Barbara Parkins as Bonnie
A young psychiatrist interviews four inmates in a mental asylum to satisfy a requirement for employment. He hears stories about 1) the revenge of a murdered wife, 2) a tailor who makes a suit with some highly unusual qualities, 3) a woman who questions her sanity when it appears that her brother is conspiring against her, and 4) a man who builds tiny toy robots with lifelike human heads.
Biography for Barbara Parkins
Date of birth
22 May 1942
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Barbara Parkins is best remembered as an icon of the sixties who had starring roles in two of the era's more notorious productions, "Peyton Place" (1964) and Valley of the Dolls (1967) After arriving in Hollywood as a teenager, Parkins soon began appearing on episodic television programs such as "Wagon Train" (1957) and "Perry Mason" (1957). She also appeared with 'George Burns' as a dancer in his nightclub act. She was soon offered the pivotal role of Betty Anderson in what would become television's first prime time soap opera, Peyton Place. The show was an immediate success and turned Parkins, along with costars 'Ryan O'Neal' and Mia Farrow into household names. Parkins was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Actress and stayed with the series for its entire 5 year run. Her popularity was further solidified when, in 1967, she starred in the motion picture Valley of the Dolls, which became a huge box office hit. She became close friends with her Dolls costar, Sharon Tate and traveled to London to be her bridesmaid when Tate married director Roman Polanski in 1968. Parkins fell in love with England, UK. After Tate's murder in 1969, Parkins decided to leave Hollywood and took up residence in London. There, she appeared on the BBC and starred in such international productions as Puppet on a Chain (1972), Christina (1974) and Shout at the Devil (1976). Her career, however, was no longer the prime focus of her life. She married in the late 1970's and lived in France for awhile. When her marriage ended, Parkins returned to the United States and gave Hollywood another try. She appeared in popular tv shows of the day such as "Love Boat, The" (1977), 0077008, and "Hotel" (1983). She also filmed Bear Island (1979) with Donald Sutherland and Vanessa Redgrave and Breakfast in Paris (1982). Parkins joined other original cast members for a Peyton Place reunion movie in 1985. Her career, however, was once again put on hold when her daughter Christina was born. Parkins has made infrequent appearances since the late 1980's although she did return to weekly television for a brief stint in the CBS tv series "Scene of the Crime" (1991) which was filmed in the city she was born, Vancouver. In 1997, Parkins was the guest of honor at a 30th anniversary screening of Valley of the Dolls in San Francisco. During a question and answer segment with columnist Ted Casablanca she announced to the sold out audience that she planned to retire. The following year, however, she appeared in _Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story (1998)_ , based on the life of Valley of the Dolls' controversial author. Whether Parkins will resume her career full time or really retire is unknown at this time.
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Trivia
Barbara Parkins was Sharon Tate's bridesmaid when Sharon married Roman Polanski on January 20, 1968.
Barbara Parkins and Ed Nelson were the only two actors who appeared on the first episode of "Peyton Place" in 1964 and the final episode in 1969. They were the only stars who lasted the shows entire five year run.
Is an adopted child.
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LinkS:
AMC Backstory: Valley of the Dolls (2001) (TV) .... Herself
Intimate Portrait: Jacqueline Susann (1999) (TV) .... Herself
Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story (1998) (TV) .... Annie Laurie Williams
Vengeance (1992)
"Scene of the Crime" (1991) TV Series
... aka "Heure du crime, L'" (1991) (France: dubbed version)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun (1986) (TV) .... Ellen Cartwright
Peyton Place: The Next Generation (1985) (TV) .... Betty Harrington Cord
To Catch a King (1984) (TV) .... Duchess of Windsor
Calendar Girl Murders (1984) (TV) .... Cleo Banks
... aka Insatiable (1984) (TV)
... aka Victimized (1984/I) (TV)
Uncommon Valor (1983/II) (TV) .... Dr. Houghton
Breakfast in Paris (1982) .... Jackie Wyatt
"Manions of America, The" (1981) (mini) TV Series .... Charlotte Kent
Bear Island (1979) .... Judith Rubin
... aka Alistair MacLean's Bear Island (1979)
Critical List, The (1978) (TV) .... Angela Adams
Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women (1978) (TV) .... Anna Held
Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy (1977) (TV) .... Vanessa Hunt
"Testimony of Two Men" (1977) (mini) TV Series .... Marjorie Ferrier/Hilda Eaton
"Captains and the Kings" (1976) (mini) TV Series .... Martinique
Shout at the Devil (1976) .... Rosa O'Flynn/Oldsmith
Law of the Land (1976) (TV) .... Jane Adams
... aka Deputies, The (1976) (TV) (USA)
"Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill" (1975) (mini) TV Series .... Leonie
Christina (1974) .... Christina/Kay
Peyton Place Revisited (1973) (TV) .... Herself
Snatched (1973) (TV) .... Barbara Maxvill
Asylum (1972) .... Bonnie
... aka House of Crazies (1972)
Ghost Story (1972) (TV) .... Eileen
Maison sous les arbres, La (1971) .... Cynthia
... aka Deadly Trap, The (1971/I) (USA)
... aka Death Scream (1971)
... aka House Under the Trees, The (1971)
... aka Unico indizio: una sciarpa gialla (1971) (Italy)
Mephisto Waltz, The (1971) .... Roxanne Delancey
Taste of Evil, A (1971/II) (TV) .... Susan Wilcox
Puppet on a Chain (1970) .... Maggie
Kremlin Letter, The (1970) .... B.A.
Valley of the Dolls (1967) .... Anne Welles
"Peyton Place" (1964) TV Series .... Betty Anderson
20,000 Eyes (1961) .... High School Girl