Julie Parrish


Julie Parrish was an American film, stage, and television actress.

Early life

Parrish was born Ruby Joyce Wilbar on October 21, 1940, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, to William Robert "Bob" Wilbar and Gladys Wilbar. She had five younger siblings, sisters Barbara, Janice, and Liza, and brothers James and Robert. She spent her early years in Lake City, Tennessee,, before moving to Tecumseh, Michigan, at age 11. There she graduated from high school. Parrish then attended a modeling school in Toledo, Ohio. She won a national contest for "Young Model of The Year" at a modeling school chain.

Career

Parrish first appeared as an actress in the Jerry Lewis movies It's Only Money and The Nutty Professor, and in a small role in Harlow. After some guest appearances on television series, and roles in films such as Winter A-Go-Go and Fireball 500, she co-starred with Elvis Presley in Paradise, Hawaiian Style. Her later film credits included roles in The Doberman Gang, The Time Machine and The Devil and Max Devlin.
Parrish also made guest appearances in many television series such as Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, ‘’My Three Sons (as Darlene-Mike’s Girlfriend’’, Family Affair, , Bonanza, Murder, She Wrote, Capitol and Beverly Hills, 90210. She had lead roles on several television soap operas and was the female lead in the short-lived 1967 CBS Television sitcom, Good Morning World.
Parrish's theater credits include Absence of a Cello and Memo. In Los Angeles, she received an L.A. Drama Critics Award for her portrayal of Maggie in Arthur Miller's After the Fall. She was also a writer and contributed essays, articles, and book reviews to many publications. Parrish began undergraduate studies in her late forties, earning a degree in Chemical Dependencies Counseling. She worked for nine years as a full-time on-staff counselor at the Haven Hills Shelter for Battered Women.

Death

After a long battle with ovarian cancer, she died of complications from the disease in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 62 in 2003.

Filmography