Jean Parker American film actress Date of Birth: 11.08.1915 Country: USA

Biography of Jean Parker

Jean Parker, born Lois May Green on August 11, 1915, in Deer Lodge, Montana, USA, was an American film actress. She attended Pasadena School and graduated from John Muir High School. Her acting career took off when she was noticed by Ida Koverman, the secretary to MGM president Louis B. Mayer. Ida saw a poster of Parker in a "Father Time" costume and recognized her potential.

Parker worked with MGM, RKO, and Columbia, starring in several notable roles over the years. She played the tragic character of Beth in the original version of George Cukor's Academy Award-winning film "Little Women" in 1933, alongside Katharine Hepburn. She was also part of the ensemble cast in Frank Capra's comedy "Lady for a Day" and the fantasy film "Gabriel Over the White House". Parker portrayed Tony Martin in the film "Sequoia" and further expanded her film career with appearances in the horror film "The Ghost Goes West" with Robert Donat and the historical drama "Rasputin and the Empress".

In 1939, Parker became a star in the comedy film "The Flying Deuces" alongside Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. She continued to work actively throughout the 1940s, including a role as Heather Hayden in the horror film "Dead Man's Eyes" with Lon Chaney Jr. During this time, Parker had access to her own private airport, thanks to her then-husband Doug Dawson, until the outbreak of World War II. In this challenging period, she performed in hospitals for veterans and worked in radio.

In 1954, Parker and Edward G. Robinson starred in the film noir "Black Tuesday", followed by a small but impactful role in the western film "The Gunfighter" with Gregory Peck. In 1955, she appeared in another western film, "A Lawless Street", with Angela Lansbury. Parker's last film was "Apache Uprising" in 1965, directed by R. G. Springsteen.

Parker was married multiple times throughout her life. Her first husband was journalist George MacDonald, whom she married on March 22, 1936. Their marriage lasted four years. On February 14, 1941, she married radio commentator Douglas Dawson, but they divorced after two years. In August 1944, Parker married insurance agent Curtis Grotter, and they divorced five years later. Finally, in 1950, she married actor Robert Lowery, who portrayed Batman in a 1949 film. They had a son, Robert Lowery Hanks, in 1952, and divorced in 1957.

Jean Parker passed away at the age of 90 from a stroke on November 30, 2005. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in recognition of her acting achievements.