Stage Name: Eleanor Parker
Birth Name: Eleanor Jean Parker
Occupation: Stage, Movie, TV Actress /Pinup Model
Years Active: 1942–1991
Notable Works: Eleanor Parker was dubbed the woman of a Thousand Faces for her on screen versatility and has worked in almost 50 feature films and has had scores of roles on television programs and has worked on a few stage plays too; probably her most famous role was as Baroness Elsa Schraeder, the second female lead in the 1965 Oscar-winning smash hit, and still celebrated, The Sound of Music. The only major film award she has ever won was the Volpi Cup For Best Actress in Caged (1950) at the Venice Film Festival; she has had 4 Academy Award nominations 3 of them Oscar nominations for best actress in a leading role, the first for her depiction of a young prison inmate in Caged (1950) then in a leading role in 1951 for her performance as Kirk Douglas's wife in Detective Story and again in 1955 for her portrayal of opera singer Marjorie Lawrence in the Oscar-winning biopic Interrupted Melody.
Date/Place Birth: June 26, 1922 (1922-06-26); Cedarville, Ohio, U.S.A.
Date/Death/Cause: still living 2010, 88
Spouse(s) & Children: Family Summary: Fred Losee (1943-1944 divorced); Bert E. Friedlob (1946-1953 divorced) 3 children, Susan, Sharon, Richard ( 3 childrens last names Friedlob later changed to Clemens); Paul Clemens (1954-1965 divorced) 1 son Paul Day; Raymond Hirsch (1966-present)
Short Biography: Eleanor Parker is beautiful and always enjoyable to watch onscreen no matter what the project or role she plays; she worked hard her whole life acting in entertainment field and made a good living but never really became a “big name” despite numerous movies, several Oscar nominations and countless television jobs. The Film Guild of America says about her, "Audiences never knew what to expect when they saw her. To Eleanor, creating interesting characters was more important than cultivating a star image. In over 50 films, she would earn the title, 'The Woman of a Thousand Faces'...If she had conformed, and simply used her stunning beauty to rise to stardom, she might be canonized today. Thankfully, she did not conform. Eleanor instead became a serious actress who gave her roles a depth and understanding that few stars have ever matched." allmovie.com has a good biographical summary of her career