Episode: The Diner Airdate: May 6, 1980
Shown: Penny Marshall (as Laverne)
Penny Marshall, the beloved actress, writer, and director, has died. She was 75-years-old.
The TV legend became a household name after her ‘Happy Days’ spin-off series, ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ became a national hit. Marshall would go on to be one of the most successful women in Hollywood as an actress, writer, director, and producer.
Her most memorable TV role may very well be the nasally, good-hearted girl from the Bronx, Laverne DeFazio. The character was created by her late older brother, Garry Marshall, for ‘Happy Days.’ Marshall would light up TV screens around the country for eight seasons from 1976 to 1983.
While acting on the sitcom, Marshall even directed a few episodes. Those early days led to her first feature film success in the director’s chair for Jumpin Jack Flash in 1986. Barely six years later Marshall would direct one of her most famous films, A Leauge of Their Own, staring Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell.
Marshall was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 2009. She passed away from complications with diabetes, reports her publicist Michelle Bega.