Dean Parker
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Dean Leo Parker (20 August 1947 – 14 April 2020) was a New Zealand screenwriter, playwright, journalist and political commentator based in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. Known for the screenplay of iconic film ''
Came a Hot Friday ''Came a Hot Friday'' is a 1985 New Zealand comedy film, based on the 1964 novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Directed and co-written by Ian Mune, it became one of the most successful local films released in New Zealand in the 1980s. The film's c ...
'' which he co-wrote with
Ian Mune Sir Ian Barry Mune (born 1941) is a New Zealand character actor, director, and screenwriter. His screen acting career spans four decades and more than 50 roles. His work as a film director includes hit comedy ''Came a Hot Friday'', an adaptation ...
, the television film ''
Old Scores ''Old Scores'' is a 1991 television film jointly produced by New Zealand and Wales, about the two countries' mutual national sport of rugby union. It is notable for the appearance of many notable Wales national rugby union team, Welsh and All B ...
'' and recent play ''Midnight in Moscow'' and was awarded Laureate of the New Zealand Arts Foundation in 2010.


Biography


Early years

Parker was born in Napier,
Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...
. He went to school at Napier Marist and St John's College, Hastings. By 1969 he was living in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. While of mainly Irish ancestry, he knew little of the Irish struggle until
The Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
began that year in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. Parker joined the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Solidarity Campaign, led by the International Socialists (now known as the Socialist Workers Party), and immersed himself in literature on the Irish struggle. He continued his involvement with the International Socialists into the early 1970s, attending branch meetings in West London, with his old Napier friend, Blair Peach. Peach was later killed while participating in a 1979 anti- National Front rally.


Career

Parker worked as a writer for much of his life and was prominent in his union, the
New Zealand Writers Guild The New Zealand Writers Guild (NZWG) is a New Zealand trade union which represents writers in the fields of film, television, radio, theatre, video and multi-media. The guild's name in Māori language is Puni Taatuhi o Aotearoa. It provides ser ...
. His plays included ''Midnight in Moscow'' — which ''
The Press ''The Press'' () is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand, owned by media business Stuff (company), Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday t ...
'' reviewer Alan Scott called "entertaining and thought-provoking" and "one of his best to date" — 2005's Iraq-set ''Baghdad, Baby'', and an adaptation of
Nicky Hager Nicolas Alfred Hager (born 1958) is a New Zealand investigative journalist. He has produced seven books since 1996, covering topics such as intelligence networks, environmental issues and politics. He is one of two New Zealand members of the I ...
's exposé ''The Hollow Men''. He won awards in New Zealand for teleplay ''Share the Dream'' (starring Joel Tobeck), and co-writing the successful big-screen comedy ''
Came a Hot Friday ''Came a Hot Friday'' is a 1985 New Zealand comedy film, based on the 1964 novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Directed and co-written by Ian Mune, it became one of the most successful local films released in New Zealand in the 1980s. The film's c ...
''. The 1985 film centered on two conmen in small town New Zealand, and was adapted from the novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Parker's theatrical CV included ''The Feds'', ''Two Fingers From Frank Zappa'', and adaptations of ''
Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...
'', and ''
The Trial ''The Trial'' () is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best-known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, wi ...
''. He also wrote many radio plays, among them ''Joe Stalin Knew My Father'' and ''Engels F: A History of the Ould Sod''. Arguably his best-known television work is Welsh-Kiwi rugby tale ''
Old Scores ''Old Scores'' is a 1991 television film jointly produced by New Zealand and Wales, about the two countries' mutual national sport of rugby union. It is notable for the appearance of many notable Wales national rugby union team, Welsh and All B ...
'', which Parker co-wrote with ex All Black triallist and occasional soccer player Greg McGee. The two also co-created the 1980s trucking series ''Roche'', whose cast included
John Bach John Bach (born 5 June 1946) is a British-born New Zealand actor who has acted on stage, television and film over a period of more than four decades. Though born in the United Kingdom, he has spent most of his career living and working in New ...
and Andy Anderson, and goldmining drama ''Gold'', a co-production between New Zealand and Canada. Parker also worked on episodes of police drama '' Mortimer's Patch'', ''Betty's Bunch'', and documentary ''Just Slightly, A People Apart: The Irish in NZ''. In 1990 Parker co-directed ''Shattered Dreams'', a documentary on the years leading up to the 1951 Waterfront strike. By 1975, Parker was back in New Zealand. Horrified at the election of National Prime Minister,
Robert Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st prime minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Departing from National Party convention, Mu ...
, Parker joined the pro-Soviet
Socialist Unity Party of New Zealand The Socialist Unity Party of New Zealand was one of the better-known communist parties in New Zealand. It had a certain amount of influence in the trade union movement, but never won seats in Parliament. The Socialist Unity Party was founded i ...
and soon became chairman of its Auckland City Branch. He was active in the Campaign for an Independent East Timor and played soccer for the
Halt All Racist Tours Halt All Racist Tours (HART) was a protest group set up in New Zealand in 1969 to protest against rugby union tours to and from South Africa. Founding member Trevor Richards served as president for its first 10 years, with fellow founding member ...
team for a number of years, though the quality of his play was purportedly variable. In July 1977 he penned the first of many articles on Ireland for the SUP's paper, ''Tribune''. By the late 1970s the SUP had decided to ally with the Labour Party. Parker resigned from the SUP in 1978, though he remained a supporter into the late 1980s. In 1979 Parker travelled to
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, visiting West
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
and trouble spots such as the Falls Road. Returning to New Zealand, Parker helped form H Block/Armagh in 1980/81 as a support group for republican prisoners in Irish jails. Parker served on the editorial board of the organisation's publication ''Saoirse'' from 1982 until its demise in 2000. Parker contributed regular articles on Irish issues to SUP publications until the party split in 1990. In 1991 Parker was a member of the Editorial Group of the socialist journal ''Agenda''. He was also active in the Workers' Charter Movement, a joint project of Socialist Worker, SPA, John Minto's Global Peace and Justice Auckland and Matt McCarten's
Unite Union Unite Union (Unite) is a trade union in New Zealand. It represents a number of workers across various industries, and was the sponsor of the campaign directed towards improving working conditions for fast food workers in the country, in addit ...
. He also contributed to the ''
New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...
'' and ''
The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
''. Parker was a Marxist–Leninist, and injected his politics into his art. In the socialist journal ''Sites'', No. 16 Autumn 1988, he wrote, "I would describe myself as a class-conscious writer. I'm with Lenin. I'm for the working class seizing control of the wealth it creates, for the replacement of parliament, the army, the police, the judiciary — all those deadly manacles of state control — with workers' committees and militias, and all this done as part of a world-wide struggle ..."


