Lara Parker, whose performance as Angelique on the cult-hit Gothic soap Dark Shadows endeared her to generations of fans of the series, died October 12 at 84.
Her death was confirmed by longtime friend and co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott, who wrote on Facebook, "We met as 'Josette' and 'Angelique' on Dark Shadows... that's how many knew us, but we knew each other as friends and confidantes. For more than 50 years, our lives were intertwined through our mutual love of literature, writing and acting. While getting on with the ordinary stuff of life, we sought each other out for encouragement, support and a trusted sounding board. We could not have been more unalike, and therein lay the magic of our enduring friendship. My thoughts are with her family in this sad time of grief and remembrance."
Born October 27, 1938, in Tennessee, her first acting credit was on Dark Shadows in 1967. Her character was introduced to help explain how the main character, Barnabas Collins (the late Jonathan Frid), became a vampire, but Angelique was popular in her own right and stayed on from 1967-1971.
She also appeared in the 1971 feature Night of Dark Shadows.
In 1968, she made her Broadway debut in Woman Is My Idea. Her film work included a memorable turn in Save the Tiger (1973), and I personally adored her on a crazy episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1975).
In 1977, she was in the pilot for The Incredible Hulk, playing David Banner's doomed wife.
Other movies: Hi, Mom! (1970), Race with the Devil (1975) and two Doctor Mabuse flicks in the 2010s.
Coming back into the Dark Shadows fold, Parker had a cameo in the 2012 film adaptation and published four novels branded to the series (1998-2016). She was often at autograph shows.
Parker is survived by her second husband, their daughter and her two sons from her marriage to the artist Tom Parker.
