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Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.
Warning
Warning

Just a little bit pleased with yourself, ain't ya? And rightly so, rightly so. You're on the way to being a big face in this filthy cesspit. You've done me a few favors, so I am going do you a very big favor. You're with me now and the Crisp Twins are getting on a bit. In a few years I'll be takin over the whole bread basket. And if you've got that special something, you can too. Now stop loafin around and get to work.
— Jack Parkinson in 1969.

Jack Parkinson is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as the deuteragonist in Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and a minor character in Grand Theft Auto: London 1961.

History[]

Background[]

Parkinson is a club owner, drug smuggler, pimp and an up-and-coming crime lord. He pays protection to Albert and Archie Crisp but plans on becoming the biggest crime lord in London and is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, including the Crisp Brothers.

In his description on the official GTA London website, Jack says:

Okey, dokey. Name's Parkinson, Jack Parkinson. I've heard a little bit about you. Apparently you're a bit of a guy, as they say stateside. Something of a player, you might say. Well, this godforsaken garbage heap, this trash can, this pair of laddered tights on the legs of some poxy slag called earth, is waitin' for someone like me to take it over, and I ain't dumb enough to think I can do it without back up. Sure, I get on alright with the Crisp Twins, keep 'em sweet. Send Albert a couple of boys and a bag of stardust and that shuts him up, and old Archie ain't spoken a word in god knows how many years. But there history. It's all about your manor and looking out for your mother with them old timers. The future's about America, and Europe. It's about business. Plain and bloody simple. And if someone gets in me way of running a smooth business, then they ain't going to last too long. 'Cause if you've got business, then you've got coin, and it ain't no great leap of faith to believe that bread equals birds. And of it all, I like birds best. But just for the moment, I'm goin' to keep the Crisp boys sweet as the proverbial. Soon or later, Albert's various, er, personal problems will get the better of him, or Archie will kill a copper. And when the balls it up, I'm taking it all over. The whole bloody bunfight.
— Jack Parkinson

Events of Grand Theft Auto: London 1961[]

Jack appears in GTA London 1961 as a minor character during a mission for Harold Cartwright. He gives the player information about some small street gangs in southern London, whom the player has to eliminate. After that, he is never seen again in the game.

Events of Grand Theft Auto: London 1969[]

Jack first appears after the player does some jobs for Harold. He wants the player to meet him in his house in Mile End, where he tells him that he plans on being a big crime lord of London, and he can make the protagonist an important person too, but first he needs to work.

Parkinson's jobs involve eliminating rival outfits, taking protection money, killing Filthy Colin, killing a career man and obtaining a money filled S-Cart, stealing crown jewels, stealing used money bills, kidnapping Germans in a Double Decker, kidnapping an important man who has been a threat to Albert Crisp and taking the ransom money for him, stealing a Copper for a job, blowing up a truck in the middle of an intersection and delivering carpets made out of rhinoceros skin to the Crips Twins.

Eventually, after the protagonist finds out about Albert Crisp's plan to kill the protagonist for apparently being a threat to his organization, the Crisps try to escape London. However, Parkinson tracks them down and sends their location to the protagonist via telegram message. It is assumed that he took over most of the Crisps' actions after they were wiped out and banned from London by the protagonist.

Mission Appearances[]

Grand Theft Auto: London 1969[]

Grand Theft Auto: London 1961[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Jack Parkinson's character might be inspired by Jack "the Hat" McVitie, who is posthumously famous for triggering the imprisonment and downfall of the Kray twins, the main inspiration for the Crisp Twins.
  • Jack Parkinson's appearance might be inspired by that of a real-life British style icon, singer and actor David Bowie; albeit Parkinson is much younger than Bowie was when the game came out in 1999. Bowie's career was starting out at the same time the game is set, during the late 1960s, when Bowie looked alike to Parkinson's image.
  • Jack's right eye appears to be completely white, implying he may be blind in it, or possibly have a prosthetic in its place.
    • This may potentially be another reference to David Bowie, who had a condition known as anisocoria in his left eye, a condition which resulted in the eye being permanently dilated. It should be noted that he wasn't blinded by the condition, however.

References[]

  1. Something worth noting is that, despite the game's central location, almost none of the staff at Rockstar Canada were actually British, except for Ed Zolnierczyk, who lived there briefly when he was a kid. [...] Though it's probably hard to imagine now, given the success the series has gone on to experience, the budget for Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 wasn't particularly great. As a result, many of the voices that brought the story to life belonged to members of [DMA Design] staff and whoever happened to be in the studio at the time.
    Ray Larabie - "THE MAKING OF GTA London, Rockstar's Daring Detour Into The Swinging Sixties", TimeExtension (November 29, 2022)
  2. GRAND THEFT AUTO 1996 Making Of - GTA - | Retro Gaming | BBC Archive (Gary Timmons in 4:08)

Navigation[]

Navigation
[ ve ]Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 characters
ProtagonistsRodney Morash | Sid Vacant | Maurice Caine | Mick Casey | Johnny Hawthorn | Winston Henry | Charles Jones | Wolfie Vilans
Main charactersHarold Cartwright | Jack Parkinson | Albert Crisp | Archie Crisp | Pretty Charlie | The Crisps' Contact
Supporting charactersChalkie | Keith | Noles Brothers | Beryl Cartwright | Doctor Zel | Sidney Moore | Midnight | Midnight's Associate | Fingers | Terry Dorkins | Lenny Smith | Lord Lucan | Gary | Arthur | Filthy Colin | Romeo | British Government Contact | Hans Nemesis | Rough Tony | Cyprus Phil | Gerald | Reg Smith
Mentioned charactersQueen of England | Endeavour Chambers | Agent Temple | Len | Honest Ray | Mrs. Crisp | Lee "Scratch" Perry | Razors
Radio DJsDoctor Peter Pants-On
† denotes Deceased, Italics denotes a status determined by the player's choice
Characters in GTA London 1969 | Category:Characters in GTA London 1969 | Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 | Category:Characters
[ ve ]Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 characters
ProtagonistsRodney Morash | Sid Vacant | Maurice Caine | Mick Casey | Johnny Hawthorn | Winston Henry | Charles Jones | Wolfie Vilans
Main charactersHarold Cartwright | Cartwright Gang Contact
Minor charactersJack Parkinson | Mr. Caukenbolls | Bobby | Gene White | Curly | Mandy | Bongo | Poundage Fern | British Government Contact | Grandpa
Mentioned charactersAshley | Hans Nemesis | Endeavour Chambers
† denotes Deceased, Italics denotes a status determined by the player's choice
Characters in GTA London 1961Category:Characters in GTA London 1961Grand Theft Auto: London 1961Category:Characters
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