The rebel Hollywood star - Michael Parks

In the seventies, Parks was an incredibly popular singer and actor of American television. He won the viewer's audience thanks to the cult series "Then Bronson came", in which he played the leading role and the title song Long Lonesome Highway for a long time consolidated in the rating of the most popular. Despite the recognition of the public, Michael Parkes because of his political convictions and harsh statements fell into the black list of Hollywood. For several years he disappeared from the big screen. The role of the dashing Texas Ranger in the film Quentin Tarantino "From Dusk Till Dawn" was a new round in the acting career of Parkes and brought him world fame.

Youth

Michael Parks (Harry Samuel Parks) was born in the city of Crown, California on April 24, 1940 in a large family. His father, who worked as a truck driver, was the only breadwinner in the family. Therefore, beginning with adolescence, Parks traveled around the country, earning money wherever he had to. Such a life made a young man grow up early. At the age of fifteen, he even married, but the marriage did not last long. During his wanderings, Michael Parks joined the amateur theater, and in his composition toured in California. In 1960, at one of the performances, a young talent was noticed by the CBS agent, who was looking for young actors to participate in the television series of the company. With Parkes, an agreement was signed, but because of the absurd nature, only episodic roles came to him. However, in 1963, with such a role in the series "Perry Mason" he attracted the attention of the viewer and producers.

Career takeoff

In 1966, Michael received the role of Adam in the television series "The Bible" based on some biblical stories. The work of the actor in this picture was positively evaluated by critics, and in 1969 Parks was offered a major role in the television drama "Then Bronson came." His hero is an eternal wanderer, in search of the meaning of life he travels on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle all over America. On the way to Bronson there are different people, some help him, some help him. But the path of the main character to himself is as long and lonely as the title of the title song Long Lonesome Highway, which Michael Parks performed in this television movie. After the release of the series on the screen, the young actor literally woke up famous. His musical career also went up the hill. From 1969 to 1970, three of Parks' albums were recorded at MGM Records.

Black list

The fall of the actor from Hollywood Olympus was as rapid as the rise. The fact is that Parks, with a sharp sense of justice, was not ashamed to publicly criticize the ruling circles of the United States, and openly urged his fans to support George Wallace in the presidential election. The big Hollywood bosses did not approve of such freethinking. In those years, actors were perceived as puppets of film companies, and had no right to such appeals. Therefore, Parks instantly turned out to be among those actors who were closed to large movie studios.

Michael Parks: Filmography

Director Larry Cohen was the first to melt the ice, and in 1977 invited one of the leading roles in his film "Personal Doc John Edgar Hoover" disgraced actor. While portraying Bobby Kennedy, Parkes again managed to attract the attention of the viewer and critics. In the same year came the films "Escape from the county of Bogen" and "Love and night car service." The former popularity gradually began to return to the actor, and in 1986 ABC channel invited him to take part in the TV project "Dynasty", where he played Philip Kolby. Our TV audience Parks could be remembered for the first time in the role of drug dealer Jean Reno, which he performed in the cult series "Twin Peaks."

A new starting point in the career of the actor, of course, was the role of Earl McGraw in the film Quentin Tarantino "From Dusk Till Dawn" in 1999. The work in this film and subsequent brought the actor worldwide fame and love of the audience, which to this day uses Michael Parkes. Films of the famous franchise "Kill Bill" and "Grindhouse" also did not do without the participation of the actor and his beloved hero Earl McGraw. In 2011, Parkes won the main role in the thriller "Red Staff" directed by Kevin Smith. The actor's collaboration with Quentin Tarantino continued in the picture "Dzhango liberated" in 2012. In 2014, he continued to work with director Kevin Smith, starring in the thriller "Bevan". In the same year, the viewer could see his favorite actor in the drama "Pilgrims" by Teddy Turner, where he also played a leading role. 2016 for the 76-year-old actor was marked by the work in the action movie of Jean-Francois Riche's "Bloody Father".

To date, the 76-year-old actor has more than a hundred films and television shows, but he is not going to stop there. Always young at heart and full of creative plans, Michael Parks. The photo of the legendary actor in the article is a vivid confirmation of this.