It’s been a sad week for fans of iconic classic TV women… today comes news that Lara Parker, who delightfully played the spurned witch Angelique in the classic Dark Shadows, has passed away October 12 at age 84.
“I have sad news . . . my beautiful, beloved friend Lara Parker passed away Thursday, October 12,” her Dark Shadows costar Kathryn Leigh Scott shared on Facebook. “I’m heartbroken, as all of us are who knew and loved her. She graced our lives with her beauty and talent, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives. Family meant more than anything to Lara, and they have wanted these few days since her passing to themselves. Rest in peace, my cherished friend.”
It was Angelique who cursed Barnabas Collins into becoming a vampire in 1795, and Parker was one of the strongest additions to the series once it went to its color era. Parker also appeared in the movie Night of Dark Shadows and made a cameo in the Tim Burton-Johnny Depp Dark Shadows film. Lara Parker was so entrenched in the world of Dark Shadows that she wrote some novels building her character! The Angelique character was revived for the 1991 Dark Shadows TV series, where the role was played by Lysette Anthony; in the 2012 role, she was played by Eva Green.
That is, of course, not all that we saw from her long career in the industry: Other credits for Lara Parker include episodes of Remington Steele, Highway to Heaven, The Incredible Hulk, Galactica 1980, Kolchak: The Night Stalker and more.
Our condolences go out to her many fans and friends.
