PENNY PARKER

According to her passport, Penny Parker was born in Iowa on February 20, 1962. She grew up in the farm country of the Midwest, and was even Queen of the Future Farmers one year. A very attractive young woman with a sunny disposition, a very sweet and trusting nature, and a sort of innocent naïveté, she made friends easily, especially among men who were often instantly smitten every time she smiled.

Penny Parker was not her real name, but when she began a modeling career she legally changed it to one she felt would be easily remembered because both the first and last names began with the same letter, something she felt was important theatrically. In addition to modeling, she also became a talented dancer, and it was her dancing that first brought her to Bulgaria. She performed with a troupe of nightclub dancers, but when the troupe returned home after a few weeks, Penny remained in Bulgaria despite not being able to speak the language. She had met Stepan Frolov during her visit, and the attraction was mutual, so she extended her stay to spend more time with him.

Penny had believed that Stepan was simply some guy with a government job and a shoebox for an apartment, so when Stepan had given her some of his mother's jewelry, just to wear, she assumed that the gems were fake and that the jewelry was a gift. In fact, Stepan was a major in the Bulgarian Secret Police, and even he was unaware that the jewels had been part of the crown jewels of the German House of Hanover that had been stolen from the state by his uncle, General Petrovich.

At first the relationship between Penny and Stepan had been wonderful, but after the first couple of weeks it became difficult as Stepan became more possessive, until finally they had a fight and Penny decided to leave. She took the jewels with her, and as she waited in line at the airport, she made the acquaintance of MacGyver, who was returning home with a vital piece of microfilm. When Penny noticed that Stepan had followed her to the airport, she secretly slipped the jewels into MacGyver's pocket to hide them. Stepan could not convince Penny to stay, nor could he convince her to return the jewelry, but when the airport metal detector was triggered by the jewels in MacGyver's pocket, Stepan arrested and detained them both.

Penny and MacGyver were handcuffed together, but they escaped from the airport by breaking through a wall and riding a luggage conveyor belt. Seeking help, they met with MacGyver's contact, Anton Burak, who explained that the microfilm contained proof of the theft of the jewels and that they were both now targets of the secret police who assumed that they were collaborators and spies. MacGyver broke into Stepan's apartment to try to recover the belongings that Stepan had confiscated, and they encountered Stepan as he returned home, but they were able to escape once more when MacGyver created an explosive diversion using kitchen chemistry.

Escaping in Stepan's car, they stopped for the night at a country home that Penny remembered visiting with Stepan. The home belonged to his uncle, the general, and soon both Stepan and Petrovich found them there. General Petrovich ordered his nephew to shoot both Penny and MacGyver as spies, but Stepan had come to believe that Penny was innocent, and he could not bring himself to kill the woman with whom he had fallen in love. Instead, he and MacGyver overpowered the general, and Stepan agreed to join MacGyver and Penny en route to the border.

As MacGyver, Penny, and Stepan crossed the border into Greece, without their passports, they were stopped by Constantine, a Greek border guard. However, Penny and Constantine recognized each other as old friends, and their warm and delighted embrace made it clear that there would be no problem entering the country, thanks to the unforgettable impression Penny leaves on men every time she smiles.

Portrayed by: Teri Hatcher

Cross Reference: Bulgaria, Anton Burak, Constantine, Stepan Frolov, Hanover Jewels, General Petrovich

Episode Reference: Every Time She Smiles