Parks was born in Tampa, Florida. She was a runner-up in the Miss America 1978 pageant. She has starred on television shows, her first being Behind the Screen, and she later starred in the short-lived CBS series Zorro and Son in 1983. Parks has made guest appearances on TV shows such as The Love Boat, Three's Company, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Street Hawk, Tales from the DarkSide, Hunter, and Empty Nest.
