Jean Parker

Born

August 11, 1915

Died

November 30, 2005 (90 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Deer Lodge, Montana, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jean Parker (born Lois Mae Green; August 11, 1915 – November 30, 2005) was an American film and stage actress. She landed her first screen test while still in high school. She acted opposite such well-known actors as Katharine Hepburn, Robert Donat, Edward G. Robinson, Randolph Scott, and Laurel and Hardy. She was married four times and had one son, Robert Lowery Hanks.

Parker appeared in 70 movies from 1932 through 1966. In 1932, she posed as a flower girl and living poster in a float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, where she was seen by Ida Koverman, secretary to MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer. The following day the studio called her on the phone and invited her for a screen test.

Parker's film debut came in Divorce in the Family (1932). She had a successful career at MGM, RKO and Columbia including roles in such films as Little Women, Lady for a Day, Gabriel Over the White House, Limehouse Blues, The Ghost Goes West, and Rasputin and the Empress. In 1939, she starred opposite Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in RKO's The Flying Deuces.

Parker remained active in film throughout the 1940s, playing opposite Lon Chaney in Dead Man's Eyes, and a variety of other films. During World War II, she toured many of the veteran hospitals throughout the U.S. and performed on radio. In the 1950s, Parker co-starred opposite Edward G. Robinson in Black Tuesday; had a small but effective role in The Gunfighter, and appeared in A Lawless Street (1955). Her last film appearance was Apache Uprising (1966).

Parker also appeared on Broadway. In 1949, she replaced Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday on Broadway and enjoyed a successful run in this classic. She appeared on Broadway opposite Bert Lahr in the play Burlesque. She did summer stock in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, toured in the play Candlelight and Loco, and performed on stage in other professional productions. In 1954, Parker played the role of "Cattle Kate Watson of Wyoming" in an episode of the syndicated television series Stories of the Century, the first western program to win an Emmy Award. The series starred and was narrated by Jim Davis. Later in her career and life, Parker continued a successful stint on the West Coast theatre circuit and worked as an acting coach.

At age 83, Parker moved into the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, where she died of a stroke on November 30, 2005, at the age of 90. She was survived by her son, Robert, and granddaughters Katie and Nora Hanks. She was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.

Cargo of Love

Cargo of Love

Denise

3.5

1968

Apache Uprising

Apache Uprising

Mrs. Hawks

6.3

1965

Hollywood: The Selznick Years

Hollywood: The Selznick Years

'Little Women' (archive footage) (uncredited)

3.3

1961

The Parson and the Outlaw

The Parson and the Outlaw

Sarah Jones

4.1

1957

A Lawless Street

A Lawless Street

Cora Dean

5.4

1955

Matinee Theater

Matinee Theater

(1 episode)

5.0

1955

Black Tuesday

Black Tuesday

Hatti Combest

6.0

1954

Stories of the Century

Stories of the Century

Ella Watson aka Cattle Kate · (1 episode)

5.7

1954

Those Redheads from Seattle

Those Redheads from Seattle

Liz

5.3

1953

Private Secretary

(1 episode)

5.0

1953

Toughest Man in Arizona

Toughest Man in Arizona

Della

0.0

1952

The Gunfighter

The Gunfighter

Molly

7.3

1950

Suspense

Suspense

(1 episode)

4.9

1949

Rolling Home

Rolling Home

Frances Crawford

5.0

1946

Adventures of Kitty O'Day

Adventures of Kitty O'Day

Kitty O'Day

4.8

1945

One Body Too Many

One Body Too Many

Carol Dunlap

5.0

1944

Dead Man's Eyes

Dead Man's Eyes

Heather Hayden

6.5

1944

Bluebeard

Bluebeard

Lucille

5.4

1944

Oh, What a Night!

Oh, What a Night!

