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Actress and writer Hildy Parks, born Hilda DeForrest Parks in Washington, D.C. on March 12, 1926, studied acting at the University of Virginia. She made her New York stage debut as Curley's wife in "Of Mice and Men" at the New School in the late 1940s.
Between 1947 and 1957, Hilda contributed to numerous Broadway productions, including her debut "Bathsheba" starring James Mason, as well as "Summer and Smoke," "Magnolia Alley," "To Dorothy, a Son," "Be Your Age," and "The Tunnel of Love." In London, she appeared in "Mister Roberts" as the sole female cast member.
Hildy began her television career as a celebrity guest on game shows such as "The Name's the Same," "Down You Go," and "To Tell the Truth," and acted in anthology series including "Kraft Theatre," "Studio One in Hollywood," "Starlight Theatre," "Omnibus," "Robert Montgomery Presents," and "Armstrong Circle Theatre." She held a regular role as Ellie Crown on the daytime soap opera Love of Life (1951) from 1952 to 1953 and had a recurring role on the series Danger (1950).
In the mid-1950s, Hildy ventured into film, debuting in the crime noir "The Night Holds Terror" (1955), where she played a wife held hostage alongside her husband Jack Kelly and their two children by escaped convicts portrayed by Peter Eklund, John Cassavetes, and David Cross. Despite this, her film career did not take off. She made brief appearances in the 1960s political thrillers "Fail Safe" (1964) and "Seven Days in May" (1964). After guest roles on series like "The Phil Silvers Show," "The Millionaire," "The Defenders," and "The Patty Duke Show," she concluded her acting career with a minor role in the film drama "The Group" (1966) before turning to writing and producing.
Hildy was briefly married to actor and executive Jackie Cooper from 1950 to 1954, then married producer Alexander H. Cohen in 1956. They had two sons, Gerry and Christopher. Together, they partnered on numerous theater projects, producing many Broadway plays including "The Unknown Soldier and His Family" (1967), "Dear World" (1969), "6 Rms Riv Vu" (1972), "Comedians" (1977), "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine" (1980), "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" (1984), "Accomplice" (1990), "Comedy Tonight" (1994), and "The Herbal Bed" (1998). Beginning in 1967, she wrote the scripts for the 20 Tony Awards telecasts her husband produced. Hildy earned several Emmy nominations for her producing and writing work, winning for the 1980 Tony Awards broadcast. Their son Chris Cohen became a production stage manager for these telecasts.
On television, Alexander and Hildy produced, with her writing, the acclaimed 1982 "Night of 100 Stars" TV special from Radio City Music Hall, featuring a lineup of celebrated entertainment and sports figures in both performing and non-performing roles. The program won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program, and they produced subsequent specials as well.
After her husband's passing in 2000, Hildy lived at the Actors' Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey. She died at age 78 on October 7, 2004, following complications from a stroke.
