Eddie Parker

"Fast Eddie" Parker (c. 1932, Springfield, Missouri – February 2, 2001, Brownsville, Texas) was an American pool player, claimed by many to have been the inspiration for the character "Fast Eddie" Felson in the 1959 Walter Tevis novel The Hustler. In both the 1961 film adaptation and the 1986 sequel, Felson was played by Paul Newman who earned Oscar nominations for both performances, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for the latter.

Parker started playing pool at the age of nine when his father, a school superintendent, bought a used pool table.

Parker retired either in the early 1970s or in 1980.

He died in 2001 at age 69 of a heart attack while attending the US Classic Billiards Eight-Ball Showdown tournament near Brownsville, Texas. He was survived by Peg, his wife of 50 years, and two children.