Jean Parker, 90, Actress In B Movies and Broadway

Jean Parker, who appeared in at least 70 movies in her career and had supporting roles in such popular films as “Little Women,” starring Katharine Hepburn, in 1933, and “The Gunfighter,” starring Gregory Peck, in 1950, died Nov. 30 of a stroke at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 90.Parker had leading roles in a number of B movies in the 1930s and ’40s, including “Detective Kitty O’Day” in 1944. That year she also played opposite Lon Chaney Jr. in a whodunit, “Dead Man’s Eyes.”Later in her career, Parker worked in television and made guest appearances in several series, including “Private Secretary,” “Suspense,” and “Starlight Theater” in the 1950s.Some biographical sources say she was born Luis (or Luise) Stephanie Zelinska in Butte, Mont., in 1912, but her son, Robert Hanks, said that his mother was born Lois May Green in Deer Lodge, Mont., in 1915.She moved to California in the early 1930s with her father, who took a job as a chef at the Green Hotel in Pasadena. Her mother and Parker’s sister, Levona, joined the family soon afterward; later her parents divorced.Parker began her career as a contract actress at MGM Studios in the early 1930s. Pretty and vivacious, she gained a reputation for working quickly and well. She made seven films in 1933, including Frank Capra’s “Lady for a Day.” Perhaps the most enduring film she appeared in that year is “Little Women”; she played Beth, one of the four March sisters.Throughout her career, she often had small roles in movies that featured major stars. In 1934, she appeared in “Operator 13,”set during the Civil War with Marion Davies and Gary Cooper in the leading roles.She also made an appearance in “The Flying Deuces,” a Laurel and Hardy classic of 1939 in which she played the daughter of an innkeeper. In the film, Ollie Hardy falls in love with her, but things don’t work out and, to forget her, he joins the Foreign Legion.In “The Gunfighter,” Parker had a supporting role with Peck in the lead as the gunman who wants to retire and settle down. The film remains a strong example of the psychological dramas set in the American West that were popular in the 1950s.Parker also appeared onstage in Broadway shows and in touring productions. In 1946, she had a small role in “Burlesque,” starring Bert Lahr. She replaced Judy Holliday in a leading role in “Born Yesterday” in 1949 when Holliday left to make a movie. The play ran for about a year with Parker in the lead.She also had roles in the West Coast productions of several plays, including “Born Yesterday,” in the 1950s.In the 1960s and 70s, she worked as an acting coach.Married four times, Parker had one child, Mr. Hanks, with her fourth husband, actor Robert Lowery. She later separated from Lowery, who died in 1971, Mr. Hanks said.

Jean Parker, 90, Actress In B Movies and Broadway

Jean Parker, 90, Actress In B Movies and Broadway

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