Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall | |
|---|---|
 Marshall in January 2008 | |
| Born | Garry Kent Marshall November 13, 1934[1] The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouse | Barbara Marshall |
| Children | 3 (including Scott Marshall) |
| Relatives | Penny Marshall (sister) |
Garry Kent Marshall (born November 13, 1934) is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and its various spinoffs, developing Neil Simon's 1965 play The Odd Couple for television, and directing Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
Early life
Marshall was born in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the son of Marjorie Irene (née Ward; 1908-1983), a tap dance teacher who ran a tap dance school, and Anthony Wallace Marshall (1906–99), a director of industrial films and later a producer.[2] He is the brother of actress/director Penny Marshall and Ronny Marshall Hallin, a TV producer. His father was of Italian descent, his family having come from San Martino sulla Marrucina, Chieti, Abruzzo,[3] and his mother was of Welsh and Irish ancestry;[4][5] His father changed his last name from "Masciarelli" to "Marshall" before Garry was born.[6] Marshall was baptized Presbyterian and also raised Lutheran for a time.[7] He attended De Witt Clinton High School, where he was a classmate of Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko, and Northwestern University, where he wrote a sports column for The Daily Northwestern, and is a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Career
Marshall began his career as a joke writer for such comedians as Joey Bishop and Phil Foster, and then became a writer for The Tonight Show with Jack Paar. In 1961 he moved to Hollywood, where he teamed up with Jerry Belson as a writer for television. The pair worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Lucy Show. Their first television series as creator/producers was Hey, Landlord, which lasted one season (1966–67). They then adapted Neil Simon's play The Odd Couple for television. On his own, Marshall created Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, starring his sister Penny, and Mork & Mindy, which were produced by his associates Thomas L. Miller, Robert L. Boyett, and Edward K. Milkis. He was also a co-creator of the short-lived sitcom Makin' It,[8] which the three men also produced.
In the early 1980s, Marshall met Hector Elizondo while playing basketball and became great friends. Elizondo appears in every movie that Marshall directed, beginning with Marshall's first feature film, Young Doctors in Love. Elizondo once noted that he is written into all of Marshall's contracts whether he wanted to do the movie or not.[9] In the opening credits of Exit to Eden, their eighth movie together, Elizondo is credited "As Usual ... Hector Elizondo".[10]
In 1984 Marshall had a movie hit as the writer and director of The Flamingo Kid.
A consummate producer, Marshall wore many hats during this period of his career: most of his hit TV shows were created and executive produced by him. His first producing assignment came with Hey, Landlord in 1966. He stepped up the very next year, producing The Lucy Show. Then came successes in producing The Odd Couple, Laverne and Shirley, Blansky's Beauties, Mork & Mindy, Angie, and Happy Days.
Marshall also launched independent productions, via his theatre (The Falcon in Toluca Lake) and in association with productions launched with talent he was grooming and working with for years. One such project, titled Four Stars, was directed by actress Lynda Goodfriend (who portrayed Lori Beth in Happy Days), and was based on a play Goodfriend had read when she was studying at the Lee Strasberg Center, which had been written by John Schulte and Kevin Mahoney. It starred Julie Paris (the daughter of Happy Days director and Dick Van Dyke Show co-star Jerry Paris) and film veteran Bert Kramer. Marshall went on to focus on directing feature films, with a series of hits, such as Beaches, Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries, and most recently Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve.
Marshall is also an actor, making his TV acting debut starting as a child with a recurring role in the long-running CBS series The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950–58), appearing on the television series Murphy Brown and in such movies as Soapdish, on FOX's filmmaking-competition reality TV series On the Lot, which aired in 2007, and provided a guest-starring voice for The Simpsons episodes Eight Misbehavin' and Homer the Father. He also appeared in two episodes of Happy Days as a drummer.
Marshall's theater credits include Wrong Turn at Lungfish, which he wrote in collaboration with Lowell Ganz, The Roast with Jerry Belson, Shelves and Happy Days: A New Musical with Paul Williams, which had its premiere at The Falcon Theater in Burbank, California in the summer of 2006.
In 1996 he was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.[11]
In 1997, Marshall was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame for his contributions to the field of television.
Marshall also has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. He played the role of "director" on Burbank's "Lights...camera...action!" float in the 2014 Rose Parade. His son, Scott Marshall, is also a director. In 2014, he appeared in a guest star role in a February episode in season 11 of Two and a Half Men on CBS.
In 2014, Marshall received the Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.
