Barbara Parkins

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Barbara Parkins
Kevin Norte and Parkins at a benefit reading of Valley of the Dolls in Hollywood in 2006
Born
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
  • photographer
  • artist
Years active1961–1998
Spouse1 (divorced)
Children1
Websitebarbaraparkins.com

Barbara Parkins is a Canadian-American former actress, singer, dancer and photographer.

Early life[edit]

Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.[citation needed] At the age of 16, she and her adoptive mother moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and studied acting, tap, ballet and fencing at the Falcon School, where her mother played the piano.[1]

Parkins worked as an usher in a cinema to pay for drama lessons.[2]

Professional life[edit]

Parkins began her career as a backup singer and dancer in the nightclub acts of stars like comedian George Burns.[citation needed] She made her film debut in the 1961 low-budget crime caper 20,000 Eyes, and guest-starred in television series such as Leave It to Beaver, The Untouchables, Perry Mason and The Wide Country.

Parkins in a promotional photo for Peyton Place

Parkins was involved in two of the most highly publicized projects of the 1960s, the ABC primetime serial Peyton Place, and the film adaptation of Jacqueline Susann's best-selling novel, Valley of the Dolls.

In Peyton Place, Parkins received lead billing for her role as small-town bad girl Betty Anderson. The character was scripted to die in a car crash six weeks into the season, but audience reaction to Parkins was overwhelmingly favorable and her character was kept in the story line. In a late-1965 interview, the actress said she was lucky to have the role of Anderson, calling her character the "salt and pepper in the stew".[2]

Parkins was the only female star nominated for an award throughout the run of the series (1964–1969). In 1966, she was nominated for an Emmy Award as Lead Actress in a Drama Series, but lost to Barbara Stanwyck for The Big Valley. Parkins said while losing the award was painful, she was glad to have lost it to Stanwyck instead of Anne Francis, who was also nominated and whose work Parkins thought was "unfeminine".[3]

Following the close of Peyton Place, producer Paul Monash developed a spin-off series, The Girl from Peyton Place, for Parkins. However, when co-star Ryan O'Neal, who played her husband, declined to participate, the project was shelved.[citation needed]

In Valley of the Dolls, Parkins played Anne Welles, a character based on author Susann. The Welles character was described as "the good girl with a million-dollar face and all the bad breaks".[who?] Although the film was trashed by the critics, it was a commercial success and became a cult classic.

After visiting London in 1968 to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of Valley of the Dolls co-star Sharon Tate and director Roman Polanski,[4] Parkins moved to England, where she starred in several productions, including Puppet on a Chain, Shout at the Devil, and The Mephisto Waltz. Parkins said she moved to London because it was relaxed and simple, and she loved its traditions.[5]

Parkins posed for nude pictorials in the May 1967, February 1970 and May 1976 editions of Playboy magazine.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Parkins appeared on American television in series that included Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill, Captains and the Kings and The Testimony of Two Men, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Hotel, and Vega$. She also appeared in television films, including To Catch a King, in which she portrayed the Duchess of Windsor, and opposite Sharon Stone in Calendar Girl Murders.

Parkins returned to the role of Betty Anderson in Peyton Place: The Next Generation (1985), a one-shot sequel to the series.

In 1991, Parkins starred in Canadian mystery series Scene of the Crime. She appeared in two Susann-inspired projects, the biography Scandalous Me and a segment of the Lifetime series Intimate Portrait.

In 2006, Parkins participated with Ted Casablanca on the audio commentary for the DVD release of Valley of the Dolls.

While filming Valley of the Dolls, Parkins met photographer Edward Steichen, a friend of the film's cinematographer, and was influenced to begin a lifetime career in photography.[6] She is also an advocate for endangered wildlife.[7][8]

Filmography[edit]

Sources:[9][10]

