Andrea

Andrea (who said she does not like to be called Miss Parker off screen) told her fans that the thing she enjoys most about her role on The Pretender is that she has "Free license to explore and act out parts of my personality that I usually hide with tact." She went on to say that the writers give all of the actors on The Pretender a great deal of freedom to interpret their individual characters ... and she takes advantage of that opportunity. Part of "Miss Parker's" demeanor in any given episode is directly related to how Andrea is feeling on the particular day that the scene is shot. She even does some of her own stunts!

In her first chat session, Parker said that her favorite episode of The Pretender was "Keys" - because it was the only time that she and Michael T. Weiss were able to work together. She went on to say that she "had the blessed opportunity of beating up a man much larger than myself! And, I got to show Miss Parker's martial arts abilities." During her October 14 chat, Parker said that "Not Even A Mouse," the Christmas episode from the first season, was one of her favorites, along with "A Toy Surprise" which was from the second season. She also said that during this season, she would be working directly with Michael T. Weiss (at some point ... we don't know how often).

No stranger to hard work and dedication to her craft, clearly, there are similiarities between Miss Parker and Andrea, but there appear to be crucial differences as well. When asked by a fan if she wore stiletto heels when not working on The Pretender, Andrea replied, "Are you crazy?" Parker also said that it takes 8 days to film each episode. She previously expressed the opinion that she'd like to see Miss Parker "bust a move" and perhaps escape the Centre herself, but artfully dodged any question regarding a possible future relationship with Jarod (as in relationship) other than the one that currently exists.

When asked if she is anything at all like Miss Parker, Andrea says "no" in a lightly humorous fashion and lets it go at that . . . but when asked what kind of gun "Miss Parker" uses on The Pretender, she answered the question and then immediately asked the questioner why they didn't ask what kind of gun she keeps at home! Parker said "maybe" when asked if she would be directing any episodes this year and spoke of a complex, love/hate between her character and Sydney (played by Patrick Bauchau).

Parker quit smoking in May of 1998 and we noticed that she didn't "light up" in the premiere of The Pretender's 3rd season. No explanation was given regarding why the chain-smoking Miss Parker suddenly stopped indulging her former habit -- perhaps NBC thought it was time to begin making her more "socially acceptable" (a shame, if it's true -- we liked her "one-of-a-kind " attitude).

Over the past two years, Andrea Parker has spent much of the little free time that she has corresponding with and mentoring child and teenaged cancer patients as part of her affiliation with the Glenn Siegel "My Good Friend" charity organization. She first heard about this organization when she was guest-starring on JAG and was so moved by its cause that she jumped right in.

I think that a quote attributed to Andrea Parker, about the Glenn Siegel "My Good Friend" organization tells any interested fan just about everything they need to know about the real life Parker ... She said,

"I'm not here to get anything out of this; I just hope to relieve some pain, give love, and offer a hand to those who need it. I want to let them know that they are valued. I'm troubled by the randomness of life, where some are blessed while others are burdened. I hope if I were going through something like this, I would know that no one can do it alone. Some kids get love at home, others don't. There's got to be someone there to help.

One of the good things about being an actor in Hollywood is that you're in a position to remind other people that there are still others who need help. It's the ultimate gratification -- it's why we were put on this earth

Ever since she left home at 15 to become a ballerina, a confident Andrea Parker never had a doubt that she would succeed in whatever she chose to do. After recurring roles in NBC's ";ER" and "JAG,&q uot; she knew last spring, as soon as she started reading the pilot script, that she was destined to play the alluring female lead in "The Pretender."

"It was kind of strange," says Parker. "As soon as I saw the role of 'Miss Parker,' I said, 'Hey, my name's all over this script.' I knew I had to make it mine. There was just too much synch ronicity for it not to happen. After I was cast, I had to tap into a lot of anger and pain in playing her. We're both alike in that we go after what we want, but I would never dream of treating people the way she does."

A native Southern Californian, Parker is the oldest of four children. She began to study ballet at age six, dedicated herself to improving daily, and trained with youth ballet programs during summers in New York, San Francisco and Cleveland.

Her hard work paid of f when she joined the San Francisco Ballet at 15, with which she performed at the Metropolitan Opera House and toured during her three-year tenure. "Dancing had a lot to do with my self-assurance and goal-setting," says the 5-foot-10-inch Parke r. "Rather than going to play with your friends, you learn at a young age to put on your pointe shoes and practice."

Parker returned to Southern California and began a career as a contemporary dancer, appearing in videos, commercials an d fashion shows. She also tended bar part-time for five years to pay bills while putting herself through acting classes. Her appearance in the Los Angeles play "Fine Line" got her a manager, who quickly arranged auditions. Despite having no cre dits or tape to present to casting directors, Parker landed her first speaking part in a small, but memorable, appearance as a hospital nurse in "The Contest," a classic, Emmy-winning episode of "Seinfeld".

More series episode s followed, with guest-starring roles in "Dream On", "Coach", "Dave's World", "Ellen", "Can't Hurry Love", "Married ... With Children" and "Murder, She Wrote".

She soon was cast in recurring roles in "The Adventures of Brisco County", "JAG" (as a Navy lawyer) and "ER" (as a pharmaceuticals saleswoman who wooed George Clooney's Dr. Ross).

Her TV movies include NBC's "Ed McBain's 87th Precinct" and "Victim of Love."

