Marlene Parker was born in Dresden, Germany in 1930, survived the Allied bombing of the city, became a hairdresser in East Berlin, then escaped to the West with her boyfriend, Felix. She came to America in the ’60s and, as John Siegfried, landed roles in “Hitler” with Richard Basehart, and “Perry Mason.” She gave up acting to transition in the ’70s and has lived in West Hollywood for more than 40 years. After decades of keeping a low profile, she tells her life story for the first time to TheWrap. (Read our exclusive interview.)
Marlene Parker, 92, in the living room of her West Hollywood home, surrounded by signed photos of her famous friends like Siegfried and Roy and Eartha Kitt, Hollywood biographies and a framed photo of the love of her life, Felix, who helped her escape from Berlin to the West before the Berlin Wall went up.
Marlene Parker poses with an oil painting of her that an admirer commissioned in the 1960s when she was known as actor John Siegfried.
Marlene took her name from glamorous screen idol Marlene Dietrich.
When her cruise ship job eventually took her to California, she decided to stay. “I had never been to California before. Wow. I ended up at the Beverly Hills Hotel at the pool. The guy who was the manager of the pool area, he liked me, I could come in anytime I wanted to. That’s where I met George Hamilton. And Bob Evans was there a lot. I decided to quit and I moved out here.”
Even if you know Marlene, you don’t know her whole story, which she was never willing to tell publicly. She’s turned down documentarians and a play about her life in Berlin, but after so many years out of the limelight, Marlene is finally ready to be seen. Forty-five years after she transitioned, she says, “I guess it’s time I let my hair down.” (Read TheWrap’s exclusive interview with her.)
