Lara Parker, known fondly for her role as the vengeful witch Angelique Bouchard on the gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows,” has died at the age of 84 in her sleep at her home in the Topanga Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles following a battle with cancer. Her death was announced by producer Jim Pierson of Dan Curtis Productions, on behalf of Parker’s family.
Lara Parker found the role of a lifetime at just 28 years old when she was cast by “Dark Shadows” producer Dan Curtis. From 1967 to 1971, the Memphis native starred in “Dark Shadows” as the central antagonist Angelique Bouchard. Set in the fictional setting of Collinsport, Maine, the series follows the town’s founding family, the Collins family. In the show, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) spurns the besotted Angelique after a brief dalliance with her, unaware that she is a witch.
“I’m heartbroken, as all of us are who knew and loved her,” said her “Dark Shadows” co-star and longtime friend Kathryn Leigh Scott in a statement. “She graced our lives with her beauty, talent and friendship, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives.”
After the end of the daytime serial, Parker starred in other films and television shows, including the film “Save the Tiger” (1973), the drama television series “Jessica Novak” (1981), and two “Doctor Mabuse” films in 2013 and 2014.
