Jameson Parker
Encyclopedia
Francis Jameson Parker Jr. (born November 18, 1947, Baltimore, Maryland) is an American
actor
, best known as the co-star of the 1980s television series Simon & Simon
.
. While living in Washington, D.C.
, he landed a job with a production of The Great White Hope
at the Arena Stage
, and went on to act in theatrical productions of Caligula
and Indians
. After completing his degree at Beloit, he returned to the Washington, D.C. area, where he performed in dinner theater
and summer stock
.
In 1972, he moved to New York City
, where he secured several television commercials and appeared in off-Broadway plays. He was eventually cast as Dale Robinson in the daytime drama Somerset
. He later created the original Brad Vernon on One Life to Live
.
Parker made his motion picture debut in The Bell Jar
and also starred in 1980
's A Small Circle of Friends
, where he played one of three radical college students during the 1960s. The United Artists
-released film received only a limited theatrical release, ultimately grossing under $1 million. Another film to his early acting career was the controversial White Dog
.
In addition, he played the leads in the CBS
television movie
s A Caribbean Mystery
, Women at West Point, Anatomy of a Seduction, The Promise of Love
, Callie and Son and The Gathering II.
Parker has guest-starred on the ABC
series Family
and Hart to Hart
, Walker, Texas Ranger
, and such TV movies as Who is Julia, Dead Before Dawn and Violation of Trust. He appeared on Major Dad
and in the theatrical movie American Justice with his Simon & Simon
former co-star Gerald McRaney
.
During his hiatus from Simon & Simon, Parker co-produced and co-starred in "American Justice," an action adventure feature film shot on location in Arizona
. After completing his movie, he returned to his alma mater, Beloit College, to star in a live summer stock theatrical production, playing Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
.
In his book An Accidental Cowboy
, Jameson Parker recounts his life after Simon & Simon. Another book Parker has written is called To Absent Friends, which he calls "a collection of stories of the dogs we miss".
Parker has often stated that he was not the typical "Hollywood type", and that he is very much a homebody.
In the fall of 1992, Parker was shot near his condo, the result of a dispute with his neighbor. Parker made a full recovery, and the neighbor was charged for attempted murder and sentenced to nine years in prison.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known as the co-star of the 1980s television series Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...
.
Biography
Parker studied drama at Beloit CollegeBeloit College
Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...
. While living in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, he landed a job with a production of The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 3, 1968 for a run of 546 performances, directed by Edwin Sherin...
at the Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
, and went on to act in theatrical productions of Caligula
Caligula (play)
Caligula is a play written by Albert Camus, begun in 1938 and published for the first time in May 1944 by Éditions Gallimard. The play was later the subject of numerous revisions. It was part of what the author called the "Cycle of the Absurd", with the novel The Outsider and the essay The Myth...
and Indians
Indians (play)
Indians is a play by Arthur Kopit.At its core is Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. The play examines the contradictions of Cody's life and his work with Native Americans....
. After completing his degree at Beloit, he returned to the Washington, D.C. area, where he performed in dinner theater
Dinner theater
Dinner theater is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. Sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to the meal, in the style of a sophisticated night club, or the play may be a major production with dinner less important, or in some...
and summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
.
In 1972, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he secured several television commercials and appeared in off-Broadway plays. He was eventually cast as Dale Robinson in the daytime drama Somerset
Somerset (TV series)
Somerset is an American television soap opera which ran on NBC from March 30, 1970 until December 31, 1976. The show was a spinoff of another NBC serial, Another World.-Overview :...
. He later created the original Brad Vernon on One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
.
Parker made his motion picture debut in The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar is American writer and poet Sylvia Plath's only novel, which was originally published under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" in 1963. The novel is semi-autobiographical with the names of places and people changed...
and also starred in 1980
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
's A Small Circle of Friends
A Small Circle of Friends
A Small Circle of Friends is a film released in 1980 by United Artists starring Brad Davis, Karen Allen, Shelley Long, Jameson Parker, Peter Mark, and an uncredited Craig Richard Nelson, who played Bell in The Paper Chase, another film set at Harvard. The film follows the life of three students at...
, where he played one of three radical college students during the 1960s. The United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
-released film received only a limited theatrical release, ultimately grossing under $1 million. Another film to his early acting career was the controversial White Dog
White Dog
White Dog is a 1982 American drama film directed by Samuel Fuller using a screenplay written by Fuller and Curtis Hanson loosely based on Romain Gary's 1970 novel of the same title...
.
In addition, he played the leads in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s A Caribbean Mystery
A Caribbean Mystery
A Caribbean Mystery is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 16, 1964 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at sixteen shillings and the US edition at $4.50...
, Women at West Point, Anatomy of a Seduction, The Promise of Love
The Promise of Love
The Promise of Love is a 1980 television film directed by Don Taylor. The film was originally titled Personal Effects.- Plot :Starting in 1967 Oceanside, Kathy Wakeman is a high school senior who, soon after graduation, abandons her college plans to marry her mariner sweetheart Chuck Wakemore....
, Callie and Son and The Gathering II.
Parker has guest-starred on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Family
Family (TV series)
Family is an American television drama series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1980. Creative control of the show was split between executive producers Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling and Mike Nichols...
and Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
, and such TV movies as Who is Julia, Dead Before Dawn and Violation of Trust. He appeared on Major Dad
Major Dad
Major Dad is an American sitcom created by Richard C. Okie and John G. Stephens that originally ran from 1989 to 1993 on CBS, starring Gerald McRaney as Major John D. MacGillis and Shanna Reed as his wife Polly...
and in the theatrical movie American Justice with his Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...
former co-star Gerald McRaney
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee "Mac" McRaney is an American television and movie actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows Simon & Simon, Major Dad, and Promised Land. He was a series regular for the first season of Jericho.-Early life:McRaney was born in Collins, Mississippi, the son...
.
During his hiatus from Simon & Simon, Parker co-produced and co-starred in "American Justice," an action adventure feature film shot on location in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. After completing his movie, he returned to his alma mater, Beloit College, to star in a live summer stock theatrical production, playing Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955...
.
In his book An Accidental Cowboy
An Accidental Cowboy
An Accidental Cowboy is a memoir by Jameson Parker. It tells the story of the former Simon and Simon actor's physical recovery and psychological healing on a California ranch....
, Jameson Parker recounts his life after Simon & Simon. Another book Parker has written is called To Absent Friends, which he calls "a collection of stories of the dogs we miss".
Parker has often stated that he was not the typical "Hollywood type", and that he is very much a homebody.
In the fall of 1992, Parker was shot near his condo, the result of a dispute with his neighbor. Parker made a full recovery, and the neighbor was charged for attempted murder and sentenced to nine years in prison.