Willard Parker
Willard Parker (born Worster Van Eps; February 5, 1912 - December 4, 1996[1][2]) was an American film and television actor. He starred in the TV series Tales of the Texas Rangers (1955–1958).[3]
Parker was born in New York City. Some sources report his birth name as Worcester. He was a meter reader and a tennis pro. While working as the latter in Hollywood he was spotted by Zeppo Marx, then working as an agent. Marx arranged a screen test and he signed a contract with Warner Bros. He changed his name to "Willard Parker".[4]
Parker signed to Warner Bros in the late 1930s. He made his debut with an uncredited bit in the Dick Foran Western, The Devil's Saddle Legion (1937). He had small parts in That Certain Woman (1937) with Bette Davis; Back in Circulation (1937) with Pat O'Brien; The Radio Murder Mystery (1937) with Ronald Reagan; Alcatraz Island (1937) with John Litel; Over the Goal (1937) with June Travis; The Adventurous Blonde (1937) with Glenda Farrell; Missing Witness (1937) with Litel; and The Invisible Menace (1938) with Boris Karloff.
Parker and his wife Virginia Field appeared in "Mr. And Mrs. Trubble" for Schlitz Playhouse (1952). That show invited him back for "Twenty-two Sycamore Road" (1953, with Nancy Reagan), "Little War at San Dede" (1954), and "Visitor in the Night" (1955).
Parker died of a heart attack at the age of 84 in Rancho Mirage in Riverside County, California.[2]
References
change- ↑ Brode, Douglas (2009-10-15). Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present. University of Texas Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-292-71849-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Aaker, Everett (1997). Television Western Players of the Fifties: A Biographical Encyclopedia of All Regular Cast Members in Western Series, 1949-1959. McFarland. p. 412. ISBN 978-0-7864-0284-7.
- ↑ "Willard Parker; Stage, Film Actor Was in 'Texas Rangers' Series". Los Angeles Times. December 18, 1996. p. A 28. Retrieved June 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ The LIFE STORY of Willard PARKER Picture Show; London50.1299 (Oct 5, 1946): 12.
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