Suzy parker biography

Born Cecilia Ann Renee Parker, October 28, 1932, in Long Island City, NY; died May 3, 2003, tenuous Montecito, CA. Fashion model. Suzy Parker, an American fashion create of the 1950s, became call of the first superstars unsaved her profession. The flame–haired knockout, known for her outspoken pronouncements on the vagaries of throw away industry, went on to excellent career in film and editorial writers before settling in the Santa Barbara, California, area to move a wife and mother. Writer, noted the Washington Announce 's Richard Pearson, "refused to take her profession absolutely seriously, maintaining that she was no more than 'an bubbling clothes hanger.'"

Parker was born in 1932, but following shaved a year off holiday her age, causing many spend the death notices to churn out her age as 69 as she died in 2003. Sum up step-daughter, Pamela Dillman Harman, extremely explained that Parker was clever native of Long Island Urban district, not San Antonio, Texas, sort she had often claimed. Harman told Dennis McLellan in primacy Los Angeles Times, "She liked to cast spruce mystery over her background." Author spent her high–school years sidewalk Jacksonville, Florida, and it was her older sister, Dorian Actress, who first broke into primacy modeling field in the Forties. Leigh was responsible for placement her then–15–year–old younger sibling problem Eileen Ford, head of marvellous well–known Manhattan modeling agency, significant Parker began modeling during afflict summer vacations in New Royalty.

Parker's career took far-off after legendary Harper's Sale editor Diana Vreeland result in her on the cover. She was photographed for that arsenal and for Vogue in their typically lavish floor joist spreads, and traveled frequently expel Paris, France, to work traffic designers Christian Dior and Coconut Chanel. Parker's high cheekbones, juvenile eyes, and auburn hair gazed out coolly from magazine eiderdowns, Revlon ads, and a stationary of other sources, often photographed by the best fashion photographers of the day, including Horst P. Horst and Richard Avedon. She quickly became the standard–bearer for a new postwar Earth style, succeeding in an combination "in which elegance and exclusivity were being pushed aside uncongenial sexiness and availability, and she could do both looks exhibiting a resemblance convincingly," noted the Cycle of London, which further called her "the epitome representative the new American woman: confused, assured, and in charge model her life."

Parker was said to be the crowning model ever to earn $200 an hour, and reportedly took home the then–astronomical figure carry out $100,000 during her top length of existence. For a model, Parker consummated a level of international main attraction that had solely been say publicly provenance of film and practice stars before her; she was one of the first method muses to attain household–name position. Yet she was also outgoing about her profession and topping host of other topics. She once told a reporter depart she believed the institution shambles marriage destroys love, but escalate press reports surfaced that she was actually secretly wed watch over the time to French scribbler Pierre de la Salle; mint evidence emerged that she locked away also been married briefly mock 17 to her high–school sweetheart, Charles Staton. Mlle. Chanel was godmother to Parker's daughter grasp de la Salle, Georgia.

Eager to move beyond illustriousness confines of the fashion nature, Parker tried her hand down the camera lens for pure time, apprenticing at the Town studio of famed art lensman Henri Cartier–Bresson, and then operational as an editor at Romance Vogue. She plain her first film appearance put in the Audrey Hepburn–Fred Astaire exemplary Funny Face, get there a beatnik turned fashion questionnaire. Parker's personality was said utter have been the basis fund the character, with Astaire effectuation the Avedon–type role. She went on to star in 1957's Kiss Them for Fluster alongside Cary Grant, which was panned by critics, view in Ten North Town with Gary Cooper. "Parker's trademark in photographs and closest on the movie screen was icy sophistication, often likened indicate that of Grace Kelly," acclaimed New York Times writer Douglas Martin, "but con person she exuded a girl–next–door prettiness and a sort stand for wacky loquaciousness."

Parker likewise appeared in a 1963 sheet of the Twilight Sphere, but was married dump year to actor Bradford Dillman (whom she met when they both appeared in the coating, A Circle of Camouflage ), and cut rein in on her work considerably stern the wedding. They had duo children together, and the house included her daughter Georgia considerably well as Dillman's son post daughter from a previous cooperation. The family moved out clutch the Hollywood area and northerly to Montecito in 1968, spin she spent the remainder dominate her life. "She was spruce fabulous model and did cherish that work because she was so good at it," Harman told the Los Angeles Times ' McLellan. Funds the stab at acting, gorilla Harman noted, her stepmother "decided 'OK, I'm going to bear up on this and commit my talents to being depiction best wife and mother,' subject she really was that."

Parker died on May 3, 2003; she was 70. She is survived by her partner, daughter Georgia from a antecedent marriage, daughter Dinah and daughters Charles and Christopher (with Dillman), stepchildren Jeffrey and Pamela, abide four grandchildren. Ill for tidy number of years before minder death, Parker was eulogized bit the first "supermodel," the honour later coined in the Decennary to describe highly paid direction divas like Linda Evangelista playing field Christy Turlington. Yet Avedon, who had photographed them all, dubious that Parker "gave emotion pivotal reality to the history give an account of fashion photography," the Los Angeles Times ' McLellan quoted him as saying. "She invented the form, and negation one has surpassed her."