Michael Parks obit

Michael Parks, ‘Twin Peaks’ Actor and Tarantino Favorite, Dead at 77

He was not on the list.

“He was, hands-down, the most incredible thespian I ever had the pleasure to watch perform,” Kevin Smith wrote of ‘Red State’ star. 

Michael Parks, a character actor who enjoyed a career renaissance in recent decades thanks to high profile roles in films by Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Smith, died Wednesday at the age of 77. 

Parks’ agent confirmed the actor’s death to The Hollywood Reporter, though a cause of death was not revealed.

Parks made his acting debut in a small role in 1961 on the sitcom The Real McCoys, and, over the ensuing decades, racked up dozens of roles on both television and feature films, most notably as the casino owner and drug runner Jean Renault on the second season of Twin Peaks. 

After years playing bit roles in made-for-TV movies, Westerns and slasher films, Parks was cast as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw in Rodriguez’ 1996 vampire flick From Dusk ’til Dawn. Quentin Tarantino, an associate of Rodriguez’, then cast Parks in a dual role for Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2; in the former, he reprised the McGraw role, while the latter found the actor playing Mexican pimp Esteban Vihaio. 

Parks would portray McGraw once more for Tarantino and Rodriguez in the directors’ Grindhouse films. Tarantino also recruited Parks for a small role in Django Unchained.

Parks’ career revival also resulted in roles in Ben Affleck’s Argo, The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford and a pair of Kevin Smith horror flicks, Red State and Tusk. 

“Michael was, and will likely forever remain, the best actor I’ve ever known. I wrote both [Red State] and [Tusk] FOR Parks, I loved his acting so much,” Smith wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “He was, hands-down, the most incredible thespian I ever had the pleasure to watch perform. And Parks brought out the absolute best in me every time he got near my set.” 

At the time of his death, Parks was cast in the upcoming Christian Bale film Hostiles. 

 

Filmography 

Film 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1965 , Wild Seed , Fargo ,  

Bus Riley's Back in Town , Bus Riley ,  

1966 , The Bible: In the Beginning... , Adam ,  

The Idol , Marco ,  

1967 , The Happening , Sureshot ,  

Stranger on the Run , Vincent McKay ,  

1973 , Between Friends , Tony ,  

1976 , The Last Hard Men , Noel Nye ,  

The Savage Bees , Dr. Jeff DuRand ,  

1977 , Murder at the World Series , Larry Marshall ,  

Escape from Bogen County , Jack Kern ,  

Sidewinder 1 , J.W. Wyatt ,  

The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover , Robert F. Kennedy ,  

1978 , Love and the Midnight Auto Supply , Duke ,  

Rainbow , Roger Edens ,  

1979 , The Evictors , Ben Watkins ,  

Breakthrough , Sgt. Anderson ,  

1980 , North Sea Hijack , Harold Shulman ,  

1981 , Hard Country , Royce ,  

1982 , Savannah Smiles , Lt. Savage ,  

1986 , The Return of Josey Wales , Josey Wales , Also director  

1988 , Arizona Heat , Larry Kapinski ,  

Nightmare Beach , Doc Willet ,  

1989 , Caged Fury , Mr. Collins , Also associate producer  

Prime Suspect , Bill Nevins ,  

1991 , The Hitman , Det. Ronny "Del" Delany ,  

1992 , Storyville , Det. Michael Trevllian ,  

Over the Line , Pearlmutter ,  

1994 , Death Wish V: The Face of Death , Tommy O'Shea ,  

Stranger by Night , Detective Larson , Direct-to-video  

1995 , Sorceress , Stan , Direct-to-video  

1996 , From Dusk till Dawn , Earl McGraw ,  

1997 , Niagara, Niagara , Walter ,  

Deceiver , Dr. Banyard ,  

Julian Po , Vern ,  

1998 , Wicked , Det. Boland ,  

1999 , From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter , Ambrose Bierce , Direct-to-video  

2000 , Bullfighter , Cordobes ,  

2001 , Big Bad Love , Mr. Aaron ,  

2002 , 13 Moons , Bartender ,  

2003 , Kill Bill: Volume 1 , Earl McGraw ,  

The Librarians , William Clark ,  

2004 , Kill Bill: Volume 2 , Esteban Vihaio ,  

2005 , Miracle at Sage Creek , Justice Stanley ,  

2006 , The Listening , James Wagley ,  

2007 , Grindhouse , Earl McGraw , Segments: Planet Terror / Death Proof  

El Muerto , Sheriff Stone ,  

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford , Henry Craig ,  

2008 , Noble Things , Pete Collins ,  

Maidenhead , Dad ,  

Three Priests , Jacob ,  

2010 , Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball , Fritz Tremor , Direct-to-DVD  

