All The Babes
Barbara Parkins
Career
Active 1961 – 1998
Biography
About Barbara Parkins
Barbara Parkins, born on Friday 22nd of May 1942 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a Canadian actress who became a Sixties icon through her roles in Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls. She began her career in 1961, at age 19, appearing in episodic television like Wagon Train and Perry Mason, and even danced in George Burns's nightclub act. Her big break came when she was cast as Betty Anderson in Peyton Place, television's first prime-time soap opera. The show's success made her a household name, and she earned an Emmy nomination, staying for all five seasons.
In 1967, she starred in the movie Valley of the Dolls, a box office hit that solidified her fame. She became close friends with co-star Sharon Tate and served as her bridesmaid when Tate married Roman Polanski in 1968. Parkins fell in love with England, and after Tate's murder in 1969, she moved to London. There she worked with the BBC and starred in international films like Puppet on a Chain, Christina, and Shout at the Devil. Her career slowed as she married in the late 1970s and lived in France, but after her marriage ended, she returned to Hollywood, appearing in shows like The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, and films like Bear Island and Breakfast in Paris.
Parkins rejoined her Peyton Place castmates for a reunion movie in 1985, but her career was again paused when her daughter, Christina Parkins, was born. She made infrequent appearances after that, including a brief stint on Scene of the Crime, filmed in her birthplace, Vancouver. In 1997, she announced her retirement at a 30th anniversary screening of Valley of the Dolls, but the next year she appeared in Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story. Whether she will act again remains unknown. She is 84 years old, with brown hair and eyes, standing 5'4" and weighing 118 lbs, with an athletic build and natural 32B bust.
Record
Profile details
Personal
- Years Active
- 1961-1998 (started around 19 years old; 37 years active)
- Birthplace
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Ethnicity
- Caucasian
Body
- Hair Color
- Brown
- Eye Color
- Brown
- Weight
- 118 lbs (or 54 kg)
- Measurements
- 34–24–34 (B–W–H) · WHR 0.71
- Bra/Cup Size
- 32B show conversions - UK: 32B, EU: 70B, AU: 10B, JP: 70B
- Boobs
- Real/Natural
Frequently asked
What made Barbara Parkins a household name?
Her role as Betty Anderson in Peyton Place, television's first prime-time soap opera, brought her immediate fame in the 1960s.
Why did Barbara Parkins move to London?
After the murder of her friend Sharon Tate in 1969, Parkins decided to leave Hollywood and take up residence in London, where she had fallen in love with England while being Tate's bridesmaid.
What did Barbara Parkins do after retiring?
She announced her retirement in 1997, but the following year she appeared in Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story, a film about the author of Valley of the Dolls, leaving her retirement uncertain.
Did you know
- Parkins was a bridesmaid at Sharon Tate's wedding to Roman Polanski in 1968.
- Her daughter, Christina Parkins, was born in the late 1980s, leading her to put her career on hold.
- She returned to the city of her birth, Vancouver, to film the TV series Scene of the Crime in 1991.
- At the 1997 anniversary screening of Valley of the Dolls, she told a sold-out audience she planned to retire.
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