Zale Parry | |
|---|---|
 Parry as a guest star on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea , 1965 | |
| Born | March 19, 1933 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Parry Bivens (m. 1955;div. 1963) |
Zale Parry (born March 19, 1933) [1] is an American pioneer scuba diver, underwater photographer and actress. She has been described as "California's underwater queen without a rival in sight". [2]
Parry was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, [3] and is one of seven children. She learned to swim at an early age to avoid "being perpetually dunked" by her siblings. [4] When she was in the ninth grade she joined a Florida water show, and for three years she toured with the show through the Midwestern United States. [3] She was a swimming champion and studied dramatics at UCLA. [5]
As a young woman, while working in Santa Monica, California, for the Douglas Aircraft Company, Parry became involved in pioneering diving and scientific work Sports Illustrated magazine. [6]
In 1954, Parry set a women's depth record to 209 feet, [4] exceeding the previous record of 80 feet. [5]
Later in 1954, Parry made her screen debut in Kingdom of the Sea , a Jack Douglas Production. [7] She appeared in 78 episodes of the series. [8] Because of her work in Kingdom of the Sea, Parry was tapped by the producers of the new show, Sea Hunt . Parry has referred to Sea Hunt as an "underwater western".[ citation needed ] The lead character, Mike Nelson (played by Lloyd Bridges), was introduced to an undersea problem or villain at the start of the show. By the end of the half-hour show, he had resolved the problem.
Parry's acting continued on other shows, including GE Theatre , Wagon Train , Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea , Peter Gunn , The Magic Circus , and others. Parry continued as an actor for a number of years including many commercials and as a stunt woman on a wide variety of shows involving underwater scenes. By 1967, Parry's TV work was primarily in commercials. [2]
Parry doubled for Sophia Loren in the film Boy on a Dolphin (1957). [9] In 2006 she was in the film Tillamook Treasure , in which she played Sam, the owner of a hardware store.
Parry was a member of the board of directors of the Underwater Photographic Society [5] She later became the society's president. [9] She was co-director of the International Underwater Film Festival. [9]
She was featured on the cover of the May 23, 1955 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, [10] and she received the 1960 Water Sports Championship Award from Argosy magazine. [9]
Parry married Parry Bivens, and she worked as a secretary while he was in medical school. [5] They have a daughter. [11]
