Andrea Parker

Andrea N. Parker[1] (born March 8, 1970) is an American film and television actress and former ballet dancer. She is known for her roles on ER, The Pretender, Less than Perfect, Desperate Housewives, and Pretty Little Liars.

Andrea Parker
Parker in 2018
Born
Andrea N. Parker

(1970-03-08) March 8, 1970
OccupationActress
Years active1988–present
Spouse(s)
Michael Birnbaum (m. 2007)

Early life

Parker was born in Monterey County, California. She began ballet training at age 6 and at age 15 she joined a professional dance company. She quit her career in ballet after three years of touring and trained to become an actress while working as a bartender.

Career

Her first documented film role was at age 19 in the movie Rented Lips in which she played a dancer/nurse. Parker appeared in Married... with Children as a Go-Go Dancer in 2 episodes – "Prom Queen: The Sequel" (1989) and "Prom Queen: Part 1" (1989).[2] Parker got her break in television playing a nurse on the award-winning Seinfeld episode "The Contest" in 1992. After that first speaking role, she had several other guest-starring roles in television series and movies, most notably a recurring role in ER as Linda Farrell, the love interest of Dr. Doug Ross, and as Caitlin Pike in JAG. She was a body double for Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman; hers are the legs seen in the opening scene of the main character zipping up her boots. She also did several pilots before she gained a cult following for her role as Miss Parker on the NBC television series The Pretender. She also played a rich, snooty neighbor on the television show My Name Is Earl.

After The Pretender was cancelled by NBC in 2000, Parker did another guest spot on JAG before signing on to reprise her role as Miss Parker in the telemovies for The Pretender, which aired on TNT in 2001. She then returned to series television in 2002 and starred in the ABC comedy Less than Perfect, playing Lydia Weston until it was cancelled in 2006. From 2011 to 2012, Parker had recurring role of Jane Carlson in the ABC series Desperate Housewives.[3] She later starred in NBC drama pilot Beautiful People,[4] and joined the cast of ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars.[5] She has made several guest appearances on television talk shows and celebrity events such as the various celebrity poker tournaments.

Personal life

Parker supports various charities such as the National Hospice Palliative Care Organization, Glenn Siegel's My Good Friend charity organization, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research and Project Angel Food. In February 2006, Parker attended a benefit with former Pretender co-stars Michael T. Weiss and James Denton for Cure Autism Now.[6] Parker is also trained as a stunt driver and can handle firearms.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Rented Lips Dancer / Nurse
1988 Earth Girls Are Easy Dancer in Beauty Salon
1990 Brush with Death Colleen
1992 The Naked Truth Miss France
1994 Body Shot Shark Club Dancer
2000 Delicate Instruments Dr. Anne Harper Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Married... with Children Go-Go Dancer Episodes: "Married... with Prom Queen: Parts 1 & 2"
1992 Seinfeld Nurse Episode: "The Contest"
1993 Dave's World Alicia Episode: "It's a Small Van After All"
1993 Herman's Head Heather Brookshire Episode: "A Decent Proposal"
1993 The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Rita Avnet Episodes: "Deep in the Heart of Dixie", "A.K.A. Kansas"
1994 XXX's and OOO's Kelly Morgan Television film
1994 Ellen Joanna Episode: "The Dentist"
1994 Coach Penny Episode: "Coach for a Day: Part 2"
1994–95 ER Linda Farrell Recurring role (Seasons 1 & 2), 10 episodes
1995 Dream On Winnie Episode: "She Won't Do It, But Her Sister Will"
1995–96, 2001 JAG Lt. JG/Lt Caitlin 'Kate' Pike Recurring role (season 1); guest role (season 6); 5 episodes
1996 Can't Hurry Love Kit Episode: "Valentine's Day Massacred"
1996 Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice Det. Eileen Burke Television film
1996 Coach Jean Brandow Episode: "Dauber's Vehicle"
1996 Murder, She Wrote Anne Larkin Episode: "Race to Death"
1996–00 The Pretender Miss Parker / Catherine Parker Main role, 86 episodes
2001 The Pretender 2001 Miss Parker / Catherine Parker Television film
2001 The Pretender: Island of the Haunted Miss Parker Television film
2002 First Monday FBI Agent Dawson Episode: "Dangerous Words"
2002–06 Less than Perfect Lydia Weston Main role, 81 episodes
2005 Kitchen Confidential Suze Episode: "Exile on Main Street"
2006 Help Me Help You Krista Episode: "Inger Management"
2008 The Mentalist Ann Meier Episode: "Red-Handed"
2009 My Name Is Earl Rich Lady Episode: "Friends with Benefits"
2009 CSI: Miami Allison Burgess Episode: "In Plane Sight"
2011 Suits Tory Episode: "The Shelf Life"
2011–12 Desperate Housewives Jane Carlson Recurring role (Season 8), 11 episodes
2011, 2013–17 Pretty Little Liars Jessica DiLaurentis Main role (Season 7), recurring role (Season 4), guest star (Season 2, 5-6), 21 episodes
2014, 2016–17 Mary Drake Main role (Season 7), guest star (Season 4, 6), 15 episodes
2012 Common Law Laura the A.D.A. Episode: "Pilot"
2013 Devious Maids Brenda Coulfax Episode: "Pilot"
2014 Jennifer Falls Francine Episode: "Health Club"
2014–15 Red Band Society Sarah Souders Recurring role, 4 episodes

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
1999 Satellite Awards Best Actress in a Series, Drama The Pretender Nominated
2005 Women's Image Network Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Less Than Perfect Won

References

  1. "Andrea N Parker, "California Birth Index, 1905-1995" — FamilySearch.org". familysearch.org. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  2. "Andrea Parker Biography (1969–)". Filmreference.com. 1969-03-08. Retrieved 2013-12-23.
  3. "Desperate Housewives De-Friends Jessica Hecht, Adds Andrea Parker – Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2013-12-23.
  4. Andreeva, Nellie. "Five Cast In NBC Pilot 'Beautiful People'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-12-23.
  5. Masters, Megan (2011-05-20). "Pretty Little Liars Casting: Alison's Mom Played by Andrea Parker". TVLine. Retrieved 2013-12-23.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-01-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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