‘The Manchurian Candidate’ Actress Leslie Parrish Dies at 90: Report

‘The Manchurian Candidate’ actress Leslie Parrish has died at 90, according to a report. She was known for her roles on-screen and environmental activism.

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Leslie Parrish, an actress who appeared in movies like The Manchurian Candidate and Li’l Abner, has died at 90

Parrish’s stepdaughter told The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, Aug. 23 that Parrish died in Washington state in late 2025

The actress’ official website states that she chose “to stay out of public view as much as possible” in recent years and was writing an autobiography

Leslie Parrish, an actress who appeared in movies like The Manchurian Candidate, Li’l Abner and more between the 1950s and ‘70s, has died. She was 90.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported news of Parrish’s death on Sunday, Aug. 23, after her stepdaughter Erica Berdan confirmed that the former actress died in Washington state in late 2025.

Berdan is the daughter of author Richard Bach, whom Parrish was married to between 1977 and 1999, according to Parrish’s official website.

According to THR, Parrish was born in Melrose, Mass., on March 18, 1935, and raised in Upper Black Eddy, Penn. She moved to New York City in 1953 and began appearing in movies in 1955 with films like A Man Called Peter, Daddy Long Legs, The Virgin Queen and How to Be Very, Very Popular.

Parrish’s performances were uncredited or credited under her birth name, Marjorie Hellen, until 1959’s Li’l Abner. According to THR, the movie’s director Melvin Frank told her “no one will remember a girl with two first names” in encouraging her to use the stage name.

The actress’ best-known performance came with 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate, in which she portrayed the love interest of Laurence Harvey’s character Raymond Shaw. In the ‘60s, Parrish also appeared in movies like For Love or Money, Sex and the Single Girl, Three on a Couch and The Money Jungle.

She also made notable appearances on television series like Batman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Star Trek during this time period.

Parrish ultimately appeared in 78 onscreen roles before she stopped acting after the 1978 television movie No Margin for Error.

She developed a passion for social causes and activism against the Vietnam War and took part in protests against the Democratic National Convention in 1968, according to her official website, and also played a notable role in founding a news station titled KVST-TV, which her website described as a precursor to C-SPAN.

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According to Parrish’s website, she was first married to singer and lyricist Ric Marlow from 1955 to 1961. She married Bach, now 90, in 1977 and the pair lived in Washington for the majority of their marriage.

Bach published two novels, The Bridge Across Forever and One, during their marriage that were both heavily inspired by their relationship. The couple divorced in 1999.

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Parrish’s website states that she created a 240-acre wildlife sanctuary on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington to preserve its natural habitats. It added that she chose “to stay out of public view as much as possible” in recent years and that she was writing an autobiography, though it is unclear when the website was most recently updated.

“Her greatest concern is the destruction of the planet on which we live and the extinction of the glorious life forms which have thrived here for so many millennia,” her website reads. “She believes the earth has passed the point of no return but still continues her efforts to ‘save the planet.’ Her roof is covered with solar panels and she runs her home and her car, a TESLA, with her own electricity, keeping her carbon footprint as small as possible. She concentrates heavily on environmental work.”

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