Eleanor Parker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eleanor Parker
Parker in the 1940s
Born	Eleanor Jean Parker (1922-06-26)June 26, 1922 Cedarville, Ohio, U.S.
Died	December 9, 2013(2013-12-09) (aged 91) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Education	Shaw High School Pasadena Playhouse
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1941–1991
Known for	Caged Detective Story Interrupted Melody The Sound of Music Scaramouche
Spouse(s)	Fred Losee ​ ​ (m. 1943; div. 1944)​ Bert E. Friedlob ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1953)​ Paul Clemens ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1965)​ Raymond N. Hirsch ​ ​ (m. 1966; died 2001)​
Children	4
Relatives	Chasen Parker (grandson)

Eleanor Jean Parker (born June 26, 1922 – died December 9, 2013) was a talented American actress. She was famous for her roles in many movies. She was nominated for three Academy Awards (Oscars) for her acting. These nominations were for her roles in Caged (1950), Detective Story (1951), and Interrupted Melody (1955). For Caged, she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress award. Many people also remember her from films like The Sound of Music (1965), where she played Baroness Elsa Schraeder.

Early Life and Acting Dreams

Eleanor Jean Parker was born on June 26, 1922, in Cedarville, Ohio. Her parents were Lola and Lester Day Parker. Her family later moved to East Cleveland, Ohio. There, she went to public schools and graduated from Shaw High School.

Eleanor always knew she wanted to act. She once said, "Ever since I can remember, all I wanted to do is act. But I didn't just dream about it. I worked at it." She performed in many school plays. After high school, she went to Martha's Vineyard to improve her acting skills. She worked as a waitress and even turned down a chance for a screen test from 20th Century Fox. She wanted to focus on films, so she moved to California. There, she started performing at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Starting Her Film Career

Joining Warner Bros.

One night, while Eleanor was watching a play at the Pasadena Playhouse, a talent scout from Warner Bros. named Irving Kumin saw her. He offered her a screen test, and she accepted. The studio signed her to a long-term contract in June 1941.

Her first film was supposed to be They Died with Their Boots On in 1941, but her scenes were cut. Her actual first movie role was as Nurse Ryan in a short film called Soldiers in White in 1942. She then got some good parts in smaller films like Busses Roar (1942) and The Mysterious Doctor (1943). She also had a small role in Mission to Moscow (1943). Warner Bros. was impressed with her. She replaced another actress in Between Two Worlds (1944).

Eleanor continued to play supporting roles in films like Crime by Night (1944) and The Last Ride (1944). Then, she got a main role with Dennis Morgan in The Very Thought of You (1944). She also made a quick appearance in Hollywood Canteen (1944).

One of her important early roles was Mildred Rogers in a new version of Of Human Bondage (1946). Even though the director, Edmund Goulding, thought she was one of the best actresses, the movie didn't do well at first. However, in 1953, Eleanor said this was her favorite role.

Eleanor felt her "big break" was when she acted with John Garfield in Pride of the Marines (1945). She said, "It was a great part, and who wouldn't look good with John Garfield. He was absolutely wonderful." However, her next two films with Errol Flynn, Never Say Goodbye (1946) and Escape Me Never (1947), were not very successful.

Eleanor was suspended twice by Warner Bros. because she refused to take certain roles. She turned down parts in Stallion Road and Love and Learn.

Parker in 1948

She made the comedy Voice of the Turtle (1947) with Ronald Reagan. She also appeared in The Woman in White (1948). She refused another role in Somewhere in the City (1948), leading to another suspension.

Eleanor took two years off during this time. She got married and had a baby. She turned down a role in The Hasty Heart (1949) because it would have meant going to England, and she didn't want to leave her baby. She said, "All my life, I wanted a child, and anything that might happen to me professionally on that account would hardly seem a loss."

She returned to acting in Chain Lightning with Humphrey Bogart. She wanted to choose roles that felt more real. Eleanor heard about Caged (1950), a film about a woman in prison. She worked hard to get the role. She won an award at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar for this film. She also had a good role in Three Secrets (1950).

In February 1950, Eleanor left Warner Bros. after eight years. She had thought she would star in a film called Safe Harbor, but the studio didn't plan to make it. So, her agents helped her leave the contract.

New Studios: Paramount and MGM

Eleanor's career outside of Warner Bros. started with films like Valentino (1951) and the comedy A Millionaire for Christy (1951).

In 1951, Eleanor signed a contract with Paramount Pictures to make one film a year. This new arrangement started very well with Detective Story (1951). She played Mary McLeod, the wife of a detective (played by Kirk Douglas). Eleanor was nominated for an Oscar for this role.