Personal life

Parker and his partner Isabel lived in Ponsonby, Auckland and had a son. Parker died on 14 April 2020 aged 72, having finished a stage adaption of
Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...
' '' The Plague'' the previous day.


Works

Selected works produced by Dean Parker over his career are listed below.


Plays

* ''Midnight in Moscow'' * ''The Tigers Of Wrath'' * ''Other People's Wars'' * ''Slouching Toward Bethlehem'' * ''The Perfumed Garden'' * ''The Man That Lovelock Couldn't Beat'' * ''Baghdad Baby!'' * ''The Hollow Men'' * ''Tonite Let's All Make Love in London''


Screenplays and television

* ''Came a Hot Friday'' (film) Co-written with Ian Mune — adapted from the novel by Ronald Hugh Morrison * ''Old Scores'' Co-written with Greg McGee — a Welsh-Kiwi rugby tale * ''Share The Dream'' (television) * ''Life's a Riot'' (television) * ''Roche'' (television) Co-created with Greg McGee * ''Gold'' (television) * ''Shattered Dreams'' (television) Co-director. A documentary on the years leading up to the 1951 waterfront strike.


Other

* 2017 ''Johnson'' — novel. A sequel to John Mulgan's ''Man Alone'' SKU: 978-0-947493-53-0


Awards

* 1986 Screenplay Adaption — Film ''Came a Hot Friday,'' co-written by Dean Parker and Ian Mune — National Mutual GOFTA Awards * 1998 Best Television Drama Script — TV Guide Television Awards * 2010 Laureate Award — Arts Foundation (New Zealand) * 2012 Playmarket Award for significant artistic contribution (inaugural winner)


References


External links


Personal profile
at NZ On Screen * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Dean New Zealand left-wing activists 2020 deaths 1947 births 20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights People educated at St John's College, Hastings