Born in New York City, Corey Parker began acting at the age of four. After numerous television commercials (Fisher Price Toys, Pepsi and others), Corey began to study in earnest at the age of 14. He was fortunate to be accepted by the highest level of teachers in New York. He began studying with acting teachers Susan Batson, whom he later introduced to Nicole Kidman. Corey studied with Sandra Seacat, coach to Jessica Lange. He also studied with the famed Uta Hagen, Mira Rostova (coach to Montgomery Clift), and Herbert Berghof. Corey was accepted at the famed High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. He graduated at the top of his class and was accepted into New York University, which offered Corey a scholarship. At 20, he became one of the youngest people ever accepted into the Actors’ Studio in New York. He was one of only two admitted in that year. He is also a longstanding member of the Ensemble Studio Theater.
Corey starred in the Steppenwolf Theater Production of “Orphans” directed by Gary Sinise. Shortly thereafter, Mike Nichols cast Corey alongside Christopher Walken and Mathew Broderick in the Universal Film “Biloxi Blues.” He worked with Susan Sarandon in Universal’s “White Palace.” He went to London to take part in a BBC/PBS coproduction of “Lost Language of Cranes.” Corey starred in the 20th Century Fox film, “How I got into College,” Viacom’s “Hunchback of UCLA,” Lorimar’s “Scream for Help,” and Independent Films’ “Fool’s Paradise,” and “A Man with Conscience.”
On ABC’s thirtysomething, Corey played Lee, the painter, opposite Melanie Mayron. Soon after, he was asked by Neil Simon to join the cast of “Broadway Bound” for ABC, with Anne Bancroft, Hume Cronyn and Jerry Orbach. He has appeared in eight network pilots, as well as his own series’ including Fox’ “Flying Blind,” UPN’s “Love Boat,” ABC’s “Eddie Dodd” with Treat Williams, and ABC’s “Blue Skies.” Some television movies include “Encino Woman” for ABC and NBC’s “Destiny, the Liz Taylor Story” where he played Eddie Fisher opposite Sherilyn Fenn. In addition, he worked with Sophia Loren in CBS’ “Courage.” Corey appeared in CBS’ “Touched by an Angel,” and recurred in the role of Josh on NBC’s “Will and Grace.”
On stage, Corey has performed in a great number of productions in New York City such as, Ring of Men with Jessie L. Martin, Last Days in New York at Ensemble StudioTheatre, Old Flag by Vincent Canby, Blind Date by Horton Foote, Bloodletters by Richard Greenburg, Been Taken and Coming of Age in SOHO by Albert Innaurato at the Public Theatre (under the artistic direction of Joseph Papp), Viaduct at the American Place Theatre, One O’ Clock, a reading directed by Lanford Wilson, Red Storm Flower by John Patrick Shanley, Rose Cottages by Bill Bozzone, and Nothing Sacred, an adaptation of Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons” at the Mark Taper Theater in Los Angeles directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Additionally, Corey has taken part in many staged readings with actors such as John Malkovich, Marsha Mason, Tea Leone and many others.
As a teacher, Corey has worked for 24 years in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Nashville. He has coached on set for Marvel, and coaches actors on Zoom in London, Sydney, Barcelona, Dublin and Singapore. His actors have won Tony Awards, SAG Awards and Emmy Awards. He has taught at Duke University, Rhodes College and the University of Memphis. His teen actors have been accepted to NYU - Tisch, Yale, RADA and USC, among others. Corey’s work as an actor has been acknowledged by the New York Times, Time Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. He is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and the Ensemble Studio Theater. A SAG actor since 1979 and a teacher since 2000, Corey draws from his many years in front of the camera as well as his considerable time spent onstage in New York and Los Angeles; Corey’s work also draws from his decades of training from some of the greatest teachers in American acting. Corey knows there are many ways to approach acting and that acting does adhere to basic natural laws. Each actor’s own nature provides them with a truly unique instrument. Working with each actor’s authentic instrument is at the core of Corey’s work.
For Corey, teaching the actor means empowering the actor with tools, and developing a practice for making creative choices, and problem solving - in auditions and on the set. Corey’s lifetime worth of professional experience allows him to support and bring confidence to actors at all stages of their work.
Evidence of Corey’s coaching can be seen on Broadway, on TV, and on film. Most recently Corey has coached on projects with directors Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, and Academy Award winner Roland Joffe. He has taught acting workshops with casting director Seth Caskey, casting director Risa Bramon Garcia and casting director Brett Goldstein.