The Sound of Music's 'scheming baroness' Eleanor Parker dies at 91
By MIKE LARKIN PUBLISHED: 09:27 GMT, 10 December 2013 | UPDATED: 10:46 GMT, 10 December 2013
The Sound Of Music actress Eleanor Parker has died at the age of 91.The three time Academy Award nominee died on Monday morning due to complications from pneumonia.She was most famous for playing the film's scheming Baroness Elsa Schraeder, and was noted for her ability to play strong women.
Passed away: Sound Of Music star Eleanor Parker died on Monday at the age of 91 due to complications from pneumonia
Family friend Richard Gale said: 'She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her children at a medical facility near her home in Palm Springs. Parker was nominated for Oscars in 1950, 1951 and 1955, but then saw her career begin to wane in the early 1960s, until her last great turn in 1965's The Sound of Music, in which her character loses who loses Christopher Plummer's Captain Von Trapp to Julie Andrews' Maria.
In a statement Mr Plummer said: 'Eleanor Parker was and is one of the most beautiful ladies I have ever known.'Both as a person and as a beauty. I hardly believe the sad news for I was sure she was enchanted and would live forever.'Parker's death comes at a time when The Sound of Music is back in the spotlight following NBC's live restaging of the classic last week - a ratings smash.
Signature role: She played the film's scheming Baroness Elsa Schraeder alongside Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews
Worldwide fame: Eleanor Parker gained the nickname 'Woman of a Thousand Faces' and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Talking about why she never achieved the fame of her fellow stars, she said: 'I'm primarily a character actress.
'I've portrayed so many diverse individuals on the screen that my own personality never emerged.'Growing up in Cedarsville, Ohio, Parker had yearned to be an actress, and when the family moved to Cleveland, she began taking acting lessons.In the summer she worked as an apprentice in a Martha's Vineyard stock company, waiting tables to support herself.
After moving to Pasadena, she was cast in her first movie role at 19, a bit part in 'They Died With Their Boots On,' starring Errol Flynn.
Parker's first three marriages ended in divorce, and she had four children.
Her 1966 marriage to Shubert Theater manager Raymond Hirsch ended with his death in 2001.
The Sound Of Music actress Eleanor Parker has died at the age of 91.The three time Academy Award nominee died on Monday morning due to complications from pneumonia.She was most famous for playing the film's scheming Baroness Elsa Schraeder, and was noted for her ability to play strong women.
Passed away: Sound Of Music star Eleanor Parker died on Monday at the age of 91 due to complications from pneumonia
Family friend Richard Gale said: 'She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her children at a medical facility near her home in Palm Springs. Parker was nominated for Oscars in 1950, 1951 and 1955, but then saw her career begin to wane in the early 1960s, until her last great turn in 1965's The Sound of Music, in which her character loses who loses Christopher Plummer's Captain Von Trapp to Julie Andrews' Maria.
In a statement Mr Plummer said: 'Eleanor Parker was and is one of the most beautiful ladies I have ever known.'Both as a person and as a beauty. I hardly believe the sad news for I was sure she was enchanted and would live forever.'Parker's death comes at a time when The Sound of Music is back in the spotlight following NBC's live restaging of the classic last week - a ratings smash.
Signature role: She played the film's scheming Baroness Elsa Schraeder alongside Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews
Worldwide fame: Eleanor Parker gained the nickname 'Woman of a Thousand Faces' and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Talking about why she never achieved the fame of her fellow stars, she said: 'I'm primarily a character actress.
'I've portrayed so many diverse individuals on the screen that my own personality never emerged.'Growing up in Cedarsville, Ohio, Parker had yearned to be an actress, and when the family moved to Cleveland, she began taking acting lessons.In the summer she worked as an apprentice in a Martha's Vineyard stock company, waiting tables to support herself.
After moving to Pasadena, she was cast in her first movie role at 19, a bit part in 'They Died With Their Boots On,' starring Errol Flynn.
Parker's first three marriages ended in divorce, and she had four children.
Her 1966 marriage to Shubert Theater manager Raymond Hirsch ended with his death in 2001.
