It has been a little over a month since we’ve had depressing news. The death bug of 2017 just couldn’t stay away as Michael Parks passed away due to undisclosed reasons on May 9th. He was 77 years old.
Parks got his start in Hollywood as minor, often one-time, characters on early 1960’s television shows. It wasn’t until Then Came Bronson, which ran from 1969 to 1970, that Parks got a lead role. He even sang the theme song for the show. For the next two decades, he continued to guest on numerous TV shows. He starred as Phillip Colby in The Colbys, a spin-off series to Dynasty. He also played the villainous Jean Renault on the cult classic David Lynch series, Twin Peaks.
For all of his work in television, it’s safe to say that many will remember him from roles in films by directors Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and Kevin Smith. Parks played Texas Ranger Earl McGraw in Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn and later reprised the role in Planet Terror along with both of Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies and Death Proof. Kevin Smith claimed to have written his scripts for Red State and Tusk for Parks who subsequently starred in both. Following the announcement of Parks’ death, Smith wrote a touching tribute on social media.
All respects go to the family and friends of Michael Parks.
