August 16, 1924 – Actor and Disney Legend Fess Parker is Born
“I’ve had the friendship and the interest of so many people and in such a broad way because Disney is not just a popular product in America, it’s a popular product in the world. And so to be a part of something of that nature and to share that with the individuals that created it…it’s been a wonderful experience.”
On August 16, 1924, Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was born in Fort Worth, Texas. During WWII, Parker found problems enlisting due to his size, as he was too tall to be a pilot, and too big to be a radioman gunner; he finally found a fit as a radio operator in the Marine Corps. After the war ended, he attended Hardin-Simmons University on the GI Bill, and transferred to the University of Texas, graduating with a degree in history. He discovered a love of acting in college, and, with one year left on his GI Bill, he studied theater at the University of Southern California. Parker became a contract player with Warner Brothers in the early ’50s, and appeared in a science fiction film Them! It was this film that would change his life, as Walt Disney was watching the film to find an actor to play Davy Crockett. Although originally watching for James Arness, Disney was impressed with Parker’s acting, and Parker was soon asked to stop by the studios. The Davy Crockett serial proved to be explosively popular, and Parker then became a contract player for the studio, appearing in films The Great Locomotive Chase; Westward Ho, the Wagons!; Old Yeller; and The Light in the Forest. Outside of Disney, Parker also found fame in the television series Daniel Boone, shot by 20th Century Fox. Parker retired from acting in the 1970s, and dedicated his life afterwards to the Fess Parker Winery in Los Olivos, California. In 1991, Parker was named as a Disney Legend. He passed away of natural causes on March 18, 2010.
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