Lara Parker, born Mary Lamar Rickey on October 27, 1938, in Knoxville, Tennessee, was an American actress, author, and educator known for her role as the witch Angelique Bouchard in the gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows".

She grew up in Memphis and attended Central High School. She won a scholarship to Vassar College, where she initially majored in philosophy. She eventually completed her undergraduate degree at Rhodes College in Memphis and earned a Master of Arts degree in speech and drama from the University of Iowa.

Her acting career began on stage, where she performed in several off-Broadway productions, including "Lulu" and "A Gun Play." She gained widespread recognition for her role in "Dark Shadows," which aired from 1966 to 1971. She reprised her role in the movie adaptations "House of Dark Shadows" (1970) and "Night of Dark Shadows" (1971).

Her film career included notable performances in "Hi, Mom!" (1970), opposite Robert De Niro, and "Save the Tiger" (1973), alongside Jack Lemmon. She also appeared in the horror film "Race with the Devil" (1975) and had guest roles in popular TV shows such as "The Incredible Hulk," "Kung Fu," "Police Woman," "Quincy, M.E.," "The Rockford Files," "Highway to Heaven," and "Hawaii Five-O".

In her personal life, Lara Parker was married twice. Her first marriage was to artist Tom Parker from 1959 to 1974, with whom she had two sons, Rick and Andy Parker.

She later married Jim Hawkins in 1980, and the couple remained together until her death in 2023. They had one daughter, Caitlin Hawkins. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II and a third-great-granddaughter of Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, connecting her to a distinguished Southern lineage.

She transitioned to a career in education, becoming a high school and college English teacher. She obtained her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Antioch University and authored four novels based on her "Dark Shadows" character, Angelique. These novels include "Angelique's Descent" (1998), "The Salem Branch" (2006), "Wolf Moon Rising" (2013), and "Heiress of Collinwood" (2016).

Lara Parker passed away on October 12, 2023, at the age of 84.