Films[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1961 20,000 Eyes High School Girl
1967 Valley of the Dolls Anne Welles
1970 The Kremlin Letter B.A.
1971 The Mephisto Waltz Roxanne Delancey
The Deadly Trap Cynthia
Puppet on a Chain Maggie
A Taste of Evil Susan Wilcox Television film
1972 Asylum Bonnie
1973 Snatched Barbara Maxvill Television film
1974 Christina Christina/Kay
1976 Law of the Land Jane Adams Television film
Shout at the Devil Rosa O'Flynn/Oldsmith
1977 Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy Vanessa Hunt Television film
1978 Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women Anna Held
The Critical List Angela Adams
1979 Bear Island Judith Rubin
1982 Breakfast in Paris Jackie Wyatt
1983 Uncommon Valor Dr. Margaret Houghton Television film
1984 To Catch a King Duchess of Windsor
Calendar Girl Murders Cleo Banks
Katy Caterpillar Mother Nature English version, voice
1985 Peyton Place: The Next Generation Betty Anderson Television film
1986 Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun Ellen Cartwright
1998 Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story Annie Laurie Williams

TV series[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1961 The Untouchables uncredited Episode: "The Lily Dallas Story"
1961 The Tall Man Sue Wiley Episode: "Shadow of the Past"
1961 Leave It to Beaver Judy Walker Episode: "No Time for Babysitters"
1961 87th Precinct Mary Episode: "Lady Killer"
1961 Wagon Train Eve Episode: "The Mark Miner Story"
1961 General Electric Theater Betty Episode: "We're Holding Your Son"
1961 General Electric Theater Ruth Episode: "A Friendly Tribe"
1962 My Three Sons Bobbie Episode: "Coincidence"
1962 The Wide Country Sharon Crosley Episode: "Our Ernie Kills People"
1962 Perry Mason Paula Durham Episode: "The Case of the Unsuitable Uncle"
1962 Dr. Kildare Annie Episode: "The Soul Killer"
1963 Laramie Marilee Bishop Episode: "The Wedding Party"
1963 The Wide Country Billie Kidwell Episode: "The Lucky Punch"
1964–1969 Peyton Place Betty Anderson Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1966)
1972 Ghost Story Eileen Travis Episode: "The New House"
1974 Born Free Opal Vanek
1974 Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill Leonie
1976 Gibbsville Jenny Episode: "All the Young Girls"
1976 Captains and the Kings Martinique
1977 Testimony of Two Men Marjorie Ferrier/Hilda Eaton
1980 Vega$ Lani Episode: "Aloha, You're Dead"
1980 Fantasy Island Lorna Hendricks Episode: "The Love Doctor/Pleasure Palace/Possessed"
1981 The Manions of America Charlotte Kent
1983 Hotel Eileen Weston Episode: "Faith, Hope & Charity"
1988 Jake and the Fatman Candace Morgan Episode: "But Not for Me"
1989 Murder, She Wrote Kay Weber Episode: "The Error of Her Ways"
1991 Scene of the Crime Various characters
1996 Picket Fences Lucy Wanamaker Episode: "Forget Selma"
1998 Superman: The Animated Series Mother Box Episode: "Apokolips... Now!"

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Spaner, David. Dreaming in The Rain (2003). Arsenal Pulp Press, ISBN 1-55152-129-6, p. 5
  2. ^ a b "Actress Barbara Parkins Once Ushered at Movies" by Bob Thomas, Nashua Telegraph, December 22, 1965, p. 9
  3. ^ "No. 1 Girl in 'Peyton Place'" by Hal Humphrey, The Oakland Tribune, June 5, 1966, p. 26-EN
  4. ^ Clark, John."Speaking Of Dvds: Barbara Parkins", SFGate.com, June 11, 2006
  5. ^ "Barbara Parkins talks about the men in her life" by Gene Handsaker, Independent, September 8, 1970, p. 16
  6. ^ Rossi, Richard. "Legendary Actress-Photographer Barbara Parkins of Valley of the Dolls". BlogTalkRadio. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Barbara Parkins PHOTOGRAPHY". Barbara Parkins Photographer. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  8. ^ "Barbara Parkins Collection at 100Prints.co.uk". 100Prints. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  9. ^ Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials: 1974-1984 (1985), Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft AG. ISBN 0-918432-61-8, pp. 34, 75, 264, 409
  10. ^ Parkins film listing fandango.com, retrieved January 26, 2010

References[edit]

  • Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (2007). Random House, Inc., ISBN 0-345-49773-2, pp 220, 1077, 1201
  • Newcomb, Horace. Encyclopedia of Television (2004). CRC Press. ISBN 1-57958-411-X, pp. 1754–1756

External links[edit]