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Larry Parks (December 13, 1914 - April 13, 1975)
was an United States|American actor who was
Hollywood blacklist|blacklisted by the Hollywood
movie studio bosses during the era of McCarthyism.
 
Born Samuel Lawrence Klausman Parks in Olathe,
Kansas, his career was virtually ended when he
admitted in 1951 to having been a member of a
Communist Party USA|Communist party cell.

Having attended the University of Illinois, Parks
played in stock company|stock companies for
several years before signing a Hollywood contract
in 1941.  He made several forgettable films until
he won the role of Al Jolson in the 1946
biographical film The Jolson Story, for which he
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Following his Oscar nomination, he made a few more
movies that did little in the box office, until he
appeared in the sequel, Jolson Sings Again in
1949, which was another hit.

Larry Parks was summoned to appear before the
House Un-American Activities Committee where he
literally fell on his knees before  and begged not
to be forced to testify. He eventually did so in
tears, only to find that he was blacklisted
anyway. Following his admission before the
Congressional Committee, Columbia Pictures dropped
him. He made only two more films, but continued to
eke out a living acting on the stage and doing
occasional television programs until his death,
from a heart attack, in 1975. Married to actress
Betty Garrett until his death; they had two sons.


==External link==
*imdb name|id= 0662972|name=Larry Parks