Jeanne Parr, Chris Noth’s Mother and a Former CBS Correspondent, Dies at 92
Jeanne Parr, a pioneering CBS correspondent and mother of actor Chris Noth, died on Friday, Variety has confirmed. She was 92.
“My mother lived fiercely with courage and love,” Noth said in a statement. “She never accepted anything less than her dreams. And she wanted those same qualities for her children. She lived long and died surrounded by those she loved and who loved her.”
Parr joined CBS in the 1960s, becoming one of the first female correspondents hired by the network. Her most notable work includes coverage of the Republican National Convention in San Francisco and the 1967 Newark/New York riots. In 1978, she also hosted her own CBS talk show, “The Jeanne Parr Show.”
Parr went on to produce documentaries and authored “The Superwives,” a book about the spouses of superstar athletes. She also ran an independent communications consulting firm.
Parr began her broadcasting career at WKOW, a local radio and television station in her hometown of Madison, Wis., before moving to New Haven, Conn., to work in weather reporting. After one of her “blooper” broadcasts caught the attention of the producers from the 1950s game show “What’s My Line,” Parr appeared as a contestant and later a panelist on the series.
She then caught the eye of a CBS producer who is credited for bringing her to New York, where she embarked on a career as a weathergirl on the “Jim Jensen Show” in 1961. She went on to become a full-fledged news correspondent.
Parr is survived by her three sons, Charles James Noth, Michael Parr Noth and Chris Noth; two grandchildren; and one great grandchild.
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