RIP Pake Perin

Los Angeles Times

March 5, 2016

May 25, 1930 - February 3, 2016 From humble beginnings, Parke Raymond Perine made a wonderful life for himself and his family. He achieved success as a television writer, director and producer. But his greatest successes came as a father, husband, grandfather and friend. Parke passed away in Sherman Oaks on February 3, 2016, with his two loving daughters by his side.

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, on May 25, 1930, Parke grew up at the height of the Great Depression. His father was a jazz musician who was presumed dead in a car accident when Parke was just three years old. Thirty years later, he would discover that his father was still alive. His mother, a housewife whose ancestry in Delaware dated back several generations, died when Parke was just eight. When his grandfather died one month later, Parke and his older sister were left on their own until their cousin, Andy, and his wife, Emily, stepped in. However, Andy was soon drafted into World War II and died in Germany at the end of the war. It would be Emily who raised Parke, and she did so with great love and affection. Eventually, they settled in Lewes, Delaware, a small coastal town where the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay converge, and where he gained his lifelong love of the sea.

Parke graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Political Science, and the dream of going to New York City to become an actor. Instead, he joined the Navy and served his country as Executive Officer on a tank landing ship in the Korean War. Upon leaving the Navy, he finally moved to New York City where he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and later studied with the famous drama teacher Uta Hagen.

After graduating from the Academy, Parke acted on Broadway and in the National Touring Company of "The World of Suzie Wong," where he met the great love of his life, Flavia Hsu Kingman. They married and had two daughters, Laura and Andrea. He appeared in several Off-Broadway productions, most notably "Two by Coward" at the St. Mark's Playhouse, and various television series, including "Naked City," "The Blue Men," "Dennis the Menace" and "The Rookies."

In between jobs as Production Stage Manager for Theatres-in-the-Round, Parke began directing Children's Theater, then moved into television, directing both live and tape productions for KCET, PBS and several local stations in Los Angeles. During this time, he also directed several productions for the American National Theatre and Academy as well as special projects for IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

In his capacity as Producer, Story Editor, freelance writer and Associate Producer, he wrote close to 100 television scripts for "The Rookies," "Starsky and Hutch," "Foul Play," "Wonderful World of Disney," "Eight is Enough," "Highway to Heaven," "Our House," "Knots Landing" and "Fame," for which Parke was nominated for a Writer's Guild Award.

Parke is survived by his two daughters, who could not be more proud of the loving and decent man he was; his four grandchildren, for whom the world will not be nearly so wondrous now that he is gone; his two sons-in-law, whom he so completely welcomed into the family; and a host of friends, all of whom will dearly miss his kindness, generosity, creativity and sense of humor. Parke loved nothing more than to dance with Flavia, with whom he shared 50 extraordinary years of marriage. His family smiles today knowing they are dancing together again.

PERIN, Parke (Parke Raymond Perin)

Born: 5/25/1930, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.

Died: 2/3/2016, Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.A.

Parke Perin’s western – actor:

The Hatfields and the McCoys – 1975 (first man)