Leonard Parker

Leonard Rudy Parker, Jr. (July 22, 1932 – 2007) was an American actor in theater, film and television. He is known for his performance in the film Nothing But a Man. Early life and education Parker was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of three children, to Leonard and Emily Francis Gibson Parker. He graduated from Thomas Edison High School. He studied music and voice at the Cleveland Music Settlement House. Parker joined the United States Army where he served in the Special Services unit and performed vocally with the Stuttgart military orchestra. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1954, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a master's degree. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he received a music scholarship, and he is also a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Drama. He then went on to study and perform with Karamu Theatre. Career Parker performed in a number of theater productions, including Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson, in which he played and sang the role of “Stephen Kumalo” Parker also performed in Night Visitors and afterwards performed in Ernest Block's Macbeth in New York. While there, he studied voice with Laura Miller at Juilliard and vocal coaching under Sam Morganstein with the Metropolitan Opera House.