Gudrun Parker

Gudrun Parker
OC
Born
Gudrun Johanna Bjerring

(1920-03-16)March 16, 1920
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DiedNovember 15, 2022(2022-11-15) (aged 102)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Other namesGudrun Bjerring
Alma materUniversity of Winnipeg
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, teacher
Known forFilmmaking, teaching
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1944; died 2014)​
Children2

Gudrun Johanna Bjerring Parker OC (March 16, 1920 – November 15, 2022) was a Canadian filmmaker, writer, and producer. She worked on films with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) during the Second World War and in the early 1950s. Parker wrote the script for The Stratford Adventure, which was nominated for an academy award, and directed part of Royal Journey, which won a BAFTA. She married fellow NFB filmmaker Morten Parker. They often worked as a team on films and in 1963, they established a production company, Parker Film Associates.[1]

Although she left the NFB in 1956 to focus on raising her first child Julie, Parker remained active in the filmmaking industry.[2] Her husband travelled to locations and filmed for their production company while she stayed at home producing, editing, and eventually working as a film studies teacher at Vanier College.[3] She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 2005.[4]

Gudrun Parker was of Icelandic descent, her parents came from the north of Iceland and immigrated to Canada.[5]

  1. ^ Wise, Wyndum. "Gudrun Bjerring Parker." Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved: April 21, 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Morten Parker Obituary." The New York Times, July 13, 2014. Retrieved: April 21, 2016.
  4. ^ "Ms Gudrun J.B. Parker". Governor-General of Canada. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Guð­rún Bjerring Parker látin 102 ára." Fréttablaðið, December 10, 2022. Retrieved: December 10, 2022.