Actor Gerard Parkes, 'Doc' on Fraggle Rock, dies at 90


Gerard Parkes, the Irish-Canadian actor best known for portraying Doc on Fraggle Rock, died Sunday in Toronto, four days after celebrating his 90th birthday.
Parkes was born in Dublin in 1924, and took a job at CBC Radio in the 1950s. Parkes appeared in movies, television shows, and onstage, with roles in The Boondock Saints, Isabel, and A Muppet Family Christmas. His most memorable role was as Doc on the 1980s children show Fraggle Rock, where he was the only human to regularly appear. "He had a thrill doing that show," Parkes' agent of 30 years, Gerry Jordan, told CBC News. "We got loads of fan mail from kids and adults around the world. He was a magical man and a terrific performer."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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