Introduction
Parker Stevenson worked in Hollywood for nearly half a century, but his first challenge was choosing the name by which he would be known. When Richard Parker first started acting, his name was already used by a famous actor registered with the Screen Actors Guild. He thought about using Richard Stevenson, but that name was already taken. So he settled on Parker Stevenson, as he is now known, and has openly stated that he prefers it.
Early life
Richard Stevenson Parker Jr. was born on the 4e June 1952, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, one of the two sons of Sarah Meade and Richard Stevenson Parker Sr.
Posted by Parker Stevenson Officer On Wednesday, January 22, 2020
His father worked as a wealth manager and investment advisor, and his mother was a Broadway actress and the face of numerous commercials. He found his way into acting at the age of five completely by accident, when his mother took him to one of her film sessions – Parker got noticed and it resulted in him appearing in two small television roles.
Although Parker’s father married an artist, he did not approve of his wife and son’s lifestyle. The family moved to Rye, New York. stevenson was cast in a few small school plays, but he wanted to make his father proud and had no plans to continue acting – he wanted to study architecture instead.
Education
Stevenson started at Brooks School and then went on to Rye Country Day School. After graduating in 1971, he was accepted to study architecture at Princeton University in New Jersey.
Career
However, after college, instead of pursuing architecture, Stevenson decided to try show business. In 1977, he got his big break when he got the role of Frank Hardy in ‘The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries’, a very popular television series, and stayed for two years in thirty-five episodes.
In 1983, he appeared in “Stroker Ace”, an action comedy directed by Hal Needham, in which Parker played the character of Aubrey James.
In the same year, he was cast in the series “Shooting Stars” and “The Love Boat”, after which CBS’s “Falcon Crest” asked Stevenson to play Joel McCarthy for eleven episodes in 1984. From here, Parker’s career continued to gain momentum. In 1985, he played Nick Larabee in the television movie ‘Rockhopper’ while simultaneously appearing in multiple other series such as ‘Murder, She Wrote’, ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ and ‘Stiches’.
In 1986, Stevenson appeared alongside his then-wife Kirstie Alley, playing Billy Hazard in the miniseries “North and South: Book 11.” In 1989, Stevenson was part of the iconic series “Baywatch” when he joined the original cast to play Craig Pomeroy. Not only did he appear in twenty-eight episodes, but Parker made his directorial debut in nine of the series’ episodes.
However, Stevenson immediately returned to acting with roles in “Flesh ‘n’ Blood” and “Caddie Woodlawn”. In 1993, he joined the second season of the TV series “Melrose Place” as the recurring character Steve McMillan. He was clearly bitten by the directorial bug, as he also directed a few episodes of the series.
After a ten-year hiatus from feature films, Stevenson played Jack Sherbourne in “Not of This Earth.” Still not satisfied with his obviously impressive resume, he added a voice actor to the roster in 2000, when he voiced the character of Paxton Powers in an episode of “Batman Beyond.”
Stevenson appeared in many more series and movies over the next 18 years, more than 50 movies and TV series – most recently he played Brandon Mckellan in the movie ‘Mistrust’ in 2018.
Besides his career in Hollywood, Parker is a very active photographer and there is an official website and studio that showcases his works. Parker’s interest in photography started when he was fourteen years old, when he worked part-time shooting photos at weddings, which he admits wasn’t very good, as he felt a bit awkward and pushy. In his spare time, while studying at Princeton, he focused on architectural and landscape photography, as well as doing some headshots and portraits for extra money.
Parker’s love of photography has not faded over the years and is still very active. When asked what inspired him to take pictures, he said, “If you see something and you feel your breath catch, take a picture, because something is there.”
Meeting husband
In September 2018, Parker married chef Lisa Schoen in Los Olivos, California at the Demetria Vineyards before heading to Israel to enjoy their honeymoon. The couple met while living next door when Lisa went to Parker and asked to borrow a large jar. In return, she returned the jar full of “The best chicken soup I’ve ever had,” confirming the age-old notion that the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach.
Past relationships
In 1980, Stevenson was linked to actress Morgan Fairchild, followed a year later by a relationship with writer Carol Connors. Stevenson was most famously married to actress Kirstie Alley for fourteen years during which they adopted son William in 1992 and daughter Lillie in 1994. The couple had previously tried to conceive, but after Alley experienced a miscarriage and stillbirth, the couple decided to try adoption.
The couple’s 1997 divorce was highly publicized, with Stevenson rumored to have left the marriage with $6 million, when he had only asked $75,000 in alimony from Alley. The couple divided all of their assets during the divorce and continue to share custody of their two now grown children.
Net Worth / Salary
If you’ve ever wondered how much this Hollywood heavyweight has earned over the years, you won’t find much information, but he is known to have achieved great success as an actor, director, and photographer. Sources state that Stevenson’s net value is estimated to be worth $10 million, as of early 2020. Parker’s great success was through hard work and dedication from the start to join many great actors and actresses who are a huge part of Hollywood history.
Physical Characteristics
Parker is 1.8 m tall and weighs 70 kg. Once known as a heartthrob, Stevenson’s blonde hair may have faded, but his blue eyes and signature toothy grin remain.
