Lara Parker
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Mary Lamar Rickey (October 27, 1938 – October 12, 2023), better known as Lara Parker, was an American actress and writer known for her role as the witch
Angelique Bouchard Collins Angelique Bouchard is a fictional character from the Gothic film, Gothic horror-soap opera and Dark Shadows (film), film ''Dark Shadows'', in which she is the main antagonist. She is primarily portrayed as a powerful witch, who is driven by her ...
on the ABC-TV serial ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...
'', which aired from 1966 to 1971.


Early life

Lara Parker was born in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
, on October 27, 1938, and grew up in Memphis. Descendant of a prominent Southern family, she was a great-great-granddaughter of Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II and a third-great-granddaughter of Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, an uncle of Confederate General
James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War and was the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Ho ...
. She began a philosophy A.B. at
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
before receiving her
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree from Rhodes College (then known as Southwestern Presbyterian) and a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree in speech and drama from the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
.


Career

Parker's best known role was as the witch
Angelique Bouchard Collins Angelique Bouchard is a fictional character from the Gothic film, Gothic horror-soap opera and Dark Shadows (film), film ''Dark Shadows'', in which she is the main antagonist. She is primarily portrayed as a powerful witch, who is driven by her ...
on the supernatural
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...
'' from 1967 to 1971. She later played the role of Laura Banner in the opening sequence of the pilot for the television series '' The Incredible Hulk'' (1977), and the fashion model-witch Madelaine in the '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' episode "The Trevi Collection". Her other television work includes appearances on the ''
Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
'' fifth season episode "One of Those Days" (1975), ''
Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
'', ''
The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...
'' third season episode "The Secret of Bigfoot Part 1" (1976), '' Police Woman'', ''
Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...
'', ''
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
'', '' Quincy, M.E.'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', '' The Rockford Files'', '' Highway to Heaven'', ''
Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
'', ''
Baretta ''Baretta'' is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a revised and milder version of a 1973–1974 ABC series, '' Toma'', starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police ...
'', '' Galactica 1980'' ("The Night The Cylons Landed", Parts I & II), the ''Barnaby Jones'' episode "The Price of Anger" (1980), the CBS daytime serial '' Capitol'', and the ABC daytime serial ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
''. She played secretary Wanda in the 1977 television miniseries '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'' and had a recurring role in the short-lived television series '' Jessica Novak''. In 1971, Parker reprised the role of Angelique in '' Night of Dark Shadows'', the second feature film based on ''Dark Shadows''. She was joined by her ''Dark Shadows'' castmates
Kate Jackson Lucy Kate Jackson (born October 29, 1948), known professionally as Kate Jackson, is an American actress and television producer, known for her television roles as Sabrina Duncan in the series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1979) and Amanda King i ...
, David Selby, Grayson Hall, Nancy Barrett,
John Karlen John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz; May 28, 1933 – January 22, 2020) was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' on and off from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Karlen s ...
, and Thayer David. This film was more loosely based on the series than ''
House of Dark Shadows ''House of Dark Shadows'' is a 1970 American feature-length horror film produced and directed by Dan Curtis, based on his ''Dark Shadows'' television series. In this film expansion, vampire Barnabas Collins ( Jonathan Frid) searches for a cure ...
'' was the year before and it did not fare as well at the box office as the first film. She appeared opposite
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
in the 1970
Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...
film '' Hi, Mom!'', but her best known film role came in the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning drama '' Save the Tiger'' (1973), starring
Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...
, in which she played Margo, a sympathetic prostitute who is devastated when her client Fred Mirrell ( Norman Burton) suffers a near fatal
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
. In 1975, she played Kelly Marsh, the wife of
Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, both for acting and screenwriting, and a two-time Golden Globe Award winner for his a ...
's character Roger in '' Race with the Devil''.


Later work

Parker made her Broadway debut in 1968 in ''Woman is My Idea'', written and directed by Don C. Liljenquist. In 1969, she played the title role in an
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production of
Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the developme ...
's ''Lulu''. She also appeared in the
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production of ''A Gun Play''. In 1998, Parker published a novel, '' Angelique's Descent''. Its sequel, ''Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch'', came out in July 2006, and ''Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising'' was released in August 2013. Her fourth and final novel, ''Heiress of Collinwood'' was released in November 2016. She later reprised the role of Angelique for a new series of ''Dark Shadows'' audio dramas. She was also the reader of the unabridged audiobook recordings of her first three novels: ''Angelique's Descent'', ''Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch'' and ''Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising''. In 2012, Parker had a cameo role in
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
's movie version of ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...
''. Later she was reunited with her ''Dark Shadows'' co-stars Jerry Lacy and Kathryn Leigh Scott in two feature films about '' Doctor Mabuse'' written and directed by Ansel Faraj. The first film ''Doctor Mabuse'' was released in 2013, followed by a 2014 sequel called ''Doctor Mabuse: Etiopomar''. Her final film, ''The Great Nick D'' (shot in 2023), is co-written and co-directed by Ansel Faraj and Nathan Wilson and co-stars her ''Dark Shadows'' co-stars Kathryn Leigh Scott and David Selby.


Education and post-acting career

Parker attended Central High School in Memphis and won a scholarship to Vassar College. At Vassar, she began a major in philosophy, which she completed at Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College), receiving her BA. She attended graduate school at the University of Iowa and completed all course work on a Masters in speech and drama. She was working on her thesis while beginning her acting career. After retiring from acting, Parker became a high school and English teacher and obtained her MFA in creative writing from
Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. It is the continuation of Antioch College, which was founded in 1852. Antioch College's first president was politician, abolitionist, and ...
.


Personal life and death

Parker was married to Jim Hawkins, a building contractor. They had a daughter, Caitlin. Parker had two sons, Rick and Andy, both from her first marriage to artist Tom Parker: Rick was a successful record producer, Andy a contractor. Caitlin Hawkins is a set designer and stylist for videos and commercials. Parker's son Rick is married to singer Miranda Lee Richards. On October 12, 2023, following a battle with cancer, Parker died in her sleep in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
at the age of 84.


Works

*'' Angelique's Descent'' *''The Salem Branch'' *''Wolf Moon Rising'' *''Return to Collinwood'' (Introduction only) *''Dreams of the Dark'' (Introduction only) *''Heiress of Collinwood''


References


External links


Original Dark Shadows Audio Dramas starring Lara Parker
* * * *
Official Facebook page
(as Lamar Rickey Hawkins) {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Lara 1938 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women Actresses from Knoxville, Tennessee University of Iowa alumni Rhodes College alumni American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses Vassar College alumni