He worked for producers David Puttnam and Alan Marshall whom eventually influenced Parker to write the script for Melody and would later produce several of his films. Parker’s first film, No Hard Feelings, came to be in 1973. He released Bugsy Malone in 1975, which feature only child actors and poked fun at early American gangster culture. He is an original member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain and was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his film efforts. He was later knighted at the 2002 New Year Honours in Australia and given an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland.