Penny Marshall

Penny Marshall
Marshall in 1976
Born	Carole Penny Marshall (1943-10-15) October 15, 1943 (age 73) The Bronx, New York, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, director, producer
Years active	1968–present
Spouse(s)	Michael Henry (1961–1963; divorced) Rob Reiner (1971–1981; divorced)
Children	Tracy Reiner
Relatives	Garry Marshall (brother, deceased) Ronny Hallin (sister)

Carole Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1943) is an American actress, director, and producer. In 1975, after playing several supporting roles on television, Marshall was cast as Laverne DeFazio for a guest appearance on the sitcom Happy Days. Her performance was well received, prompting a spin-off sitcom, Laverne & Shirley. Marshall reprised the DeFazio role for the show's entire run from 1976 until 1983. She was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her performance three times.

She progressed to directing films such as Big (1988), the first film directed by a woman to gross in excess of $100 million at the U.S. box office; Awakenings (1990), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture; and A League of Their Own (1992). She produced Cinderella Man (2005) and Bewitched (2005), as well as episodes of According to Jim (2009).

Carole Penny Marshall was born in New York City, New York, in 1943, to Marjorie Irene (née Ward; 1908–1983), a tap dance teacher who ran the Marjorie Marshall Dance School, and Anthony "Tony" Masciarelli (1906–1999), later Marshall, a director of industrial films and later a producer. She is the sister of actor/director/TV producer Garry Marshall and Ronny Hallin, a television producer. Her birth name, Carole, was selected because her mother's favorite actress was Carole Lombard. Her middle name was selected because her older sister, Ronny, wanting a horse in the Bronx, was saving her pennies; her mother chose the middle name in an attempt to console her.