Valerie

0.0

1944

Detective Kitty O'Day

Detective Kitty O'Day

Kitty O'Day

4.8

1944

Lady in the Death House

Lady in the Death House

Mary Kirk Logan

5.4

1944

The Navy Way

The Navy Way

Ellen Sayre

5.7

1944

The Deerslayer

The Deerslayer

Judith Hutter

7.0

1943

Minesweeper

Minesweeper

Mary Smith

5.0

1943

Alaska Highway

Alaska Highway

Ann Coswell

5.0

1943

High Explosive

High Explosive

Connie Baker

5.7

1943

The Traitor Within

The Traitor Within

Molly Betts

0.0

1942

Wrecking Crew

Wrecking Crew

Peggy Starr

5.5

1942

Tomorrow We Live

Tomorrow We Live

Julie Bronson

4.3

1942

Hi, Neighbor

Hi, Neighbor

Dorothy Greenfield

0.0

1942

I Live on Danger

I Live on Danger

Susan Richards

5.7

1942

Soaring Stars

Herself

0.0

1942

Hello, Annapolis

Hello, Annapolis

Doris Henley

10.0

1942

The Girl from Alaska

The Girl from Alaska

Mary 'Pete' McCoy

6.0

1942

Torpedo Boat

Torpedo Boat

Grace Holman

6.0

1942

No Hands on the Clock

No Hands on the Clock

Mrs. Louise Campbell

4.9

1941

The Pittsburgh Kid

The Pittsburgh Kid

Patricia Mallory

0.0

1941

Flying Blind

Flying Blind

Shirley Brooks

2.7

1941

Power Dive

Power Dive

Carol Blake

4.0

1941

Roar of the Press

Roar of the Press

Alice Williams

5.6

1941

Young America Flies

Jane

0.0

1940

Beyond Tomorrow

Beyond Tomorrow

Jean Lawrence

6.0

1940

Son of the Navy

Son of the Navy

Stevie Moore

5.5

1940

Knights of the Range

Knights of the Range

Holly Ripple

0.0

1940

The Flying Deuces

The Flying Deuces

Georgette

6.4

1939

Parents on Trial

Parents on Trial

Susan Wesley

0.0

1939

Flight at Midnight

Flight at Midnight

Maxine Scott

4.5

1939

She Married a Cop

She Married a Cop

Linda Fay

5.7

1939

Zenobia

Zenobia

Mary Tibbett

4.6

1939

Romance of the Redwoods

Romance of the Redwoods

June Martin

6.0

1939

The Arkansas Traveler

The Arkansas Traveler

Judy Allen

6.0

1938

Romance of the Limberlost

Romance of the Limberlost

Laurie

0.0

1938

Penitentiary

Penitentiary

Elizabeth Mathews

0.0

1938

The Barrier

The Barrier

Necia Gale

0.0

1937

Life Begins with Love

Life Begins with Love

Carole Martin

5.0

1937

The Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers

Amanda Bailey

6.4

1936

The Farmer in the Dell

The Farmer in the Dell

Adie Boyer

0.0

1936

The Ghost Goes West

The Ghost Goes West

Peggy Martin

6.5

1935

Murder in the Fleet

Murder in the Fleet

Betty Lansing

5.0

1935

Princess O'Hara

Princess O'Hara

Princess O'Hara

6.0

1935

Sequoia

Sequoia

Toni Martin

6.0

1935

Caravan

Caravan

Timka

5.0

1934

Limehouse Blues

Limehouse Blues

Toni

4.2

1934

A Wicked Woman

A Wicked Woman

Rosanne Stroud, aka Rosanne Trice

5.0

1934

Have a Heart

Have a Heart

Sally Moore

7.0

1934

Operator 13

Operator 13

Eleanor

5.8

1934

Lazy River

Lazy River

Sarah Lescalle

6.0

1934

You Can't Buy Everything

You Can't Buy Everything

Elizabeth 'Beth' Burton Bell

7.0

1934

Two Alone

Two Alone

Mazie

7.0

1934

Little Women

Little Women

Beth

6.8

1933

Lady for a Day

Lady for a Day

Louise

7.0

1933

What Price Innocence?

What Price Innocence?

Ruth Harper

3.0

1933

Storm at Daybreak

Storm at Daybreak

Danitza

5.8

1933

Made on Broadway

Made on Broadway

Adele

6.5

1933

Gabriel Over the White House

Gabriel Over the White House

Alice Bronson

6.9

1933

The Secret of Madame Blanche

The Secret of Madame Blanche

Eloise

4.0

1933

Rasputin and the Empress

Rasputin and the Empress

Princess Maria (uncredited)

5.3

1932

Divorce In The Family

Divorce In The Family

Miss Lucile SmIth

6.0

1932