Parker Stevenson (born Richard Stevenson Parker on June 4, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American television actor. He attended Rye Country Day School in Rye, NY. His first notable screen appearance was a starring role in the 1972 movie A Separate Peace. He graduated from Princeton University in 1976 and moved to Hollywood, where he landed a role opposite Sam Elliott in the film Lifeguard.
Stevenson became well-known from starring in the The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries series with teen heartthrob, Shaun Cassidy, which ran 1977-79 on ABC-TV. He then starred on the short-lived series Probe in 1988. He was part of the original cast of Baywatch in the 1989 season, returning for the syndicated 1997 and 1998 seasons. He also had a reoccurring role as a computer tycoon on Melrose Place during the second season. In 1986, Stevenson starred as Billy Hazard in the TV miniseries North and South. North and South also starred his then wife Kirstie Alley, who portrayed his sister, Virgilia Hazard.
On December 22, 1983, Stevenson was married to actress Kirstie Alley, ending in divorce in 1997. The couple adopted a boy and a girl, after Alley experienced a miscarriage and later a stillbirth. Memorably, when Alley won an Emmy Award in 1991, she thanked Stevenson in her acceptance speech for giving her "the big one."
According to media reports, Stevenson walked away from the marriage with a $6,000,000 USD settlement, after asking for $75,000 per month in alimony. Today, the couple share joint custody of their two children.
When Parker Stevenson was five years old his mother, who acted in numerous television commercials, took him to a filming session. This resulted in two small television appearances. However, Parker's father, an investment advisor, looked askance at the whole business, and although Parker appeared in a few play productions at Brooks School he had no intention of becoming an actor. Parker rowed with the Brooks School crew in the Princess Elizabeth Cup Race at the prestigious Henley Regatta. Later at Princeton, Parker rowed with the freshman lightweight crew team which won the 1971-72 eastern sprint races. Parker Stevenson graduated from Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts in 1971.