Away from the set, Parker enjoys honing her skills as a precision stunt driver as w ell as testing her marksmanship at the gun range. She also likes to ride horses, read and spend time with her family and friends, and is active in My Good Friend Foundation, a
pediatric cancer charity organization. Parker's birthday is March 8

ftr7b.jpg (8934 bytes)

When Andrea Parker first read the role of Miss Parker, the villainous vamp on NBC's The Pretender, "I realized that my name was all over it," she says with a laugh. "It's a total coincidence that we had the same name, but I was drawn to her like a magnet -- the way she was described as a chain-smoking, condescending, impatient, sarcastic, consummate professional sounded so appealing. She is so the opposite of me. I smell the flowers; she stomps on them."

That being the case, it's no wonder the California-born actress is concerned about nutrition. "Playing my character is very physically demanding," she says. "Believe me, it's all that I can do to keep up with Miss Parker -- kicking down doors and driving like a bat out of hell in six-inch stilettos."

Yet for all of their differences, Parker admits there are days when she can empathize with her television counterpart. & quot;Her personality may not be who I am on a daily basis," says the actress, "but when I'm stuck in traffic, I'm missing an important appointment, my hair won't go right, and I've just been cut off, I could rip somebody's f ace off in a heartbeat. In that moment, magnify that to be all that I am when I'm on the set and in the scene, and I am Miss Park er."

Andrea Parker's Stuffed Mushrooms

4 portobello mushrooms, ste ms removed
1 cup packaged stuffing
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 tbsp. Italian bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 500·. Fill mushroom caps with stuffing and oil. In a mixing bowl, combine tomato sauce, chicken stock, parsley, and garlic. Pour mixture into shallow baking dish. Place mushrooms in dish and sprinkle tops with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake 15 minutes; remove from sauce (some will be absorbed by mushrooms). Serves 4.

Andrea Parker of NBC's "The Pretender" Volunteers
To Counsel Afflicted Teens as Part of Charity

It's only coincidental that Andrea Parker portrays icy Miss Parker --
poster girl for women with attitude -- on NBC's "The Pretender"
(Saturdays, 8-9 p.m. ET), but while most viewers recoil from her sleek,
bad-to-the-bone character, a few cancer- afflicted teens see another
Miss Parker off-camera, one who has provided love and caring friendship
during their uphill battle.

Quietly, Parker has dedicated much of her free time during the past two
years in corresponding with and mentoring child and teenaged cancer
patients as part of her affiliation with the Glenn Siegel "My Good
Friend" charity organization. Named for and inspired by the young man
whose goal, before he succumbed to brain cancer, was to make life easier
for his fellow pediatric cancer patients, the national charity is now
run by his parents, Barbara and Marv Siegel.

"I first heard about this group while guest-starring on an
episode of (NBC's) 'JAG,' when I found some information in my dressing roomtrailer," says Parker. "Fifteen minutes later, I was moved to tears because there was so much passion in their mission." Parker called Marv Siegel and volunteered to join the non-profit charity's efforts to pair entertainment and sports celebrities with some of the young patients. She shared several phone chats with various teens, and helped to uplift their spirits simply by showing that someone cared, and
eventually became a buddy.

After more time passed, she developed a special relationship with
Sabrina, a Virginia teen, and at last flew there to meet her new pal
last summer.

"The experience was overwhelming," recalls Parker. "It was so positive
for everyone that we feel like family now. She has taught me a lot about
strength and love and not giving up. She's a smart and passionate young
woman who is a survivor.

"Since then, Sabrina writes me letters in code to see what's up on the
show. The sad thing is that she really understands the pain behind (the
fictional) Miss Parker's anger. She's even writing a script for 'The
Pretender.'"

Parker wants to make it clear that her primary mission is to offer
support for her youthful charges, not derive any false sense of
self-satisfaction.

"I'm not here to get anything out of this; I just hope to relieve some
pain, give love, and offer a hand to those who need it. I want to let
them know that they are valued. I'm troubled by the randomness of life,
where some are blessed while others are burdened. I hope if I were going
through something like this, I would know that no one can do it alone.
Some kids get love at home, others don't. There's got to be someone
there to help.

"One of the good things about being an actor in Hollywood is that you're
in a position to remind other people that there are still others who
need help. It's the ultimate gratification -- it's why we were put on
this earth."

Parker admits that the dubious notoriety of her well-coifed,
stiletto-heeled character often precedes her when dealing with adults
who spy her in public. But not so with her "Good Friends."

"Adults say with relief, 'Oh god, you're not really like Miss Parker.'
Every time someone says that, I'm really flattered. They think I'm a
witch, and then learn I'm not. That's totally cool!

"But kids understand more so than adults that what they see is just
pretend -- if you'll excuse the pun. They haven't lost their innocence."

Presently, Parker keeps busy away from the set by visiting and signing
autographs for children at local Los Angeles hospitals, as well as
maintaining her relationships with her phone and pen pals.

In the meantime, she knows the value of perpetuating the myth of the
fictitious Miss Parker.

"I suggest to people I meet on the street to tell their friends that I
was vicious in person," she says, with an evil twinkle. "They might as
well make up a big, fat, juicy story and say that I was nasty. That
often makes a better story!"

Fortunately, many young cancer survivors know better.

(Glenn Siegel's "My Good Friend" is a national charity; volunteers can
write to the organization at: 3587 Highway 9, No. 207, Freehold, New
Jersey 07728)

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