biography Born Marjorie Hellen in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on March 13, 1935, beautiful Leslie Parrish originally began her career as a pianist but began modeling in order to pay for her education. Soon Parrish was hired by NBC, becoming known as the "NBC color girl," since NBC ran early color broadcast tests using Parrish as a live model in order to balance skin tones using the new technology. Relocating to California late in 1954, Parrish was soon discovered by a 20th Century Fox talent scout and was signed to a contract. After a few bit roles, she later moved on to MGM in 1956, but MGM also released Parrish from her contract. She freelanced afterward and landed sizable roles in such low-budget films as Tank Battalion (1958; with Don Kelly and Frank Gorshin) and Missle to the Moon (1958; with Richard Travis, Cathy Downs, and Gary Clarke). Her first starring role came in Paramount's musical comedy Li'l Abner (1959; with Peter Palmer and Julie Newmar). While most of the cast from the Broadway show reprised their roles in the film, Parrish replaced Edie Adams in the role.  Li'l Abner received mostly good notices but wasn't the hit that Paramount's executives anticipated. For the next few years Parrish acted in a number of films and television shows, including Perry Mason, Hawaiian Eye, and 77 Sunset Strip. As a result of her busy career, her marriage to first husband, noted songwriter Eric 'Ric' Marlow, ended in divorce in 1961 after six years. The following year, she landed a role in her biggeset film, John Frankenheimer's thriller The Manchurian Candidate (1962; with Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury). She then took roles in the comedies For Love or Money (1963; with Kirk Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor, and Julie Newmar), Sex and the Single Girl (1964; with Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis), and Three on a Couch (1966; with Jerry Lewis, Janet Leigh, and James Best). |
|
the films of leslie parrishLi'l Abner (1959) 
From the Paramount musical comedy Li'l Abner. LEFT: With Peter Palmer, Billie Hayes, Gordon Mitchell, and Leslie Parrish. RIGHT: With costar Peter PalmerSurfside 6 (1960-1962 ABC TV Series) 
LEFT: Parrish as Sunny Golden in an episode of Surfside 6 titled Circumstantial Evidence, which originally aired on April 17, 1961. RIGHT: With Lee Patterson in a 1961 episode titled Circumstantial EvidencePortrait of a Mobster (1961)  
From the Warner Bros. crime drama Portrait of a Mobster. LEFT: With Vic Morrow. CENTER: Parrish as Iris Murphy. RIGHT: With Peter BreckFor Love or Money (1963)
With Julie Newmar, Mitzi Gaynor, and Kirk Douglas in the Universal comedy For Love or MoneySex and the Single Girl (1964)
With Tony Curtis in the Warner Bros. comedy Sex and the Single GirlThree on a Couch (1966)  
From the Columbia comedy Three on a Couch. LEFT: With Jerry Lewis. CENTER: With James Best, Jerry Lewis, Gina Golan, and Mary Ann Mobley. RIGHT: With Mary Ann Mobley and Gina GolanStar Trek (1966-1969 NBC TV Series)
As Carolyn in the Star Trek episode Who Mourns for Adonais?, which originally aired on September 22, 1967The Money Jungle (1968) 
From the little-seen thriller The Money Jungle. LEFT: With John Ericson. RIGHT: Parrish as Treva SaintThe Candy Man (1969)
Parrish as movie star Julie Evans in the made-in-Mexico drug-themed crime drama The Candy Man, released by Allied ArtistsThe Devil's 8 (1969)  
From the American International crime drama The Devil's 8. LEFT: With Christopher George. CENTER: With Ross Hagen. RIGHT: With Ralph MeekerThe Giant Spider Invasion (1975)
Shot in Wisconsin during the summer of 1975 for $300,000, The Giant Spider Invasion was a hit upon its release and features a great cast headed by Barbara Hale, Bill Williams, and Robert Eastonleslie parrish todayWhile never reaching stardom, Parrish stayed busy in films and making guest appearances on popular television shows until the late 1970s. Avid Mystery Science Theater 3000 viewers will recall Parrish as Ev Kester in The Giant Spider Invasion (1975; with Barbara Hale and Steve Brodie). Increasingly more active as an environmentalist and civil rights activist, her acting career became less of a focus, and she retired from the screen in 1978. She married writer Richard Bach, the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, in 1981, but Parrish and Bach parted ways in 1997. Today, Parrish remains retired from acting. |
filmographyFILMS
|
leslie parrish film now showingWatch Leslie Parrish in the 1976 sci-fi flick The Astral Fiend, aka Invisible Strangler |
Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered August 25, 2008.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information