Lara Parker was an actress best known for her starring role on the gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows” as the witch Angelique.
- Died: October 12, 2023 (Who else died on October 12?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in Los Angeles in her sleep at the age of 84.
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Lara Parker’s legacy
Born Mary Lamar Rickey, Parker had only just begun her onscreen acting career when she was cast as Angelique Bouchard in the second year of “Dark Shadows.” She was originally intended as a guest, appearing in a single storyline to explain how Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid (1924–2012), became a vampire. Her character was popular, and she was kept on the show, with her love-hate relationship with Barnabas one of the show’s top storylines. Among Angelique’s hallmarks was her maniacal laugh.
Parker’s association with “Dark Shadows” didn’t end with the show’s 1971 final episode. She and Frid, along with their costar Kathryn Leigh Scott, had cameo appearances in the 2012 theatrical remake of “Dark Shadows” by director Tim Burton. And Parker wrote several “Dark Shadows” novels, including “Angelique’s Descent,” “Wolf Moon Rising,” and “Heiress of Collinwood.”
Outside of “Dark Shadows,” Parker made many other TV appearances. She played Bruce Banner’s wife, Laura Banner, in the pilot of “The Incredible Hulk.” Her many guest spots included “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “Kojak,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Remington Steele,” and “Highway to Heaven.” Parker also had film roles in “Hi, Mom!” “Save the Tiger,” and “Race with the Devil.”
Parker on Angelique’s laugh
“The directors always said, can you laugh louder and harder? Your laugh is not good enough. So I pushed it and pushed it. I tried so hard to laugh that I’d run out of breath. It’s one of those mysterious things. Now, some people think it’s very scary but I never thought it was good enough. I thought ‘tell me a funny joke so I can laugh harder.’ It’s an actual pushed, fake laugh, but I guess that’s what makes it spine-tingling.” —from a 2016 interview for Den of Geek
Tributes to Lara Parker
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
