Eleanor Parker

Actor

About

Also Known As

Eleanor Jean Parker

Birth Place

Cedarville, Ohio, USA

Born

June 26, 1922

Died

December 09, 2013

Biography

Filmography

Dead On The Money (1991)

Catherine Blake

Madame X (1981)

Once Upon a Spy (1980)

Sunburn (1979)

She's Dressed To Kill (1979)

Fantasy Island (1977)

Eunice Hollander Baines

Photos & Videos

View All

King And Four Queens, The (1956) -- (Movie Clip) Lady Of The House

King And Four Queens, The (1956) -- (Movie Clip) I Wouldn't Lie To Her

Family & Companions

Fred L Losse

Husband

Dentist. US Naval lieutenant; married on March 21, 1943; divorced on December 5, 1944.

Bert Friedlob

Husband

Producer. Eloped to Las Vegas on January 5, 1946; divorced on November 10, 1953.

Paul Clemens

Husband

Artist. Introduced by William Holden; married on November 25, 1954; divorced on March 9, 1965.

Raymond N Hirsch

Husband

Businessman. Married on April 17, 1966.

Bibliography

"Eleanor Parker, Woman of a Thousand Faces: A Bio-Bibliography and Filmography"

Doug McClelland, Scarecrow Press (1989)

"Eleanor Powell: First Lady of Dance"

Alice B Levin

Biography

A ravishing redheaded leading lady of the 1940s and 50s, Eleanor Parker signed a contract with Warner Bros. on her 18th birthday after gaining experience on stage in Cleveland, summer stock and at the Pasadena Playhouse. She made her debut in Raoul Walsh's "They Died with Their Boots On" (1941) before graduating to starring status in distinguished films like "Pride of the Marines" (1945, her third movie with director Delmer Daves), and "Voice of the Turtle" (1947, opposite Ronald Reagan), adapted from John van Druten's Broadway hit. Parker reached the zenith of her popularity and acclaim in the early 50s, winning three Best Actress Oscar nominations for her terrorized prison inmate in "Caged" (1950), as Kirk Douglas' neglected wife with a secret in "Detective Story" (1951) and as polio-stricken opera star Marjorie Lawrence in "Interrupted Melody" (1955). That same year, she was also memorable as Frank Sinatra's beautiful but hateful crippled wife in Otto Preminger's "The Man with the Golden Arm." Parker's career had definitely peaked, and though she would reteam with Raoul Walsh for "The King and Four Queens" (1956, with Clark Gable) and Sinatra for Frank Capra's "A Hole in the Head" (1959), her best work of the late 50s was in Hugo Haas's "Lizzie" (1957) in which she was excellent as a woman with three distinct personalities, and Carl Schultz's "The Seventh Sin" (1957), playing the adulterous wife of a doctor who redeems herself during an epidemic. "Madison Avenue" (1962) marked her last starring role in a picture, but Parker continued to appear in secondary roles through the 70s, most notably as the Baroness in Robert Wise's "The Sound of Music" (1965). After headlining the NBC melodrama about the movie business "Bracken's World" (1969-70) and appearing in her final feature to date, "Sunburn" (1979), Parker acted in three TV-movies, "Once Upon a Spy" (ABC, 1980), "Madame X" (NBC, 1981) and "Dead on the Money" (TNT, 1991), in addition to the 1986 "Stage Struck" episode of CBS' "Murder, She Wrote." Parker died of complications of pneumonia in Palm Springs on December 9, 2013.

Filmography

Life Events

1932

Began her career at the age of ten with the Cleveland Playhouse Curtain Pullers (date approximate)

1939

Enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse after graduating from high school; discovered by a Warner Bros. talent scout (date approximate)

1940

Signed a contract with Warners on her 18th birthday

1941

Film debut, a bit part in "They Died With Their Boots On"

1950

Last picture with Warner Bros., "Three Secrets", paired her with director Robert Wise; began free-lancing

1950

Received first Oscar nomination for her leading role in "Caged"

1951

Picked up second Oscar nomination for William Wyler's "Detective Story"

1955

Beautiful but hateful as the wheelchair wife in Otto Preminger's "Man with the Golden Arm", starring Frank Sinatra

1955

Received the last of her three Oscar nominations as Best Actress for her work in "Interrupted Melody"

1959

Second film with Sinatra, Frank Capra's "A Hole in the Head"

1962

Last starring role in "Madison Avenue"

1965

Received "guest star" billing for her prominent supporting role as the Baroness in the popular musical film, "The Sound of Music", directed by Wise

1969

TV series debut as regular, "Bracken's World" (NBC)

1970

Returned to the stage; toured for two seasons in a production of "Forty Carats"

1971

Played bickering wife of Jackie Cooper and mother to Sally Field's hippie runaway in ABC movie "Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring"

1973

Headlined ABC movie "The Great American Beauty Contest"

1975

Starred in comedy pilot, Stanley Kramer's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (ABC), based on the director's 1967 feature

1978

Portrayed Lady Amberly in syndicated miniseries "The Bastard"

1979

Returned to feature films after a ten-year absence to play a role in "Sunburn"; last feature film to date

1986

Appeared in "Stage Struck" episode of "Murder She Wrote" (CBS)

1991

Played Catherine Blake in TNT movie "Dead on the Money"

Photo Collections

Scaramouche - Publicity Stills

Here are several publicity stills from MGM's Scaramouche (1952), starring Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, and Janet Leigh. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Pride of the Marines - Movie Poster

A Hole in the Head - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Frank Capra's A Hole in the Head (1959), starring Frank Sinatra. One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Above and Beyond - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Above and Beyond (1953), starring Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker and produced and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama.

The Man with the Golden Arm - Movie Posters

Here are a few original release movie posters from Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm (1956), starring Frank Sinatra. The main poster design is by Saul Bass.

A Hole in the Head - Pressbook

Here is the campaign book (pressbook) for Frank Capra's A Hole in the Head (1959), starring Frank Sinatra. Pressbooks were sent to exhibitors and theater owners to aid them in publicizing the film's run in their theater.