Hildy Parks

Actress-cum-writer Hildy Parks was born in Washington, D.C. in 1926. She pursued acting following her graduation from the University of Virginia and made her New York stage debut in the role of Curley's wife in "Of Mice and Men" at the New School in the late 40s. From 1947 to 1957, she appeared in a number of productions on Broadway, including "Bathsheba" opposite James Mason, "Magnolia Alley," "Summer and Smoke" and "The Tunnel of Love." In London she appeared in "Mister Roberts" as the only female member of the cast. She made her film bow with The Night Holds Terror (1955) with Jack Kelly and Vince Edwards about a family being held captive for ransom, but appeared only sporadically thereafter with minor appearances in Fail Safe (1964), Seven Days in May (1964) and The Group (1966). Households knew her as a sparkling personality on game shows such as "Down You Go" and "To Tell the Truth" during the 50s and early 60s. Briefly married to actor/executive Jackie Cooper, Hildy became a partner in many TV and theatre productions to her late second husband, Alexander H. Cohen, who died in 2000. Beginning in 1967, she wrote the 20 Tony Awards telecasts produced by her husband, and received a producer credit on many of them. Receiving several Emmy nominations for her writing efforts, she finally won the award for her 1980 Tony Awards telecast. She and Cohen also produced the popular "Night of 100 Stars" TV specials from Radio City Music Hall which hosted a parade of renown entertainment and sports celebrities in a performing and non-performing capacity. Her theatre-producing credits in the mid-80s included "Accidental Death of an Anarchist," "Edmund Kean," "La Tragedie de Carmen" and "Play Memory." On October 7, 2004, Hildy died due to complications following a stroke while residing at the Actors' Fund Home in Englewood, N.J. She was 78 years old and survived by two sons, Gerry and Christopher Cohen and step-daughter Barbara Cohen. Show less «