Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.;[1] August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010),[2] was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of the titular characters in the Walt Disney television miniseries Davy Crockett (1954–55; ABC) and the television series Daniel Boone (1964–70; NBC).[3][4]
Fess Parker
August 16, 1924
March 18, 2010 (aged 85)
- Actor
- singer
- winemaker
- resort owner-operator
1950–2007
- Playing Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone
- Jim Coates in Old Yeller
2
Early years[edit]
Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised on a farm in Tom Green County near San Angelo.[5] His father – born Fess Parker but later added the initial "E." – was a tax assessor. The name Fess had been given to him in honor of the educator and politician Simeon D. Fess.[1] The future actor decided to change his name from F.E. Parker Jr. to Fess Elisha Parker Jr. He selected the middle name himself, when he was a teenager (about 1937), because it sounded rhythmic and matched his middle initial.[1]
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the latter part of the Second World War,[6][7] hoping to become a pilot. He was turned down because he was too tall at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m).[8] He then tried to become a radioman gunner, but he was found too large to fit comfortably into the rear cockpit. He was finally transferred to the United States Marine Corps as a radio operator and shipped out to the South Pacific shortly before the war ended.[8]
Discharged in 1946, he enrolled at Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, with assistance from the GI Bill. After an automobile collision, he was stabbed in the neck by the other driver during an argument.[8] He was an active member of the H-SU Players Club and transferred to the University of Texas at Austin in 1947 as a history major and continued to be active in drama. One of his roommates there was the future actor L.Q. Jones.
Parker graduated from UT in 1950 with a degree in history. He had been initiated into the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Having one year remaining on his GI Bill benefits, he studied drama at the University of Southern California, where he pursued a master's degree in theater history.[2][9]
Awards[edit]
Fess Parker was nominated for best new personality Emmy in 1954, but lost to George Gobel. He was never nominated again, nor was his show Daniel Boone.[15]
In 1991, he was named a Disney Legend.
In 2003, Parker received the Texas Cultural Trust's "Texas Medal of Arts Award", established only the year before.[16][17]
For his work with Disney, Parker was honored in December 2004 with his own tribute window on a façade in the Frontierland section of Disneyland.[18]