Trivia

Retired from Hollywood in 1973; among his successful California businesses are an ocean-front resort in Santa Barbara; a 21-room inn in Los Olivos; and an award-winning winery.

At the time he was famous in France for his Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone roles, French distributors found they had to rename him - on posters, in TV programmers...etc. - for the French audience/ Public, into "Fier" Parker. One must know that "fesse(s)", in French, means "buttocks, bottom", whereas "fier" means "proud" ; a more becoming name for someone embodying American "Heroes"...

Passed away on his wife's 82nd birthday.

Played college football at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX in the 1940s before transferring to the University of Texas-Austin.

In order for Buddy Ebsen to offer him dance lessons, he exchanged guitar lessons with Parker.

To one generation of television fans he will always be Davy Crockett. To the next generation he will be the one and only Daniel Boone.

Longtime friend of Ronald Reagan.

Wanted to be cast opposite Marilyn Monroe in "Bus Stop" but could not overcome Walt Disney's disapproval.

Walt Disney would not let Parker out of his contract, so he had to turn down a part in The Searchers (1956).

Fess Parker had eleven grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

He was a major supporter of the Republican Party and once considered running for the senate in Nevada. He was a close friend of President Ronald Reagan, who in 1985 asked him to become his ambassador to Australia.

Met Buddy Ebsen when the two were under contract at Disney in 1954.

Graduate of the University of Texas at Austin - BA 1950.

Owns and operates a winery: Fess Parker Winery P.O. Box 908 6200 Foxen Canyon Rd. Los Olivos, CA 93441-9999 (800) 841-1104 (1997)

Parker was named a Disney Legend in 1991.

Attended the funeral of longtime best friend, Buddy Ebsen, when the actor passed away in 2003.

Appeared as an uncredited extra in Man on a Tightrope (1953). He is seen for a few seconds near the end of the movie as a U.S. GI sitting in a jeep guarding the border.

Song "King of the Wild Frontier" was Number 1 on the "Hit Parade" for 16 weeks. Parker was paid $150. (source: interview with Fess Parker in the SF Chronicle, "Datebook" ("Pink") section, November 12, 2006).

Discovered by Adolphe Menjou who was a guest artist at the University of Texas while Fess was a student. Menjou helped him with formal introductions when he first got to Hollywood.

Best remembered by the public as Disney's Davy Crockett.

Has two children, Fess Elisha III (Fess Parker) and Ashley Allen Rinehart.

Was the only actor to appear in every episode of Daniel Boone (1964).

Acting mentor and friend of Darby Hinton.

Interviewed about the beginnings of his career and his "Davy Crockett" experiences in the book "Wild Wild Westerners" by Tom Weaver (BearManor, 2012).

Parker talks about the beginnings of his career and the movie Them! (1954) in the book "A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde" (McFarland, 2010) by Tom Weaver.

Best remembered by the public for his starring role as the title character in Daniel Boone (1964).

His second child, Belle, died shortly after birth on December 28, 1962.

He worked as a radio operator in the Marine Corps during World War II after being turned down from the Navy because he was too tall.

He played in an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour hosted by Hitchcock himself.