Penny Marshall obit

Penny Marshall, "Laverne & Shirley" star, dead at 75

She was not on the list.

Actress Penny Marshall, best known for playing Laverne DeFazio on "Laverne & Shirley," has died. Her publicist confirmed that she died at her Hollywood Hills home Monday night from diabetes-related complications. She was 75.

Marshall made history with her directing career as well. With "Big," starring Tom Hanks, Marshall became the first woman in history to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million. She also grossed more than $100 million with "A League of Her Own." Marshall also directed "Awakenings" and "The Preacher's Wife."

In a statement, her family said, "Our family is heartbroken over the passing of Penny Marshall." They called her "a tomboy who loved sports, doing puzzles of any kind, drinking milk and Pepsi together and being with her family."


The Marshall family said, "Penny was a girl from the Bronx, who came out West, put a cursive 'L' on her sweater and transformed herself into a Hollywood success story. We hope her life continues to inspire others to spend time with family, work hard and make all of their dreams come true."

Marshall became a star with the hit series "Laverne & Shirley," which ran from 1976 to 1983. The screwball comedy series, created by her late brother, Garry Marshall, followed the antics of two blue-collar women who worked as bottle cappers at a factory in Milwaukee. It was a spin-off show from "Happy Days."

She was married to acclaimed director and actor Rob Reiner from 1971 to 1981.

Marshall progressed to directing films in the 1980s, making her directorial debut with Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) before directing Big (1988), which became the first film directed by a woman to gross more than $100 million at the U.S. box office. Her subsequent directing credits included Awakenings (1990), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, A League of Their Own (1992), Renaissance Man (1994), The Preacher's Wife (1996), and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001). She also produced Cinderella Man (2005) and Bewitched (2005), as well as episodes of the sitcom According to Jim.


She played in several smaller roles and made cameos in some well know films as well, including Hocus Pocus, Get Shorty, and High Fidelity.

In 2012, Marshall published a memoir called "My Mother Was Nuts" about her unlikely rise to fame. She was a divorced single mom in the 1960s before she made her way to Hollywood.

Marshall is survived by her older sister Ronny, daughter Tracy Reiner, who acted in "A League of Her Own," and three grandchildren Spencer, Bella and Viva.

Filmography

Film

As actress

Year       Film       Role       Notes

1968      The Savage Seven            Tina      

1968      How Sweet It Is!                Tour Girl             

1970      The Grasshopper             Plaster Caster   

1970      Where's Poppa?               Courtroom Spectator      Uncredited

1975      How Come Nobody's on Our Side?            Theresa                aka Capers

1979      1941      Miss Fitzroy        Uncredited

1985      Movers & Shakers            Reva      Cameo

1988      She's Having a Baby         Herself Uncredited

1991      The Hard Way    Angie    

1993      Hocus Pocus       The Master's Wife            Uncredited

1995      Get Shorty           Herself Cameo

1998      The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale          The Imperial Lady-in-Waiting #2          Voice

1999      Special Delivery                                

2000      High Fidelity       Funeral Attendee             Uncredited

2004      Stateside             Lt. Chevetone    Uncredited

2005      Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World              Herself Cameo

2007      Everybody Wants to Be Italian    Teresa the Florist            

2007      Alice Upside Down           Mrs. Plotkin        Direct-to-video film

2007      Blonde Ambition              Bolo Executive  

2011      New Year's Eve Herself (segment "Ahern Party")

2014      Going to America             Herself – Famous Director           

2015      Staten Island Summer    Dolores                

2015      Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery      The Elder             Voice, Direct-to-video film

2016      Mother's Day     Narrator               Voice

As director

Year       Title       Notes

1986      Jumpin' Jack Flash

1988      Big         

1990      Awakenings        Also executive producer

1992      A League of Their Own   Also executive producer

1994      Renaissance Man             Also executive producer

1996      The Preacher's Wife       

2001      Riding in Cars with Boys                

As producer

Year       Title       Notes

1993      Calendar Girl      Executive producer

1996      Getting Away with Murder           Producer

1998      With Friends Like These...            Producer

2003      Risk        Producer

2005      Cinderella Man Producer

Bewitched           Producer

Television

As actress

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1968–1969          That Girl               Assistant Librarian / Joan              Episodes: "Secret Ballot", "Fix My Screen & Bug Out"[44]

