'Dark Shadows' Star Dead at 84: Lara Parker Played Angelique

Actress Lara Parker has died at 84. Most known for her role as the vengeful witch Angelique Bouchard in the ABC soap opera Dark Shadows, she died in her sleep on Thursday at her home in Topanga Canyon in Los Angeles, her daughter, Caitlin, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. Parker was born Mary Lamar Rickey on Oct. 27, 1938 in Knoxville, Tennessee. She went to Vassar College to pursue a philosophy B.A. and ended up receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree at Rhodes College. She then earned a Master of Arts degree in speech and drama at the University of Iowa.

After Parker arrived in New York in 1967, she auditioned for Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis. He cast her as Angelique to be part of a story arc detailing the origin of the vampire Barnabas, played by Jonathan Frid. Parker portrayed 17 additional roles throughout her time on the series from 1966 to 1971. She reprised Angelique for the feature film Night of the Dark Shadows in 1971. In a 2020 interview, Parker recalled how Curtis would call and tell her they were going to kill her character. "Of course, I was very sad, but about two months later, they called me and said that they wanted me back," Parker shared. "We were kind of the first team, and the fans seemed to watch it more when Angelique and Barnabas were fighting it out. That seemed to be the most popular part of the show, so [Curtis] brought me back many, many times."

While Dark Shadows was on hiatus for production, Parker was in Woman Is My Idea on Broadway in September 1968, but it only lasted five performances. In 1970, she acted alongside Robert De Niro in the Brian De Palma film Hi, Mom! After Dark Shadows ended, Parker moved to LA in 1972, where she would go on to appear in multiple shows such as Medical Center, The Rockford Files, Police Woman, and The Incredible Hulk.

Lara Parker later retired from acting and became a teacher, earning a Master's in creative writing. She wrote four Dark Shadows novels published in 1998, 2006, 2013, and 2016. She was actively in an audio-only continuation of Dark Shadows through Big Finish Productions. Parker also reunited with some of her Dark Shadows co-stars to cameo in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows remake in 2012. She then appeared in Doctor Mabus in 2013 and its sequel in 2014.

Parker is survived by her second husband, Jim Hawkins; her children, Caitlin, Rick, and Andy; daughters-in-law Miranda and Celia; grandson Wesley, and her dog, Pearl.