Directing credits
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Young Doctors in Love |
| 1984 | The Flamingo Kid |
| 1986 | Nothing In Common |
| 1987 | Overboard |
| 1988 | Beaches |
| 1990 | Pretty Woman |
| 1991 | Frankie and Johnny |
| 1994 | Exit to Eden |
| 1996 | Dear God |
| 1999 | The Other Sister |
| 1999 | Runaway Bride |
| 2001 | The Princess Diaries |
| 2004 | Raising Helen |
| 2004 | The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement |
| 2007 | Georgia Rule |
| 2010 | Valentine's Day |
| 2011 | New Year's Eve |
| 2016 | Mother's Day |
Television credits as writer or producer
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–58 | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | ||
| 1964 | Goldfinger | Hoodlum | Uncredited |
| 1977 | Blansky's Beauties | ||
| 1985 | Lost In America | Casino Manager | |
| 1991 | Soapdish | Edmund Edwards | |
| 1992 | A League of Their Own | Walter Harvey | |
| 1993 | Hocus Pocus | Devil (Husband) | Cameo |
| 1994–97 | Murphy Brown | Stan Lansing | 24 episodes |
| 1997 | Pinky & The Brain | Mr. Itch - The Devil | Voice; Episode: "A Pinky and the Brain Halloween" |
| 1999 | Never Been Kissed | Rigfort | |
| 1999–2011 | The Simpsons | Larry Kidkill / Sheldon Leavitt | Voice; 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Tomcats | Uncle Murray | Uncredited |
| 2001 | The Majestic | Studio Executive | Voice |
| 2002 | Orange County | Arthur Gantner | |
| 2002 | Monk | Warren Beach | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Airplane" |
| 2002 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Mickey Brentwood | Episode: "Bada-Ping!" |
| 2004 | Father of the Pride | Bernie | Voice; 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Chicken Little | Buck Cluck | Voice |
| 2005–08 | Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze | Voice | |
| 2006 | Keeping Up with the Steins | Irwin Fiedler | |
| 2006 | Brothers and Sisters | Major Jack Wiener | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Hole in the Paper Sky | Warren | |
| 2008 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Sharkcorp President | Episode: "High, It's Sarah" |
| 2009 | Race to Witch Mountain | Dr. Donald Harlan | |
| 2009 | According to Jim | Doctor | Episode: "Physical Therapy" |
| 2011–13 | The Looney Tunes Show | Dr. Weisberg | Voice |
| 2012 | Louie | Lars Tardigan | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Two and a Half Men | Garry | Episode: "Bite Me, Supreme Court" |
| 2014 | Liv and Maddie | Vic Defazerelli | Episode: "Space-Werewolf-A-Rooney" |
| 2014 | Life After Beth | Grandpa | |
| 2015 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Soda Jerk | Voice; 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Marvin Miller | Episode: "The Wednesday Incident" |
| 2015 | Hot in Cleveland | Ari | Episode: "All Dolled Up" |
| 2015 | BoJack Horseman | Abe | Voice; Episode: "Yes And" |
| 2016 | The Odd Couple | Walter Madison | Episode: "Madison & Son" |
In popular culture
Comedian Paul F. Tompkins plays a parody of Garry Marshall on the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast and TV show.
References
- ^ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1181. November 18, 2011. p. 34.
- ^ Comedy On Tap- Garry Marshall Interview
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (June 24, 2011). "This Jewish boy's life will make you laugh (and get a bit verklempt?)". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ An Interview with the Cast of Keeping up with the Steins
- ^ Ancestry of Penny Marshall
- ^ Shlemiel! Shlemozzle! And Cue the Soprano.
- ^ Thunderstruck
- ^ BBC – Comedy – Shows A-Z Index
- ^ Kung, Michelle (August 20, 2004). "LOYAL SUBJECT". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Past Recipients". Wif.org. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
Further reading
- Marshall, Garry (1995). Wake Me When It's Funny: How to Break into Show Business and Stay There. Newmarket Press. ISBN 1-55704-288-8.
External links
- 1934 births
- American male film actors
- American film directors of Italian descent
- American film producers
- American Lutherans
- American male screenwriters
- American male television actors
- American people of English descent
- American people of Italian descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American Presbyterians
- American television directors
- American television writers
- American male voice actors
- Living people
- Male actors from New York City
- Male actors of Italian descent
- Male television writers
- Northwestern University alumni
- People from the Bronx
- Television Hall of Fame inductees
- Showrunners