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Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress.

Because of a prolific career in independent cinema, Posey is often referred to as "Queen of the Indies" [1].

Early life

Posey was born in Baltimore, Maryland into a Catholic family. Her parents were Christopher and Lynda Posey; she has a twin brother, Christopher. Posey's first name was a tribute by her father to 1950s supermodel Suzy Parker.

After Posey's birth, the family moved to Greenwood, Mississippi, where her mother worked as a chef and culinary instructor for the Viking Range Corporation, and her father, after coming back from the Vietnam War with long time friend Bill Pearson, opened a Chevrolet dealership named Posey Chevrolet in Laurel, Mississippi. The family also lived at times in Monroe, Louisiana and Laurel, Mississippi.

Career

Posey attended the State University of New York at Purchase, where she roomed with actress Sherry Stringfield. Posey's first break was in television, when she won the role of Tess Shelby on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. (Stringfield, Posey's roommate, was also cast on the daytime drama Guiding Light at about the same time.)

Independent films

Posey's first lead role in a feature film was in Party Girl (1995).

Throughout the late 1990s, Posey starred in a large number of independent films and was named Queen of the Indies by Time Magazine, which cited 32 independent films to her credit, including Personal Velocity, Clockwatchers, Dazed and Confused, and The House of Yes, for which she received especially positive reviews for her portrayal of a delusional woman in love with her own brother.

She is part of the acting ensemble that appears in director Christopher Guest's films, including his three mock documentaries (Waiting for Guffman in 1996, Best in Show in 2000 and a A Mighty Wind in 2003), as well as the 2006 comedy For Your Consideration.

Posey is also a favorite of director Hal Hartley. She appeared in Henry Fool (1998), two of his shorts, Opera No. 1 (1994) (with Adrienne Shelley, another Hartley regular) and "Sisters of Mercy" (2004). Posey will also appear in his upcoming film, Fay Grim (2006).

Mainstream films

Posey has had supporting roles in several big budget studio films, including Scream 3 (2000), You've Got Mail (1998), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Laws of Attraction (2004) and Blade: Trinity (2004).

She also had a small but notable performance in Superman Returns, playing Kitty Kowalski, an assistant to villain Lex Luthor.

Television

Although Posey primarily works in film, she has appeared in several television projects.

• Posey appeared in the television miniseries adaptations of the Armistead Maupin Tales of the City books; her character, Connie, was featured in the original 1993 series and the 1998 miniseries "sequel" covering the second book.
• In 2000, she provided the voice of Umbriel the mermaid in the Futurama episode "The Deep South."
• Also in 2000, Parker provided the voice of Becky in an episode of The Simpsons titled "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge."
• She has also had a recurring role on the television series Will & Grace, as Darlene, Jack's high-maintenance boss at Barneys.
• Posey appeared on the season one finale episode of Project Runway in 2005. She was a spectator at New York Fashion Week, and also a judge alongside Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, and German supermodel/host Heidi Klum.
• In 2006, Posey guest-starred as the ambitious, back-stabbing lawyer Marlene Stanger in the legal drama Boston Legal.

Music

Posey also dabbles in music; she can play the mandolin. She learned to play as preparation for her role in A Mighty Wind (2003), a film in which she also sang.

She used her vocal talents on several records of her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Adams, whom she dated until early 2005. She also played the mandolin on The Dandy Warhols track "I Am Sound" from their Welcome to the Monkey House LP.

She is also the subject of several songs:

• She is the subject of a tribute song by Stuart Davis on his 2006 album ¿What.
• L.A. based rappers Trilambs also recorded a song titled Parker Posey in 2001.
• Musical project Forms of Things Unknown recorded an experimental music instrumental called From Here to Parker Posey.

Advertising

• Beginning in February 2006, Posey appears in a commercial for Pepsi Cola opposite Jimmy Fallon, dancing to the song "Newton - Streamline". It was prominently aired during the FOX broadcasts of the 2006 World Series in October, and a longer version has also been airing in movie theaters.

Trivia

• One of Posey's interests is pottery.
• She is a contributing editor to Open City, a literary magazine whose editor, Thomas Beller she once dated.
• Posey currently lives in the East Village.
• She has a Bichon-Maltese mix dog named Gracie.
• Posey also dated actor Stuart Townsend.

Selected filmography

External links

Interviews

• It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s . . . Parker Posey! New York Magazine (July 10, 2006)
• IGN Films Bio (December 7, 2004)
• The Oakland Tribune interview (November, 2002)
• NEXT magazine interview (November, 2002)
• American Outlook article (2002)
• Indexed interview (1996)

Web sites

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