Sarah Jessica Parker Parents: Meet Barbra Forste and Stephen Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker is an American actress and producer. She is the daughter of Barbra and Stephen Parker.

Her mother Barbra was a nursery-school operator and teacher, and her father Stephen Parker was an entrepreneur and journalist.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s parents divorced when she was 3+1⁄2 years old, and her mother married Paul Forste, a truck driver and account executive.

Her father Stephen, a native of Brooklyn, is Jewish and her mother Barbra is of German, and some English, descent.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s parents struggled to sustain their large family, and the lights was frequently turned off, or the family had to forego Christmases and birthdays due to a lack of funds.

Nonetheless, she said, “I wouldn’t change anything about it… for the most part, we had everything we needed.” Not always, but most of the time.”

Her mother often took Sarah and her siblings to free public institutions like the ballet and the theater in Cincinnati, so that they lived “full, rich lives”, emulating the New York artistic scene.

The actress’s mother and stepfather helped Parker develop her career as a child actress.  Her step father Paul passed away at the age of 76 in 2022 after an unexpected and rapid illness.