Carole Penny Marshall (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director, and producer who helped pave the way for many other female film directors in the years to come.
The younger sister of director/producer/actor Garry Marshall, she got her first acting break on The Odd Couple (which Garry was a producer of) playing Oscar's secretary Myrna Turner. Two years after leaving that show, she and Cindy Williams had a five-episode run on Happy Days (again, a show produced by Garry) as the characters Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney respectively, and this proved successful enough to land the pair their own Spin-Off show, Laverne & Shirley, which – though not without its own problems behind the scenes – lasted for eight seasons and earned Marshall three Golden Globe nominations.
Marshall first became interested in directing during her time on Laverne & Shirley, making her debut behind the camera with the episode "Squiggy in Love" and directing three later episodes of the series. Her feature directorial debut came in 1986 with Jumpin' Jack Flash, but she had even more success two years later with the Tom Hanks-starring vehicle Big, which would become the first female-directed movie to gross over $100 million at the U.S. box office.
In the years that followed, Marshall would alternate between directing and acting in both films and TV. She was married to former college football player Mike Henry from 1963–66, and then to fellow actor and director Rob Reiner from 1971–81. She had one daughter, the actress Tracy Reiner.
She passed away on December 17, 2018, at the age of 75 due to complications from diabetes.
Selected filmography as an actress:
Television:
- That Girl (1968-1969) as Assistant Librarian / Joan
- Then Came Bronson (1969) as Claire
- Love, American Style (1970) as May Agnes
- Barefoot in the Park (1970)
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1970) as the Mayor's Secretary
- The Odd Couple (1972-1974) as Myrna Turner
- Happy Days universe as Laverne DeFazio
- Happy Days (1975-1979)
- Laverne & Shirley (1976-1983)
- Mork & Mindy (1978)
Films directed by Marshall on TV Tropes:
- Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)
- Big (1988)
- Awakenings (1990)
- A League of Their Own (1992)
- Renaissance Man (1994)
- Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
