In sad news today, Actress Penny Marshall from ABC’s Laverne & Shirley has passed away at the age of 75. Marshall is most known for her starring role in the 1970s sitcom “Laverne and Shirley,” and later broke ground as the first female director to gross $100 million with “Big” in 1988. She passed Monday night at her home in Los Angeles due to complications from diabetes, according to her publicist, Michelle Bega.
ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
Marshall also directed and executive produced “A League of Their Own,” also starring Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna. “A League of Their Own” was the second of her films to surpass the $100 million mark. “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,” said a statement sent by her publicist.
ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
Her other directing credits included “Renaissance Man,” starring Danny DeVito, Gregory Hines, and Mark Wahlberg in his first feature film role; “The Preacher’s Wife,” which starred Whitney Houston opposite Denzel Washington and “Riding in Cars with Boys,” based on the autobiography of the same name and starring Drew Barrymore.
Her brother, Garry Marshall, creator of the sitcom “Happy Days,” of which “Laverne and Shirley” was a spinoff, died in 2016 at age 81. Penny Marshall landed her breakthrough role in the mid-’70s with the help of her brother. The Marshall family said in a statement: “Our family is heartbroken over the passing of Penny Marshall.”
Director Ron Howard said Marshall was “funny and so smart.” Marshall produced Howard’s 2005 film “Cinderella Man.” She made the transition from sitcom star to A List movie director with ease & had a major impact on both mediums,” Howard tweeted. “All that & always relaxed, funny & totally unpretentious. I was lucky to have known & worked with her.”
#RIPPennyMarshall She was funny & so smart. She made the transition from sitcom star to A List movie director with ease & had a major impact on both mediums. All that & always relaxed, funny & totally unpretentious. I was lucky to have known & worked with her. https://t.co/pf2kfIkCH4
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) December 18, 2018
Penny will be missed and our thoughts and prayers are with her family.
Source: ABC News
mage’s: ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
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