Parker Monroe Holland

DOB: 7/31/13 – 11 yrs. old

Parker, at age 11, is remarkable for already having a sense of future direction in his young life: he loves acting, and already has a good deal of experience on stage.

Parker’s  family has lived in the Wilmington/Palmyra portion of Fluvanna for their entire lives. His parents are Dorreen Holland and James McCloud, Sr. (Dorreen accompanied him for his interview). Parker’s only living grandparent is Grandma Jane, but he lovingly calls her Nana Pie and to whom he is close. He has older siblings, one brother and two sisters. Parker says he is close to his family and feels well loved.

An excellent academic student in the Fluvanna public schools, Parker says his favorite subject right now is history.  With this curiosity about history, Parker has begun working on his family tree, tracing his parents’ ancestors going back to 1884 by using “Find a Grave” software. One family story that has passed down is that Parker’s maternal grandfather won a “Prettiest Baby” contest.

County Line Baptist Church, founded in 1867, is a strong source of fellowship for the Holland family. Parker sings in the children’s choir and takes part in plays put on by the church.

Knowing that his parents were sports fans, when he was just six years old Parker said to his mother, “Can I tell you something? I’m a little different. I’m not into sports, but I will do it if you want me to. But I really want to be an actor.” 

His mother kept her son’s wish in mind, and, when Parker was 7 years old, she saw a Facebook posting for child actor auditions in Staunton, VA. On the day of the audition, she told Parker to get in the car, and he asked, “Where are we going?” She replied, “I’m taking us where the car takes us”—which was to the Staunton audition. Parker’s surprise audition was so successful that he progressed to another audition in Richmond, VA, and then took part in an eight-day audition in Orlando, FL. This last audition was for acting, modeling, and commercial opportunities for school-aged children. One of his auditions included reading a commercial for Mini-Oreos. At the end of this rigorous experience, Parker received a gold medal; the family was offered an out-of-state contract for which they were not ready. Of that experience, Parker said, “I loved it.”

When Parker was asked why he liked acting, he said that he loved being different characters. Locally, he has appeared in plays at Empowered Players in Fluvanna, and he recently auditioned for a play in Charlottesville.

Dorreen shared that Parker is humble and “a true blessing” to his family. “I keep learning from Parker.” she says. His life is especially precious to the family because, when he was 3 years old, Parker had a seizure and “flatlined” twice. A rescue squad revived him and gave him a white, fluffy stuffed animal while in the ambulance. Parker has the stuffed animal to this day, naming him “Rescue.” 

Parker’s family has a portrait of his grandfather, Earl Holland, in their home; it was painted by Linda Staiger, one of Fluvanna’s artists. Parker was interested in sitting for the Portrait Project, inspired by his grandfather’s portrait.

Parker