The Nineteen Fifties-themed sitcom Blissful Days was such successful for ABC within the Nineteen Seventies that it spawned a number of spinoffs, together with Laverne & Shirley, a present about two younger girls juggling the calls for of life, love, and work in Nineteen Fifties Milwaukee. The present originated in a 1975 Blissful Days episode through which Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) go on a double date with The Fonz (Henry Winkler) and Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard). The response to the episode was so constructive that ABC rapidly developed a derivative, which premiered on January 27, 1976. Laverne & Shirley ran for eight seasons and 178 episodes, making its stars family names.
The collection featured Laverne and Shirley working the bottling line at Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee, dwelling within the basement house of a downtown brownstone, and spending their evenings on the pizza parlor and bowling alley owned by Laverne’s father (Phil Foster). Their annoying upstairs neighbors, Lenny and Squiggy (Michael McKean and David Lander), offered frequent comedian reduction, as the ladies struggled to make ends meet and discover the boys of their desires.
Cindy Williams left the collection throughout its eighth season to have a toddler, and it was quickly canceled, with the ultimate episode airing in 1983. Because of reruns and streaming, nevertheless, the present stays among the many hottest TV comedies of all time, with the forged members ceaselessly linked to the characters they performed. The next are the primary forged members of Laverne & Shirley, and the place they’re now.
Penny Marshall (Laverne DeFazio)
For Penny Marshall, taking part in the brash, opinionated Laverne was merely one chapter in a vastly profitable profession story. She gained fame in 1972 taking part in Myrna, the goofy secretary to Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman), on The Odd Couple. A memorable guest-starring function on The Mary Tyler Moore Present adopted, and her brother, Garry Marshall, forged her and Cindy Williams in a 1975 episode of his sitcom Blissful Days. The response to their characters impressed a derivative, and the remaining is TV historical past.
After the collection ended, Marshall shifted her profession focus behind the digicam. She made her function movie directing debut with the 1986 Whoopi Goldberg comedy, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, however her subsequent movie, 1988’s Huge, starring Tom Hanks, was a smash hit and established her as an A-list director. She adopted that up with the 1990 Oscar-nominated drama Awakenings, with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. She is finest remembered for guiding the 1992 traditional A League of Their Personal, and went on to direct The Preacher’s Spouse and Using in Vehicles with Boys.
After battling each mind and lung most cancers, she handed away on December 17, 2018, on the age of 75. Her demise was brought on by coronary heart failure associated to issues from diabetes.
Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney)
Cindy Williams performed the straight-laced, goodie-two-shoes Shirley Feeney to TV superstardom, however she was already a film star when she joined the present in 1976. She had a breakthrough function in George Lucas’ 1973 traditional American Graffiti and adopted that up with a pivotal function in Francis Ford Coppola’s Finest Image nominee The Dialog (1974). Blissful Days and Laverne & Shirley quickly adopted, and Williams would earn a Golden Globe nomination for Finest Actress in a TV Comedy in 1978.
After leaving the collection throughout its remaining season in 1982 to have a toddler, Williams continued to behave, showing in movies like Bingo and Extra American Graffiti. Most of her appearing roles consisted of visitor spots on tv, together with Touched by an Angel, Lois & Clark, seventh Heaven, and Legislation & Order: SVU. Williams handed away peacefully on January 25, 2023, on the age of 75, and is survived by her kids, Zak and Emily Hudson. A reason behind demise was not introduced.
Michael McKean (Lenny Kosnowski)
Michael McKean had his first main function taking part in Lenny in Laverne & Shirley, showing in 149 episodes. Throughout his run on the present, he additionally appeared within the Steven Spielberg movie 1941, in addition to Used Vehicles and Younger Medical doctors in Love. After the present ended, he labored constantly in movie, together with writing and starring within the traditional mockumentary That is Spinal Faucet in 1984. His different movie and TV credit embrace Clue, Planes, Trains and Vehicles, Quick Circuit 2, Coneheads, The X-Recordsdata, Alias, and Good Omens. He additionally had a cameo in Penny Marshall’s directorial debut, Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
In 2004, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Finest Unique Music for his work on the movie A Mighty Wind. The New York Metropolis native lately had a notable function on the Breaking Unhealthy spinoff Higher Name Saul, taking part in Charles McGill, the brother of Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), and earned an Emmy nomination for Finest Visitor Actor (Drama) for the function in 2019. He would additionally revisit his traditional function in 2025’s Spinal Faucet II: The Finish Continues. He’s presently married to actress Annette O’Toole.
