Willard Parker (February 5, 1912 – December 4, 1996) was an American film and television actor.

He was born Worster Van Eps in New York City. Prior to becoming an actor, he was a meter reader and a tennis pro. Although he had some stage experience, he mainly appeared as a second lead in films after 1938. Tall and with wavy hair, he was married to the actress Virginia Field.

Parker was cast as Ranger Jace Pearson in the 52-episode CBS television series, Tales of the Texas Rangers, which aired from 1955 to 1958. His co-star was Harry Lauter as Ranger Clay Morgan. The series was rerun thereafter on ABC.

He guest starred in a few other television series, including the CBS anthology series, Schlitz Playhouse (four episodes) and Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. He also appeared on Lee Marvin's NBC crime drama, M Squad, and ABC's religion drama series, Going My Way, starring Gene Kelly and Leo G. Carroll as Roman Catholic priests in New York City. Parker was cast as Msgr. Joe Giblin in the 1962 episode, "The Crooked Angel."

Parker died of a heart attack at the age of eighty-four in Rancho Mirage in Riverside County, California.

Biography

Sous le pseudonyme de Willard Parker, il apparaît dans des « seconds rôles » au cinéma entre 1937 et 1972, où sa grande taille et son physique imposant d'ancien tennisman professionnel se remarquent, notamment dans des westerns. Pour la télévision, il participe à quelques séries de 1954 à 1962, dont 55 épisodes de la série-western Tales of the Texas Rangers (1955-1958).

Il se produit également au théâtre et joue à Broadway de 1940 à 1943, dans une pièce et une comédie musicale.

Il est l'époux en secondes noces de l'actrice britannique Virginia Field (1917-1992), de 1951 jusqu'à la mort de celle-ci — ils jouent ensemble dans un film britannique de science-fiction, The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) —.