An actor trained in the school of Constantin Stanislavski, he is praised for the realism he brought to his performances especially in Johann Nestroy's plays and for his ability to organize large ensembles dynamically on the stage.

[1] Paryla was born to working-class parents; his father was an instrument maker, and a lower officer and civil servant in the administration of Austria-Hungary.

[1] He had over 90 roles at the Schauspielhaus, performing in classical tragedy (the titular character in Oedipus Rex) and comedy (Orgon in Tartuffe).

[1] With Wolfgang Heinz and Emil Stöhr, Paryla was a founding member an actor of the "Neue Theater in der Scala", a "workers' theatre",[3] which was financially supported by the Communist Party of Austria.

[6] Like many blacklisted actors and directors, he went to work in East Germany and began making movies for DEFA; his first was Mich dürstet, a film based on the Spanish Civil War.

[4] At the same time he continued to perform, in Berlin and Munich, with notable roles including Touchstone (As You Like It) and Mephistopheles (Faust), and above all as a Netroy actor.