Anecdotes

On March 6, 1951, Parker had to abandon her sickbed and flee with her two small children when a fire broke out in her Beverly Hills home. She was in bed with the flu when she was aroused by the smell of smoke. She took her daughters, Susan, 3, and Sharon, 1, and left the house. The blaze destroyed a staircase and a wall, with damages estimated at $500.

Was required to have her blonde hair buzzed off to the scalp for her role as a female convict in Femmes en cage (1950).

Discovered at age 18 by a Warner Bros. talent agent while merely sitting in the audience of the Pasadena Playhouse, and after just one semester of student training there.

From 2003 until her death, she lived a quiet retirement in Palm Springs, California.

Broke the champagne bottle on the nose of the locomotive, launching the "California Zephyr," a well-known passenger train, on its inaugural run from San Francisco to Chicago, at the Western Pacific Depot (San Francisco) on March 19, 1949.

Upon her death, she was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Lot 3799, Eternal Love, beside her fourth and final husband, Raymond Hirsch.

During the 1940s, she was the most popular actress for columnists to write about and was the favorite subject of such famed movie star commentators as Dorothy Kilgallen, Hedda Hopper, Shelia Graham, and Louella Parsons.

In April 1946, she was chosen as the "National Buddy Poppy Girl" by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

In May 1950, she was chosen as "Mother of the Year" by American florists.

She was honored as Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month for June 2013.

Her favorite actress was Carole Lombard.

Was friends with Andrea King, Lana Turner, and Jane Greer.

Probably best known as the baroness in La Mélodie du bonheur (1965).

Her wedding to Paul Clemens was held at the famous Hollywood Methodist Church on Thanksgiving Day 1954.

Parker was raised Protestant, but later converted to Judaism.

Never quite forgave her "Interrupted melody" (1955) co-star Glenn Ford for refusing to cede top billing to her in a film in which, after all, she - not he - was the story's focal point.

Returned to work ten months after giving birth to her son Paul Clemens to begin filming Un trou dans la tête (1959).

Mother of Susan Eleanor Friedlob (born March 7, 1948), Sharon Anne Friedlob (born April 18, 1950), Richard Parker Friedlob (born October 8, 1952) and Paul Clemens (born January 7, 1958, as Paul Day Clemens). All were born in Los Angeles County, California.

Died on her Histoire de détective (1951) co-star Kirk Douglas' 97th birthday.

Along with Olivia de Havilland, she was considered for the female lead in Une fille de la province (1954).

Got the female lead in The Very Thought of You (1944) after Ida Lupino withdrew her interest.

Was a lifelong Democrat.

Grandmother of Chasen Parker.

Could have won several Oscars, but her critics often accused her of overacting.

A natural brunette, Parker went blonde for the back-to-back films Rudolph Valentino, le grand séducteur (1951) and Je veux un millionnaire (1951). Although she then appeared dark-haired in Histoire de détective (1951) , Parker would tell Scaramouche (1952) director George Sidney: "I'm a blonde and I'm going to stay that way", playing Sidney's flame-haired female lead wearing - in Sidney's words - "these elaborate costly red wigs [which caused] plenty of problems during the shooting." Sidney would add that two weeks after ''Scaramouche'' wrapped, Sidney encountered an unwigged redheaded Parker who told him: ''I thought I looked so good in the red wigs that I decided to become a redhead", although Parker would in fact play her next two film roles - in Le grand secret (1952) and Fort Bravo (1953) - as a blonde. Quand la marabunta gronde (1954) would mark Parker's film debut with her hair dyed red and she would subsequently remain a redhead onscreen and in private, with the notable exception of Mélodie interrompue (1955) in which Parker played the focal role of blonde soprano Marjorie Lawrence. In December 2013 Richard Corliss of ''Time'' magazine would eulogize Eleanor Parker as "a ravishing redhead whose beauty was not her claim to celebrity but an ornament to her craft.".

Daughter of Lester (1885-1970) and Lola (née Isett) Parker (1889-1969). Both were born, raised and married in the state of Ohio and died in the state of California.

Was four months pregnant with her daughter Sharon when she completed filming on Secrets de femmes (1950). Prior to this she had fallen pregnant with Sharon shortly before she began filming Femmes en cage (1950).

Charlton Heston, her co-star in "The Naked Jungle" was very annoyed with her for insisting on top-billing in the film.

Turned down the female lead in Le ranch des pur-sang (1947).

Maternal great great granddaughter of Jacob (1814-1899), born in the state of New York, and Susanna (née Eymann) Brewer (1814-1897), born in the state of Pennsylvania. They married and died in the state of Ohio.

Is one of 19 actresses to have received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for a performance where they acted out a labor and/or birth; hers being for Femmes en cage (1950). The others in chronological order are Luise Rainer for La terre chinoise (1937), Jane Wyman for Johnny Belinda, l'enfant du silence (1948), Elizabeth Taylor for L'arbre de vie (1957), Leslie Caron for La Chambre indiscrète (1962), Shirley MacLaine for Irma la Douce (1963), Vanessa Redgrave for Isadora (1968), Geneviève Bujold for Anne des mille jours (1969), Marsha Mason for Permission d'aimer (1973), Ann-Margret for Tommy (1975), Ellen Burstyn for Même heure, l'année prochaine (1978), Jessica Lange for Sweet Dreams (1985), Meryl Streep for Un cri dans la nuit (1988), Samantha Morton for In America (2002), Elliot Page for Juno (2007), Gabourey Sidibe for Precious (2009), Ruth Negga for Loving (2016), Yalitza Aparicio for Roma (2018) and Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman (2020).

In Italy, most of her films were dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta. She was occasionally dubbed by Dhia Cristiani; Lydia Simoneschi; Rina Morelli; and Andreina Pagnani, most notably in La Mélodie du bonheur (1965).

Her 3rd husband was businessman Raymond Hirsch who was a widower with 2 teenage daughters,.

Maternal granddaughter of George (1861-1914), born in the state of Pennsylvania, and Edna (née Rasey) Parker (1871-1930), born in the state of Ohio.

Maternal great granddaughter of John (1835-1909) and Hannah (née Brewer) Rasey (1838-1885). Both were born and raised in the state of Ohio.

Maternal great great granddaughter of Joseph (1802-1887) and Nancy (née Sprange) Rasey (1810-1886). Both were born and raised in the state of New York and died in the state of Ohio.