Gerard Parkes

Gerard Parkes (October 16, 1924 – October 19, 2014) was an Irish-Canadian actor born in Dublin who relocated to Toronto in 1956. His career encompassed film, television, radio, and stage work across several decades. He died in Toronto on October 19, 2014, three days after his 90th birthday.

Parkes made his Broadway appearance in 1969 in Hadrian VII. His stage work extended into Canadian theatre as well, earning him the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role for Kilt in 1999.

His work in radio began at CBC in 1959, and he later received the Andrew Allan Award for Best Radio Actor in 1983. On screen, Parkes appeared in a range of television series including The Forest Rangers, both iterations of The Littlest Hobo, and Cagney and Lacey. He portrayed Dr. Arthur Lowe on the Canadian series Home Fires before being cast as Doc in the North American version of the CBC television series Fraggle Rock, a role he reprised in A Muppet Family Christmas. He also appeared on the TVOntario puppet series Today's Special as an alcoholic photographer named Phil, and held a recurring role as store owner Barton Winslow on PBS's Shining Time Station.

In film, Parkes won the Canadian Film Award for Best Actor in 1968 for his portrayal of Uncle Matthew in Isabel, the first year the award was presented. He played Wiff Roach in Mike Newell's 1976 television adaptation of David French's Of the Fields, Lately. His film credits include a cameo as a priest in Short Circuit 2 (1988), a role in The Last Winter (1989), and a appearance in The Adjuster (1991), which premiered at the New York Film Festival and won the Special Silver St. George at the 17th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1995, he portrayed a priest in It Takes Two, and in 1996 he played Jonathan Swift in the HBO film Handel's Last Chance. Parkes is also recognized for his role as Doc, a bartender with Tourette's syndrome, in The Boondock Saints alongside Willem Dafoe and Billy Connolly, a role he repeated in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.