconsin lake and learned to swim and love the water at an early age. As a young woman, while working in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...
, for the Douglas Aircraft Company, she became involved in pioneering diving and scientific work ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' magazine. In 1953 she became a tester of underwater equipment for Scientific Underwater Research Enterprises. Later, she and her partner, (Parry Bivens, an aeronautical and aquatic engineer) designed, built, and marketed the first civilian
hyperbaric chamber A diving chamber is a vessel for human occupation, which may have an entrance that can be sealed to hold an internal pressure significantly higher than ambient pressure, a pressurised gas system to control the internal pressure, and a supply of ...
for divers. They were evangelists for the purchase of hyperbaric chambers around the world to provide lifesaving facilities for divers suffering from " the bends". In 1954, Parry set a women's depth record to 209 feet. She is said to have stopped at 209 feet when she reached the bottom. That year, she became the third female instructor to graduate from the L.A. County UICC program.


Acting

Later in 1954, Parry made her screen debut in '' Kingdom of the Sea'', a Jack Douglas Production. Because of her work in ''Kingdom of the Sea'', Parry was tapped by the producers of the new show, ''
Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...
''. Parry has referred to ''Sea Hunt'' as an "underwater western". The lead character, Mike Nelson (played by
Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
), was introduced to an undersea problem or villain at the start of the show. By the end of the half-hour show, he had resolved the problem. Parry's beauty and her knowledge of the sea and diving made her a natural to join the ''Sea Hunt'' show. She was cast without a single screen test. Her role in the series was primarily as a female underwater
stunt double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
, but she made appearances as an actress in a few episodes. She also assisted in teaching Mr. Bridges how to use scuba gear prior to the series going into production. Parry's acting continued on other shows, including '' GE Theatre'', ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
'', ''
Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...
'', '' The Magic Circus'', and others. Parry continued as an actor for a number of years including many commercials and as a stunt woman on a wide variety of shows involving underwater scenes. In 2006 she was in the film ''
Tillamook Treasure ''Tillamook Treasure'', also known as ''The Legend of Tillamook's Gold'', is a 2006 American independent family film directed by Jane Beaumont Hall. It is set in the city of Manzanita, Oregon. Based on a Native American legend about a treasure bur ...
'', in which she played Sam, the owner of a hardware store.


Other

Parry's experience goes beyond diving and acting. She is an accomplished photographer and writer. She has used her organizational skills to bring the beauty of
underwater photography Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated underwater v ...
to the public. In 1957, Parry co-founded the International Underwater Film Festival that ran for 17 years. In 1960, she became the first elected woman president of the U/W Photographic Society. She wrote and published a book with the late Albert Tillman, ''Scuba America Vol. I, the Human History of Sport Diving in America''. The book is now also available as an eBook. She was on the cover of the May 23, 1955 issue of ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' magazine. Parry received the NOGI Award for Distinguished Service, DEMAs Reaching Out Award, the Women's Scuba Association Scuba Diver of the Year Award, and the Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Education Award. In 2001, Parry was made a "Lifetime Ambassador at Large", by The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences. In 2002, she was inducted into the Cayman Island
International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISDHF) is an annual event that recognizes those who have contributed to the success and growth of recreational scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use bre ...
and received the Beneath the Sea Diver of the Year Award. In 2016 Parry was awarded the California Scuba Service Award for her enormous contribution to the California diving scene, and has been an ardent supporter of The
Women Divers Hall of Fame The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) is an international honor society. Its purpose is to honor the accomplishments of women divers, and their contributions to various fields of underwater diving. Full membership is restricted to nominees who h ...
(WDHOF) since its inception in 1999.


References


External links

*
Sea Hunt Trivia Guide, Zale Parry
fro
The Scuba Guy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parry, Zale 1933 births Living people Actresses from Wisconsin Actresses from Oregon American underwater divers Underwater photographers 21st-century American women American women photographers