1969      My Friend Tony                 Janet     Episode: "Computer Murder"

1969      Then Came Bronson        Claire     Episode: "The Runner"

1970      Love, American Style      Mary Agnes        Episode: "Love and the Pick-Up" segment

1970      Barefoot in the Park                        Episode: "In Sickness and in Health"

1970      The Wonderful World of Disney                 Mayor's Secretary            Episodes: "The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City" (Parts 1 & 2)

1971      The Feminist and the Fuzz            Liberation Lady Television film

1971      Getting Together              Mona    Episode: "Those Oldies But Goodies Remind Me of You"

1972–1974          The Odd Couple                Myrna Turner    27 episodes

1972      Evil Roy Slade     Bank Teller          Television film

1972      The Super            Janice    Episode: "The Matchmaker"

1972      The Bob Newhart Show Stewardess         Episode: "Fly the Unfriendly Skies"

1972      The Crooked Hearts        Waitress              Television film

1972      The Couple Takes a Wife               Paula     Television film

1973      Banacek               Receptionist       Episode: "The Greatest Collection of Them All"

1974–1975          Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers Janice Dreyfuss 14 episodes

1974–1976          The Mary Tyler Moore Show       Toni / Paula Kovacs         Episodes: "I Was a Single for WJM", "Murray in Love", "Menage-a-Lou"

1975      Let's Switch!       Alice Wright       Television film

1975      Wives    Connie Television film

1975      Chico and the Man          Anita Cappuccino             Episode: "Chico and the Van"

1975      Saturday Night Live         Herself Episode: "Rob Reiner"

1975–1979          Happy Days         Laverne DeFazio               5 episodes

1976      Good Heavens                   Episode: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

1976–1983          Laverne & Shirley             Laverne DeFazio               178 episodes

1977      Saturday Night Live         Herself Episode: "Live from Mardi Gras"

1977      Blansky's Beauties           Laverne DeFazio               Episode: "Nancy Remembers Laverne"

1978      Mork & Mindy   Laverne DeFazio               Episode: "Pilot"

1978      More Than Friends          Matty Perlman Television film

1979      Carol Burnett & Company             Herself Episode #1.3

1981      Laverne & Shirley in the Army     Laverne DeFazio               Voice, 13 episodes

1982      Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour        Laverne DeFazio               Voice, 8 episodes (Laverne & Shirley with the Fonz segment)

1983      Taxi        Herself Episode: "Louie Moves Uptown"

1984      The New Show Various Characters          Episode #1.4

1984      Love Thy Neighbor           Linda Wilson      Television film

1985      Challenge of a Lifetime Nora Schoonover             Television film

1990      The Simpsons    Ms. Botz               Voice, Episode: "Some Enchanted Evening"

1993      The Odd Couple: Together Again               Myrna   Television film

1996      Saturday Night Live         Various Characters          Episode: "Rosie O'Donnell/Whitney Houston"

1998      Tracey Takes On...            Herself Episode: "Hollywood"

1998      Nash Bridges      Iris Heller             Episode: "Skin Deep"

1999      Jackie's Back!     Herself Cameo

2004      Frasier Celeste Voice, Episode: "Frasier-Liste"

2006      Campus Ladies                  Episode: "Webcam"

2006      Bones    Herself Episode: "The Woman at the Airport"

2008      The Game           Doris Fox              Episode: "A Delectable Basket of Treats"

2012      The Life & Times of Tim PR Executive      Voice, Episode: "The Smug Chiropractor/Corporate Disaster"

2012      Portlandia           Barbara                Episode: "Feminist Book Store 10th Anniversary"

2013      Sam & Cat           Sylvia Burke        Episode: "#SalmonCat"

2014      Mulaney              Tutti       Episode: "Sweet Jane"

2016      The Odd Couple                Patty Dombrowski           Episode: "Taffy Days", (final appearance)

As director

Year       Title       Notes

1979      Working Stiffs    1 episode: "The Preview Presentation"

1979–1981          Laverne & Shirley             4 episodes: "Squiggy in Love", "The Duke of Squigman", "The Dating Game", "But Seriously, Folks"

1987      The Tracey Ullman Show               1 episode

1993      A League of Their Own   1 episode: "Dottie's Back"

2009      According to Jim               2 episodes: "The Yoga Bear", "Physical Therapy"

2010–2011          United States of Tara      2 episodes: "Explosive Diorama", "Wheels"