David L. Lander (Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman)
David Lander and Michael McKean met whereas attending Carnegie Mellon College in Pittsburgh. After graduating, they joined a comedy group collectively, a partnership that will finally result in their casting in Laverne & Shirley. Lander had minor roles on tv within the early Nineteen Seventies, together with a voice-over as Jerry Lewis for a short-lived animated collection. His function because the scene-stealing Squiggy, nevertheless, made him some of the acknowledged characters on tv on the time.
After the collection ended, Lander made quite a few movies and TV appearances, together with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Star Trek: The Subsequent Era, A Bug’s Life, Scary Film, and a cameo as an announcer in Penny Marshall’s A League of Their Personal. In 1999, he revealed in an autobiography that he had been battling a number of sclerosis because the Eighties however stored it a secret. Though he remained professionally lively, his MS signs worsened over time. He handed away on December 4, 2020, in Los Angeles at 73.
Eddie Mekka (Carmine ‘The Huge Ragoo’ Ragusa)
Born in Massachusetts in 1952, Eddie Mekka labored as a voice teacher earlier than making it to Broadway and incomes a 1975 Tony Award nomination for Finest Actor (Musical) for The Lieutenant. Quickly after, he was forged in Laverne & Shirley as Carmine, the ex-boxer turned singer and dancer who has an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Shirley. He joined the present within the collection’ second episode and appeared in 150 of 178 episodes.
After the collection ended, Mekka appeared within the movies Seashores and Dreamgirls, and Penny Marshall forged him in a memorable cameo in her movie A League of Their Personal, dancing with Madonna in a nightclub scene. He made guest-starring appearances in reveals together with 24, ER, The Love Boat, Household Issues, and several other cleaning soap operas. Eddie Mekka handed away on November 27, 2021, on the age of 69, at his house in Newhall, California. A reason behind demise was not formally introduced, however he had been affected by blood clots. He’s survived by his daughter, Mia.
Phil Foster (Frank DeFazio)
Phil Foster started appearing on the stage through the Nice Melancholy, finally incomes a dwelling as a humorist. He performed in nightclubs throughout the nation and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Present earlier than his previous good friend Garry Marshall forged him as Laverne’s grumpy father, Frank DeFazio, a task for which he’s finest remembered. He handed away on July 8, 1985, from a coronary heart assault in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 72 years previous.
Betty Garrett (Edna DeFazio)
A multi-talented performer, Betty Garrett performed Laverne and Shirley’s landlord, Edna DeFazio, in 97 episodes. She started her profession in a quantity of Hollywood musicals starting within the Forties. She made many TV appearances, together with a recurring function on All within the Household, earlier than being forged in Laverne & Shirley. She continued to behave after the present ended, together with roles in The Golden Women and Gray’s Anatomy. She handed away in Los Angeles on February 12, 2011, from an aortic aneurysm on the age of 91. She is survived by her two kids.
Leslie Easterbrook (Rhonda Lee)
Leslie Easterbrook starred as Rhonda Lee in 51 episodes of Laverne & Shirley. When the collection’ setting shifted to California for the sixth season, Easterbrook joined the forged as a beautiful neighbor at all times on the hunt for Mr. Proper. When the collection resulted in 1983, she joined the forged of the traditional Eighties comedy Police Academy, taking part in the gun-crazy Sgt. Callahan. She went on to seem in 5 extra sequels and a recurring function on the cleaning soap opera Ryan’s Hope. She continues to behave and, in recent times, has shifted to horror movies, together with 2005’s The Satan’s Rejects.
Carole White (“Huge” Rosie Greenbaum)
Carole Ita White appeared as “Huge” Rosie, Laverne and Shirley’s highschool rival, who nonetheless made their lives depressing as adults. Though she solely appeared in 13 episodes, she was a well-liked character through the second and third seasons. She continues to work constantly in numerous TV reveals and movies in supporting roles.
Boo Boo Kitty (As Itself)
True followers of the present know Boo Boo Kitty as Shirley’s favourite stuffed animal, who typically offered consolation. It grew to become a operating gag on the present after Williams discovered it among the many props throughout rehearsal and gave it the identical identify her mom had given her cat. Williams revealed in an interview that she stored the stuffed animal after the present ended, and it resided in her lingerie drawer.