Street Poet , Benny ,  

2011 , Red State , Pastor Abin Cooper ,  

2012 , Argo , Jack Kirby ,  

Django Unchained , LeQuint Dickey Mining Co. Employee ,  

2013 , We Are What We Are , Doc Barrow ,  

2014 , Tusk , Howard Howe ,  

2016 , Blood Father , Preacher ,  

Greater , Leo ,  

2017 , The Queen of Hollywood Blvd , Chet Fuller , Posthumous release  

TBA , The Gnashing , Harrison , Post-production 
Posthumous release  

TBA , The Summoning , Newberry , Post-production 
Posthumous release 
Final film role  

Television 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1960 , Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater , Juanito , Episode: "Ransom"  

1961 , Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater , The Younger Prisoner , Episode: "The Scar"  

The Law and Mr. Jones , Mike Enslow , Episode: "One by One"  

The Asphalt Jungle , Ty , Episode: "The Sniper"  

Straightaway , , Episode: "Pledge a Nightmare"  

The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor , Johnny Blaine, Eddy Washburn, and Jimmy , Episodes: "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt", "Personal Enemy", "The Frightened Ones"  

1962 , Gunsmoke , Park , Episode: "The Boys"  

Target: The Corruptors! , Rocky Kustak , Episode: "Nobody Gets Hurt"  

Stoney Burke , Tack Reynolds , Episode: "The Mob Riders"  

The Real McCoys , Tom , Episode: "George's Nephew"  

Bus Stop , , Episode: "The Opposite Virtues"  

Sam Benedict , Larry Wilcox , Episode: "Too Many Strangers"  

The Gallant Men , Billy Ray Medford , Episode: "A Place to Die"  

1963 , Alfred Hitchcock Hour , Skip Baxter , Episode: "The Cadaver"  

1963 , The Alfred Hitchcock Hour , Dr. Daniel Dana , Episode: "Diagnosis: Danger"  

The Greatest Show on Earth , Cristos , Episode: "The Hanging Man"  

Perry Mason , Cal Leonard , Episode: "The Case of Constant Doyle"  

Arrest and Trial , Gregory Wade , Episode: "We May Be Better Strangers"  

77 Sunset Strip , Eddie Marco , Episode: "Crash Out!"  

1963–1964 , Channing , Dante Donati , 2 episodes  

Wagon Train , Hamish Browne and Michael Malone , Episodes: "The Heather and Hamish Story", "The Michael Malone Story"  

1964 , Route 66 , Tank , Episode: "Cries of Persons Close to One"  

1965 , Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre , Lieutenant Colonel Burt Engle , Episode: "A Time for Killing"  

1969–1970 , Then Came Bronson , Jim Bronson , Lead role, 26 episodes  

1970 , The Johnny Cash Show , Himself (singing) ,  

1973 , Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law , Ollie Gregson , Episode: "Sometimes Tough Is Good"  

Medical Center , Dr. Chris Wells , Episode: "Fatal Memory"  

1974 , Ironside , Professor Riley MacDane , Episode: "A Death in Academe"  

1976 , Ellery Queen , Terry Purvis , Episode: "The Adventure of the Wary Witness"  

1981 , Dial M for Murder , Max , Television film  

1986, 1988 , The Equalizer , Logan / Jonathan Grey , 2 episodes  

1987 , The Colbys , Phillip Colby , 12 episodes  

1989 , Murder, She Wrote , Ben Aaron , Episode: "Prediction: Murder"  

War of the Worlds , Cash McCullough , Episode: "My Soul to Keep"  

Billy the Kid , Rynerson , Television film  

1990 , The China Lake Murders , Officer Donnelly , Television film  

1990–1991 , Twin Peaks , Jean Renault , 5 episodes  

1991 , Shades of L.A. , Rev. James Scarborough , 2 episodes  

1993 , SeaQuest 2032 , George Le Chein , Episode: "To Be or Not To Be"  

1996 , Hart to Hart , Evan Powell , Episode: "Secrets of the Hart"  

1996, 1999 , Walker, Texas Ranger , Major Caleb Hooks , 2 episodes