I heard that Lawrence Parke of “Acting World Books” has died. Is this true?
Sadly, it is. Dear, sweet, Larry Parke (known by most as the author of “The Agencies,” “The Personal Manager Directory,” and “The Film Actor’s Complete Career Guide,” among many other publications) has passed away, after having put easily 50 years of work into this crazy town and taking care of tens of thousands (possibly even hundreds of thousands) of actors through his publications and his willingness to answer emails and phone calls every single day.
I was lucky. I knew Larry not only as an actor’s advocate, but as a dear friend and personal mentor. He let me into his life with an openness and graciousness of spirit that I can only hope translates here, in his own words.
You see, when I went through my files, I found an amazing email from Larry — a man I happily called my dear friend — and realized that there was no better testament for the man’s life than words he shared with me. I received this email from Larry after he’d read my second book, Self-Management for Actors, and saw that I listed him as the very first of all the people to whom I was grateful for their impact and influence on the book and my life.
I share these words with you so that you will understand what a special friend we all lost, when Larry Parke passed away. He was more than an author, a mentor, a friend. He was inspirational every moment of his life.
Dear Friend,
You have no idea how deeply your words affected me. In that long communion moment they triggered my left and right brains joined in a continuous and happy flowpast of my “river of life”! My life has had many life-affirming moments. Bonnie Gillespie brought this one.
Some other highlights re-evoked as my “river of life” flowed past: Jean-Paul Sartre having me to lunch at his Paris home in 1971; Pierre Cardin’s co-sponsoring with M. Sartre of a European capitals tour that summer; Laurence Olivier’s earlier introducing me and my writings to M. Sartre for a reason I later perceived; having been honored to form the initial Honorary Sports & Entertainment Committee and its press kickoff luncheon for Leonard Goldenson’s then newly-founded United Cerebral Palsy Foundation (at a ridiculously young age); the following summer, former World Heavyweight Champion Sugar Ray Robinson’s angeling my summer theatre next to his Pompton Lakes training camp….
French Minister of Culture Jack Lang scouting my Theatre Today in Hollywood in 1970 to invite my next theatre work, sight-unseen, to represent the US (beside the great Robert Wilson’s production!), and using a photo of my production he had seen as cover of the Festival Mondial du Théâtre 1971 program–both at M. Sartre’s urging; Don Rickles’ seating me front row with my friends, feasting us with pheasant under glass, and periodically ridiculing me warmly in his 1969 New Year’s Eve midnight show with nobody in the audience knowing me from Adam but cracking up in anticipation each time Don suddenly stopped his other banter, looked down at me and prepared another “Larry Parke is so stupid that…” comment. (I had cast Don’s pilot earlier.)….
The 1959 Lake Arrowhead bicoastal ceremonies establishing the Music Center, where one of my production numbers from “All Around The Town” Off-Broadway was presented to surprise me); my two Mayoral Commendations from Sam Yorty and Bill Bradley; my being invited by Senator Arlen Gregorio to lobby the California Legislature in behalf of Sen. Bill 121 (the California Arts Commission); my dear friend Russian and Habimah star Miriam Goldina (when young, student of both Stanislavski and Vakhtangov) insisting and being honestly convinced that I was the reincarnation of Vakhtangov who died just days before I was born; the privilege of being one of the official (in-hospital) tests of LSD after I died briefly on the operating table in 1961 (I’ve shared that with Billy [DaMota]); Miriam’s 24-hour vigil at my bedside and whispering that I must survive because I had more work to do, which may have moved me to found the first League of Los Angeles Theatres in 1972 and the Acting Coaches and Teachers Association in 1979 and more recently came close, with Rob [Kendt]’s and others’ help, to founding The Aegis For Actors (’til Sept. 11)….
Plus, the privileges of finding soulmates in you, Rob [Kendt], Billy [DaMota], Dea [Vise], Phil [Brock] and others and trying to help our mutual causes. And now, dear friend, your unexpected comment has joined those life-affirming moments.
Because you’re very special, I’ll confide to you privately (because some words may not be exact) something M. Sartre wrote out for me at lunch. His words kept returning throughout that communing moment Tuesday, and seemed to apply to the whole. And I feel they may apply to you too. As an existentialist — which Sartre and Olivier observed me to be before I did (from reading my play “The Cage” and my Vakhtangovian innovation, the Neurosis-Provoking Moment)‚ he gave me essentially these words (lost in a small attic fire at my studio in 1983):
“Childhood traumas produce our life-imprisoned anxieties and compulsions. Those determine our perceptions, which produce our responses and predetermine our judgments, dictate our choices and predestine our decisions. Our decisions create our actions, and our actions determine our destinies.”
I felt compelled to share all this with you this morning. Now both of us must get back to work.
Gratefully,
Larry
Larry, you rest well. Your work is now done. And in your honor, Larry, I must get back to work.
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000093.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.
Dear Bonnie,
Just today I was wondering about Larry Parke and so I googled him and your wonderful blog came up. Thank you for a wonderful and heartfelt tribute. I had the privilege to study with Larry after he moved to Albuquerque, NM. Unfortunately it wasn’t for as long as I would have liked. He was a great teacher. In 2004 I was still at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, CA, so my ear was not in tune with what was happening in the acting world. Thank you for writing about him you provide further insight into one of the true heroes of the acting world.
In Peace,
Durand
Oh, Durand, I’m so glad Google led you here. I was just thinking about Larry last night! He had such an impact on my career, and I’m not at all surprised he was a great teacher for you. Thank you for sharing a bit of your story, here. I love how the Internet can bring strangers together, based on a common thread. Larry always inspired me to do good work. Let’s do that! 😀