I just learned via actress Kathryn Leigh Scott that
Lara Parker (née Mary Lamar Rickey), best known as
Angelique from Dark Shadows has passed away at age 84
years old (October 27, 1938–October 12, 2023). Lara and Kathryn have been good
friends since the days of Dark Shadows, so my heart goes out particularly to Kathryn for her personal loss.
I
remember the first time I saw Lara as Angelique on Dark Shadows, and I fell in love with her right there on the spot. She was beautiful,
powerful, menacing, passionate... everything a nine-year-old boy could
possibly desire, apparently. Back then, I adored everything about
Dark Shadows, especially Jonathan Frid as Barnabas, but it was when Angelique appeared on
the screen that I melted into a mass of lovestruck goo.
After
Dark Shadows went off the air, Lara appeared in numerous
television series, such as Baretta, Kojak, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Kung Fu, Remington Steele, The Six-Million-Dollar Man, and Switch, and a few theatrical films, such as Hi, Mom,
Race with the Devil, and Save the Tiger. I made a point of watching most of these, and my youthful heart
remained smitten, but it took a long time for me to get over my resentment
over the cancellation of Dark Shadows... and thus Angelique.
Many moons later, Lara wrote a series of
Dark Shadows novels, the first being
Angelique's Descent, which HarperCollins released in 1998. At the time, Harper was
planning a full series of Dark Shadows novels, and
Elizabeth Massie and I secured a contract to write the second book —
Dreams of the Dark, which was released in 1999. To my profound excitement, Lara wrote the
introduction to our book, and to this day, I remain ridiculously geeked about
this. Unfortunately, it wasn't long after Dreams of the Dark's release that Harper shuttered its media tie-in division, and this put the
kibosh on Ms. Massie and I writing any further
Dark Shadows novels for Harper. In the early 2000s, Tor Books
contracted several more Dark Shadows novels from Lara.
Over
the years, I attended a number of Dark Shadows events, but none
was more memorable than my first — the 1999
Dark Shadows Festival at the World Trade Center in New York
City. Most of the show's surviving stars were slated to appear and, more than
anything, I looked forward to meeting Lara. And, in fact, she was literally
the first familiar face I ran into at the festival. She greeted me cordially
but had pressing obligations that prevented her from carrying on a lengthy
conversation. Happily, several times, she and I were able to talk at greater
length. However, the clincher for me was that she and I appeared together for
a presentation on our respective Dark Shadows novels in front of
the entire convention group. I had started out with a few butterflies in the
old gut, but once things got under way, I managed to carry on without (much)
embarrassing gushing.
I met numerous other
Dark Shadows cast members at that and other gatherings, but that
was the first and only time I ever got to spend any appreciable quality time
with Lara Parker. And, of course, that was also the last
Dark Shadows event at NYC's World Trade Center. I absolutely
cherish the fact that I was able to spend some happy, memorable time there
before it was gone forever.
To all Lara's friends and loved ones, I
send all my sympathies and respect. She truly played a pivotal role in my
childhood, and to me as an adult and an author, she added special meaning and
nuance to my career. R.I.P., Lara.
Here are a couple of links
to articles featuring some of Lara's thoughts on her acting and writing
careers:
•
The Collinsport Historical Society — Out of the Shadows: Lara Parker
•
Tor/Forge Blog — Researching the Back Story by Lara Parker
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On stage with Lara Parker at the 1999
Dark Shadows Festival at the NYC World Trade Center |