After Detective Story, Eleanor played an actress in love with a nobleman in Scaramouche (1952). This movie was a huge success. MGM then quickly cast her in Above and Beyond (1952). This film was about Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., the pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It was also a successful film. While making Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), she signed a five-year contract with MGM.

She was considered for other films that were not made. Back at Paramount, Eleanor starred with Charlton Heston in The Naked Jungle (1954). She played a mail-order bride in 1901.

Eleanor returned to MGM and worked again with Robert Taylor in Valley of the Kings (1954). She also starred in the Western film Many Rivers to Cross (1955).

In 1953, she said, "I maintain that if you work, believe in yourself, and do what is right for you without stepping all over others, the way somehow opens up." She also mentioned that she had been suspended many times at Warner Bros. for refusing parts, but she never regretted it. She said she never did a Western film before.

In 1954, she said her favorite films were Caged and Detective Story. She had agreements to make two films a year at MGM and one a year at Paramount. She preferred being under contract.

MGM gave her one of her best roles as opera singer Marjorie Lawrence in Interrupted Melody (1955). This movie was a big hit and earned Eleanor her third Oscar nomination. She later said it was her favorite film.

In 1955, Eleanor also appeared in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), directed by Otto Preminger. This film was very successful with both critics and audiences.

In 1956, she starred with Clark Gable in the comedy The King and Four Queens.

She then made two dramas for MGM: Lizzie (1957), where she played a woman with a split personality, and The Seventh Sin (1957). Both of these films did not do well at the box office.

Later Career: Films, TV, and Stage

Eleanor supported Frank Sinatra in the popular comedy A Hole in the Head (1959). She returned to MGM for Home from the Hill (1960), co-starring with Robert Mitchum. She then took over a role in Return to Peyton Place (1961), a sequel to a popular film. She also made Madison Avenue (1961).

In 1960, she started acting on TV. She said she looked for good stories and fun parts. She explained that when she was under contract, she had to do films she didn't like. But now, she only wanted to work if she believed in the role.

In the early 1960s, she worked more and more in television. She still took occasional film roles like Panic Button (1964).

Eleanor Parker's most famous role was playing Baroness Elsa Schraeder in the 1965 Oscar-winning musical The Sound of Music.

In 1966, she appeared in the crime drama Warning Shot, The Oscar, and An American Dream. From the late 1960s, she mainly focused on television roles.

Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6340 Hollywood Blvd.

In 1963, Eleanor appeared in the TV show The Eleventh Hour. For this role, she was nominated for an Emmy Award. In 1968, she played a spy in How to Steal the World, which was originally two episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E..

Eleanor starred in her last movie of the 1960s, the thriller Eye of The Cat (1969).

From 1969 to 1970, Eleanor starred in the TV series Bracken's World. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for this role. She left the series after 16 episodes because she felt her role was too limited.

After 1969, she continued to work steadily, mostly on television. She had a small role in the movie Sunburn (1979). She appeared in TV movies like Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring (1971) and Home for the Holidays (1972). She also made guest appearances on popular TV shows such as Hawaii Five-O, The Love Boat, Hotel, and Murder, She Wrote. Her very last TV role was in the 1991 TV movie Dead on the Money.

While working in TV, Eleanor also performed in many plays. She played Margo Channing in Applause, a Broadway musical based on the film All About Eve.

For her important work in the movie industry, Eleanor Parker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6340 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal Life

Eleanor Parker was married four times:

• Fred Losee: married in 1943, divorced in 1944.
• Bert E. Friedlob: married in 1946, divorced in 1953. They had three children together.
• Paul Clemens: married in 1954, divorced in 1965. They had one child, who also became an actor named Paul Clemens.
• Raymond N. Hirsch: married in 1966. He passed away in 2001.

She was the grandmother of actor Chase Parker.

Eleanor was raised as a Protestant. Later, she became interested in Judaism and converted. She also supported a spiritual teacher named Roy Masters. In 1978, she wrote the introduction for his book How Your Mind Can Keep You Well.

Eleanor Parker was a lifelong supporter of the Democratic Party. She supported Adlai Stevenson for president in the 1952 election.

Death

Eleanor Parker passed away on December 9, 2013, in Palm Springs, California. She was 91 years old and died from problems related to pneumonia. Her body was cremated, and her ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, next to her husband, Raymond Hirsch.

Filmography

Film and Television Roles

Theatre Performances

• Applause (1972)
• The Night of the Iguana (1976) – Ahmanson Theatre
• Pal Joey (1976) – replaced during previews

Radio Shows

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Eleanor Parker para niños