Andrea Parker | |
|---|---|
 Parker in 2018 | |
| Born | March 8, 1969 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–2017 |
| Spouse | Michael Birnbaum |
Andrea Parker (born March 8, 1969 [1] ) is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles on ER , JAG , The Pretender , Less than Perfect , Desperate Housewives , and Pretty Little Liars .
Parker is a native of southern California. When she was 8 years old, she became a ballet student, and when she was 15 she left home and joined the San Francisco Ballet. [2] She "danced professionally for a few years" with that group [3] and went on to take acting classes and work in commercials as a contemporary dancer. [4]
Parker's first speaking role was in "The Contest", an episode of Seinfeld . [2] Her first documented film role was at age 19 in the movie Rented Lips in which she played a dancer/nurse. Parker appeared in Married... with Children as a go-go dancer in two episodes.
In 1995, Parker was cast in Donald Bellisario's NBC series JAG as Kate Pike, the initial female lead for the two-part pilot. However, when JAG was picked up for a full series, the producers replaced Parker with Tracey Needham in the new role of Meg Austin, although Parker did make several guest appearances as Kate throughout the first season. Parker instead went on to star in The Pretender ; another NBC series in which she portrayed Miss Catherine Parker, an operative for a sinister agency known as The Centre. She played the role for all four seasons.
After The Pretender was cancelled in 2000, Parker did another guest spot on JAG before signing on to reprise her role as Miss Parker in two telemovies for The Pretender, which aired on TNT in 2001. She then returned to series television in 2002 and starred in the ABC comedy Less than Perfect , playing Lydia Weston until it was cancelled in 2006. From 2011 to 2012, Parker had recurring role of Jane Carlson in the ABC series Desperate Housewives . [5] She later starred in NBC drama pilot Beautiful People, [6] and joined the cast of ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars . [7]
Parker married producer Michael Birnbaum. [8] She supports various charities such as the National Hospice Palliative Care Organization, Glenn Siegel's My Good Friend charity organization, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research, and Project Angel Food. In February 2006, Parker attended a benefit with former Pretender co-stars Michael T. Weiss and James Denton for Cure Autism Now. [9]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Rented Lips | Dancer / Nurse | |
| 1988 | Earth Girls Are Easy | Dancer in Beauty Salon | |
| 1990 | Brush with Death | Colleen | |
| 1992 | The Naked Truth | Miss France | |
| 1994 | Body Shot | Shark Club Dancer | |
| 2000 | Delicate Instruments | Dr. Anne Harper | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Married... with Children | Go-Go Dancer | Episodes: "Married... with Prom Queen: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1992 | Seinfeld | Nurse | Episode: "The Contest" |
| 1993 | Dave's World | Alicia | Episode: "It's a Small Van After All" |
| 1993 | Herman's Head | Heather Brookshire | Episode: "A Decent Proposal" |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Rita Avnet | Episodes: "Deep in the Heart of Dixie", "A.K.A. Kansas" |
| 1994 | XXX's and OOO's | Kelly Morgan | Television film |
| 1994 | Ellen | Joanna | Episode: "The Dentist" |
| 1994 | Coach | Penny | Episode: "Coach for a Day: Part 2" |
| 1994–95 | ER | Linda Farrell | Recurring role (Seasons 1 & 2), 10 episodes |
| 1995 | Dream On | Winnie | Episode: "She Won't Do It, But Her Sister Will" |
| 1995–96, 2001 | JAG | Lt. JG/Lt/CDR Caitlin 'Kate' Pike | Recurring role (season 1); guest role (season 6); 5 episodes |
| 1996 | Can't Hurry Love | Kit | Episode: "Valentine's Day Massacred" |
| 1996 | Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice | Det. Eileen Burke | Television film |
| 1996 | Coach | Jean Brandow | Episode: "Dauber's Vehicle" |
| 1996 | Murder, She Wrote | Anne Larkin | Episode: "Race to Death" |
| 1996–2000 | The Pretender | Miss Parker / Catherine Parker | Main role, 86 episodes |
| 2001 | The Pretender 2001 | Miss Parker / Catherine Parker | Television film |
| 2001 | The Pretender: Island of the Haunted | Miss Parker | Television film |
| 2002 | First Monday | FBI Agent Dawson | Episode: "Dangerous Words" |
| 2002–06 | Less than Perfect | Lydia Weston | Main role, 81 episodes |
| 2005 | Kitchen Confidential | Suze | Episode: "Exile on Main Street" |
| 2006 | Help Me Help You | Krista | Episode: "Inger Management" |
| 2008 | The Mentalist | Ann Meier | Episode: "Red-Handed" |
| 2009 | My Name Is Earl | Rich Lady | Episode: "Friends with Benefits" |
| 2009 | CSI: Miami | Allison Burgess | Episode: "In Plane Sight" |
| 2011 | Suits | Tory | Episode: "The Shelf Life" |
| 2011–12 | Desperate Housewives | Jane Carlson | Recurring role (Season 8), 11 episodes |
| 2011, 2013–17 | Pretty Little Liars | Jessica DiLaurentis | Main role (Season 7), recurring role (Season 4), guest star (Seasons 2, 5–6), 21 episodes |
| Mary Drake | Main role (Season 7), guest star (Season 4, 6), 15 episodes | ||
| 2012 | Common Law | Laura the A.D.A. | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2013 | Devious Maids | Brenda Coulfax | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2014 | Jennifer Falls | Francine | Episode: "Health Club" |
| 2014–15 | Red Band Society | Sarah Souders | Recurring role, 4 episodes |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Series, Drama | The Pretender | Nominated |
| 2005 | Women's Image Network Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Less Than Perfect | Won |
| International | |
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| National | |
