Michael Parks

Michael Parks
Born	Harry Samuel Parks April 24, 1940 (1940-04-24) (age 71) Corona, California U.S.
Occupation	Actor

Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940) is an American actor and singer.^[1][2] He has appeared in almost fifty films and has made frequent TV appearances, but is probably best known for his work in recent years with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith as well as the 1969 television series Then Came Bronson.

Personal life

Parks was born Harry Samuel Parks in Corona, California to a truck driver father.^[3] He drifted from job to job during his teenage years. He was married at the age of 15.^[4]

Career

Parks first gained recognition in the role of Adam in John Huston's The Bible: In the Beginning (1966) and as the star of the television series Then Came Bronson from 1969 to 1970. He also sang the theme song for the show, "Long Lonesome Highway," which became a #20 Billboard Hot 100 and #41 Hot Country Songs hit.^[5] Albums he recorded under MGM Records (the label of the studio which produced the series) include Closing The Gap (1969), Long Lonesome Highway (1970), and Blue. He also had various 45 rpm records of songs included on these albums. Other early roles included an appearance in two NBC series, the legal drama Sam Benedict in the role of Larry Wilcox in the 1962 episode entitled "Too Many Strangers" and the medical drama The Eleventh Hour, in the role of Mark Reynolds in the 1963 segment "Pressure Breakdown." He also appeared in The China Lake Murders and Stranger by Night, having portrayed a police officer in both.

He subsequently played Philip Colby during the second season (1986–1987) of Dynasty spin-off series The Colbys.

He appeared as Irish mob boss Tommy O'Shea in Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994), French-Canadian drug runner Jean Renault in the television series Twin Peaks, Doctor Banyard in Deceiver (1997), Texas Ranger Earl McGraw in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), which was written by Tarantino and directed by Rodriguez, and then took a leading role as Ambrose Bierce in its straight-to-video prequel From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000). He also played two roles in Tarantino's Kill Bill, reprising Earl McGraw in Vol. 1, and playing Esteban Vihaio in Vol. 2. He has most recently reprised the role of Earl McGraw in both segments of the Tarantino/Rodriguez film Grindhouse.

His son, James Parks, is also an actor. He has played the son of his father's character, Earl McGraw, four times: Kill Bill, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, Death Proof and Planet Terror.

In July 2010, at the San Diego Comic Con, filmmaker Kevin Smith announced that Parks had been cast as the villain (Pastor Abin Cooper), in his upcoming horror film Red State. Smith later announced on his podcast "Plus One" that Parks had recorded an album during Red State's production, after Smith and producer Jon Gordon noticed his singing talent during filming. The album, titled The Red State Sessions, was released August 15th, 2011, as a download from the film's website.

Filmography

• Red State (2011) as Pastor Abin Cooper
• Noble Things (2007) as Pete Collins
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) as Henry Craig
• El Muerto (2007) as Sheriff Stone
• Grindhouse (segments Planet Terror/Death Proof) (2007) as Earl McGraw
• The Listening (film) (2006)
• Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) as Esteban Vihaio
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) as Earl McGraw
• From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000) as Ambrose Bierce
• Wicked (1998) as Detective Boland
• Deceiver (1997) as Doctor Banyard
• Niagara, Niagara (1997) as Walter
• From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw
• Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994) as Tommy O'Shea
• The Hitman (1991) as Ronny "Del" Delany
• Twin Peaks, as Jean Renault in 5 episodes (1990–1991)
• The China Lake Murders, played Officer Donnelly (1990)
• The Equalizer, episode "Target Of Choice," 1988
• The Equalizer, episode "Nocturne," 1986
• The Return of Josey Wales, (1986) as Josey Wales
• Hard Country (1981) as Royce
• Savannah Smiles (1982) as Lt Savage
• Rainbow, the movie with Andrea McCardle & Rue McClanahan, (1978)
• Love and the Midnight Auto Supply (1978) as Duke
• The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977) as Robert F. Kennedy
• Escape from Bogen County (1977)
• Last Hard Men (1976)
• Between Friends (1973)
• Then Came Bronson played Jim Bronson 1969-70 TV Series 26 episodes
• The Idol (1966) as Marco, with Jennifer Jones and John Leyton
• The Bible: In the Beginning (1966) as Adam
• Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965) as Bus Riley with Ann Margret, Kim Darby, Jocelyn Brando, Larry Storch, David Carradine
• Wild Seed (1965) starring Michael Parks and Celia Kaye
• Channing (1963–1964) with Jason Evers; two episodes as Dante Donati on ABC
• Perry Mason (1963) as Cal Leonard starring Bette Davis and Raymond Burr. season 6, episode 16, List of Perry Mason episodes called The Case of Constant Doyle
• The Greatest Show on Earth (1963) with Jack Palance on ABC
• The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) Episodes: The Cadaver, 1958, Diagnosis: Danger, 1963
• Target: The Corruptors!, episode "Nobody Gets Hurt," June 1, 1962
• The Law and Mr. Jones, episode "One by One" (1961)

Album discography

• 1969 - Closing The Gap (MGM)
• 1970 - Long Lonesome Highway (MGM)
• 1970 - Blue (MGM)
• 1970 - Lost & Found (Verve)
• 1971 - Best Of Michael Parks (MGM)
• 1981 - You Don't Know Me (First American)
• 1998 - Coolin' Soup (Listen)
• 2011 - The Red State Sessions (SModcast)

References

1. ^ Michael Parks Biography (1938-)
2. ^ According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com
3. ^ Michael Parks Biography (1938-)
4. ^ Michael Parks Biography - Yahoo! Movies
5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (August 2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc.. pp. 315. ISBN 0-89820-177-2. 

External links

• Michael Parks at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Parks, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 24, 1940
Place of birth	Corona, California U.S.
Date of death
Place of death