Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.; August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010), was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of the titular characters in the Walt Disney television miniseries Davy Crockett (1954–55; ABC) and the long-running television series Daniel Boone (1964–70; NBC). He was also a winemaker and resort owner-operator.
Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised on a farm in Tom Green County near San Angelo. His father -- born Fess Parker but later added the initial "E." -- was a tax assessor. The name Fess had been given to him in honor of the educator and politician Simeon D. Fess. The future actor decided to change his name from F.E. Parker Jr. to Fess Elisha Parker Jr. He selected the middle name himself, when he was a teenager (about 1937), because it sounded rhythmic and matched his middle initial.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the latter part of World War II, hoping to become a pilot. He was turned down because he was too tall at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m). He then tried to become a radioman gunner, but he was found too large to fit comfortably into the rear cockpit. He was finally transferred to the United States Marine Corps as a radio operator and shipped out to the South Pacific shortly before the war ended.

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