Cause of death Heart attack Role Film actor Name Willard Parker | Years active 1937-1972 Occupation Actor | |
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Full Name Worcester Van Eps Born February 5, 1912 ( 1912-02-05 ) New York City, New York, U.S. Died December 4, 1996, Rancho Mirage, California, United States Spouse Virginia Field (m. 1951–1992), Marion Pierce (m. 1939–1951) Movies and TV shows Tales of the Texas Rangers, Apache Drums, The Earth Dies Screaming, Calamity Jane and Sam Bass, A Slight Case of Murder Similar People Virginia Field, Hugo Fregonese, George Sherman, Edward Ludwig, Henry Levin | ||
Emergency Wedding (1950)
Willard Parker (February 5, 1912 – December 4, 1996) was an American film and television actor.
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He was born Worster Van Eps in New York City. Prior to becoming an actor, he was a meter reader and a tennis pro. Although he had some stage experience, he mainly appeared as a second lead in films after 1938. Tall and with wavy hair, he was married to the actress Virginia Field.
Parker was cast as Ranger Jace Pearson in the 52-episode CBS television series, Tales of the Texas Rangers, which aired from 1955 to 1958. His co-star was Harry Lauter as Ranger Clay Morgan. The series was rerun thereafter on ABC.
He guest starred in a few other television series, including the CBS anthology series, Schlitz Playhouse (four episodes) and Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. He also appeared on Lee Marvin's NBC crime drama, M Squad, and ABC's religion drama series, Going My Way, starring Gene Kelly and Leo G. Carroll as Roman Catholic priests in New York City. Parker was cast as Msgr. Joe Giblin in the 1962 episode, "The Crooked Angel."
Parker died of a heart attack at the age of eighty-four in Rancho Mirage in Riverside County, California.
Filmography
Actor
1966
Waco as
Pete Jenner
1964
The Earth Dies Screaming as
Jeff Nolan
1962
Going My Way (TV Series) as
Msgr. Joseph Francis Giblin
- The Crooked Angel (1962) - Msgr. Joseph Francis Giblin
1962
Air Patrol as
Lt. Vern Taylor
1960
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (TV Series) as
Bill
- Dr. Kate (1960) - Bill
1960
The High Powered Rifle as
Stephen Dancer
1960
Walk Tall as
Captain Ed Trask
1960
Young Jesse James as
Cole Younger
1959
Lone Texan as
Clint Banister
1955
Tales of the Texas Rangers (TV Series) as
Ranger Jace Pearson
- Ambush (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Fifth Plague (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Kickback (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Jace and Clay (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Texas Flyer (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Desert Fury (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Steel Trap (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Deadfall (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Cattle Drive (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Edge of Danger (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Midway Kewpie (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Warpath (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Traitor's Gold (1958) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Double Reward (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Streamlined Rustlers (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Riders of the Lone Star (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Gypsy Boy (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Kid from Amarillo (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Trail Herd (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Hardrock's Dilemma (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- A Texas Million (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Both Barrels Blazing (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Whirlwind Raiders (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Quarter Horse (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Key Witness (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Panhandle (1957) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Bandits of El Dorado (1956) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Last Days of Boot Hill (1956) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Buckaroo from Powder River (1956) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Hobo (1956) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Man from Sundown (1956) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Horseman on the Sierras (1956) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Devil's Deputy (1956) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Black Eyes of Texas (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Singing on the Trail (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Hail to the Rangers (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Rough, Tough West (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Blazing Across the Pecos (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Return of the Rough Riders (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Atomic Trail (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Prairie Raiders (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Tornado (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Jail Bird (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Home in San Antone (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- The Shooting of Sam Bass (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Double Edge (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Uranium Pete (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Blood Trail (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- West of Sonora (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Shorty Sees the Light (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Carnival Criss-Cross (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
- Ransom Flight (1955) - Ranger Jace Pearson
1958
M Squad (TV Series) as
Malcolm Grove
- The Cover Up (1958) - Malcolm Grove
1957
Lure of the Swamp as
James Lister
1956
Naked Gun as
Breen Mathews
1952
The Adventures of Ellery Queen (TV Series) as
Douglas Boyd
- Close-up of Murder (1955) - Douglas Boyd
- A Close-Up of Murder (1952) - Douglas Boyd
1953
The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series) as
Dave Baxter
- The Mumbys (1955) - Dave Baxter
- Kiss and Forget (1953)
1954
Fireside Theatre (TV Series)
- No Time for Susan (1955)
- A Mother's Duty (1954)
1952
Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series) as
Mayor John Norman / Captain Henry Clay / Ron Gage / ...
- Visitor in the Night (1955) - Mayor John Norman
- Little War at San Dede (1954) - Captain Henry Clay
- Twenty-two Sycamore Road (1953) - Ron Gage
- Mr. And Mrs. Trubble or The Tubbles (1952) - Mr. Tubble
1954
The Loretta Young Show (TV Series) as
George Tracy
- The Enchanted Schoolteacher (1954) - George Tracy
1953
Kiss Me Kate as
Tex Callaway
1953
The Great Jesse James Raid as
Jesse James
1953
The Vanquished as
Captain Kirby
1953
Sangaree as
Gabriel Thatch
1952
Caribbean as
Shively
1951
Apache Drums as
Mayor Joe Madden
1951
My True Story as
Bill Phillips
1950
Hunt the Man Down as
Brick Appleby
1950
Bandit Queen as
Dan Hinsdale
1950
Emergency Wedding as
Vandemer
1950
David Harding, Counterspy as
Lt. Comdr. Jerry A. Baldwin
1950
The Secret Fury as
Smith (uncredited)
1949
Bodyhold as
Tommy Jones
1949
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass as
Sheriff William 'Will' Egan
1949
Slightly French as
Douglas Hyde
1948
You Gotta Stay Happy as
Henry Benson
1948
The Mating of Millie as
Phil Gowan
1948
Relentless as
Jeff Moyer
1948
The Wreck of the Hesperus as
John Macready
1946
Renegades as
Dr. Sam Martin
1946
One Way to Love as
Mitchell Raymond
1946
The Fighting Guardsman as
Baron Francois de St.-Hermain, alias Roland the Bandit
1943
What a Woman! as
Michael Cobb
1939
The Magnificent Fraud as
Airline Steward (uncredited)
1939
The Zero Hour as
Lansdowne
1938
Accidents Will Happen as
Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
1938
A Slight Case of Murder as
Dick Whitewood
1938
The Invisible Menace as
Pvt. Booker (uncredited)
1937
Missing Witnesses as
Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
1937
The Adventurous Blonde as
Clerk (uncredited)
1937
Over the Goal as
Duke Davis
1937
Alcatraz Island as
Reporter (uncredited)
1937
Love Is on the Air as
Les Quimby
1937
That Certain Woman as
Reporter (uncredited)
1937
Back in Circulation as
Ben (uncredited)
1937
The Devil's Saddle Legion as
Hub Ordley
Archive Footage
1993
TV's Western Heroes (Video documentary) as
Ranger Jace Pearson
References
Willard Parker Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA