Willard Parker
Biography
Willard Parker was an American actor who worked in film and television. Born in New York City, he worked as a meter reader and a tennis pro until the agent Zeppo Marx spotted him and arranged a screen test at Warner Bros. He began with uncredited bit parts, and his first notable part came in A Slight Case of Murder (1938) opposite Edward G. Robinson. He moved to the stage, appearing in the Broadway hit Johnny Belinda, and Columbia signed him to a long-term contract that gave him leading roles such as The Fighting Guardsman. Supporting work followed in The Mating of Millie (1948), You Gotta Stay Happy (1948) and Apache Drums (1951), and he took a minor part at MGM in Kiss Me Kate (1953). He starred as Ranger Jace Pearson in the CBS series Tales of the Texas Rangers from 1955 to 1958, and later led the British production The Earth Dies Screaming (1964).
84years old at death
- Born New York City
- Died Rancho Mirage
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Also credited as Worster Van Eps
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 26 years1938 to 1964
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A change of course
Parker was working as a tennis pro in Hollywood when Zeppo Marx, then an agent, spotted him and arranged a screen test that led to a Warner Bros contract.
Big break
Parker acted in the Broadway hit Johnny Belinda, then took over Victor Mature's part in the musical Lady in the Dark and toured with it in 1943. Columbia Pictures executives noticed him and gave him a long-term contract.
Willard Parker movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Worked with
Willard Parker shares two films with Ron Randell, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Ron Randell's page
James Stewart's page
Keenan Wynn's page
Glenn Ford's page
Edward G. Robinson's page
John Litel's page
All films by George Sidney
Terence FisherDirector, 1 film, 1964
All films by Terence Fisher
All films by Lloyd Bacon
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.