by Lynette Alice

Created on: March 18, 2010   Last Updated: March 19, 2010

Fess Parker who is best remembered as Davy Crockett died on 3/18/2010 at the age of 85. As Davy Crockett “king of the wild frontier”, Fess Parker popularized one of the biggest trends among young boys in the 1950’s which was bringing back the coonskin cap. He was 85 years old, and his family reports the death was of natural causes.

Fess Parker had a career that went beyond just being Davy Crockett, and in many ways he was Disney’s go to star. His role as the father in Old Yeller is unforgettable. Anyone that has seen the movie and has the image of Parker consoling his on-screen son can never forget it- even grown men weep to this very day when viewing the scene. Later he went on to play another coonskin capped frontiersman when he accepted the role of

Daniel Boone for NBC’s television series.

Showbiz was very good to Parker and he was a shrewd man when it came to managing his money. He rolled some of his earnings from acting into a Santa Barbara winery long before it was the vogue thing among the Hollywood elite and later turned it into a resort. As successful as his screen work was, his business investments after acting were superior.

Parker was born on 16 August 1924 in Fort Worth, Texas, but grew up around the San Angelo Area. Although he volunteered to be a Marine Corp pilot in WWII he was turned down because he was too big for the cockpit at a height of 6’6”. Rather than shrug off duty, Parker served until he was discharged after being stabbed by a drunk driver. After completing his physical rehabilitation he returned to Texas and completed a degree in History from UT before moving to California to study acting at USC in 1950.

Fess Parker didn’t step right into starring roles. Like many actors at the time he was a contract player which meant Warner Brothers had signed him to appear in a set number of movies in the role of their choice - pretty common for the era. Oddly enough, he was connected in a six degrees of separation way to the recently deceased Peter Graves.

As Fess Parker related the story of his big break, he had just completed his WB contract and was signed for a bit role in the Disney movie Them! James Arness, the brother of Peter Graves, was also in the film but in a larger role. Disney had planned to sign Arness to play Davy Crockett, but when viewing dailies of Them! They spotted Parker and felt instantly like he was the right man to play the larger than life Davy Crockett. Notably, he also beat out Buddy Ebsen for the role, and was hand picked to play Davy Crockett by Walt Disney himself.

All told Fess Parker appeared in 24 big screen films including Hell is For Heroes, Alias Jesse James, and Westward Ho, The Wagons! He did 6 television shows including his final foray in acting the Fess Parker show which was never optioned and remained only a pilot in 1974.

His Fess Parker Family Winery and Vineyards is located in Los Olivos, California, and will reportedly remain family operated. Parker is survived by his wife Marcella nee Reinhanrt, children Fess and Elisha, eleven grandchildren and one great grandson. He was a veteran, wonderful actor, and devoted family man, but to a generation he always be Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.

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