Leslie Parrish, ‘Manchurian Candidate’ Actress Turned Activist, Dead at 90

August 23, 2026

Leslie Parrish, the beautiful blonde actress remembered for Li’l Abner and The Manchurian Candidate, has died.

Her death, at age 90, occurred sometime late last year, but was only just confirmed by her stepdaughter, Erica Berdan, the daughter of her second husband Richard Bach of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) fame.

Born March 18, 1935, in Melrose, Massachusetts, she was a teen model who was chosen Miss Color TV ahead of being signed to 20th Century Fox and then MGM.

She appeared in A Man Called Peter (1955), Daddy Long Legs (1955), The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955) and The Opposite Sex (1956).

One of her first big breaks was L’il Abner. She was adorable as lovestruck Daisy Mae in the hit musical comedy, released in 1959.

More dramatically, her tragic Jocelyn in John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate (1962) provided a visual twist in one of the best, most terrifying movies ever made, appearing at a crucial moment wearing a Queen of Diamonds costume.

She also acted in Portrait of a Mobster (1961), For Love or Money (1963), Sex and the Single Girl (1964), The Candy Man (1969) and The Devil’s 8 (1969).

On TV, she was unforgettable in the “Who Mourns for Adonais?” episode of Star Trek (1967) as Carolyn Palamas and as Glacia Glaze on two episodes of Batman (1967).

One of her best-known later projects was the cult classic The Giant Spider Invasion (1975).

Parrish tired of acting, becoming an associate producer on the film adaptation of her future husband Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973) and devoting her time to environmental, civil rights and anti-war activism — an interesting echo of her Jocelyn character.

While married to Bach (1981-1999), she inspired him to write The Bridge Across Forever (1984) and One (1988).

Prior to that marriage, she was wed to singer Ric Marlow from 1955-1961.⚡️