Director of Pretty Woman

Background:

Hollywood director, writer, producer and sometime actor Garry Marshall is a renowned figure in the world of television. He was the creative force behind various classic, popular television series such as “Happy Days” (1974-1984), “Laverne and Shirley” (1976-1983), “Mork and Mindy” (1978-1982) and “The Odd Couple” (1977-1975). The latter show, which he adapted from Neil Simon’s play, even brought Marshall four Emmy nominations. Aside from his numerous TV accomplishments, Marshall has also built a flourishing career as a motion picture director. He is probably best known for his outstanding work in the highly successful romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990), starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Other credits include the Matt Dillon comedy/drama The Flamingo Kid (1984), the Al Pacino-Michelle Pfeiffer vehicle Frankie and Johnny (1991), Runaway Bride (1999, again starred Richard Gere and Julia Roberts), The Princess Diaries (2001) and its sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), as well as Raising Helen (2004).

Also a respectable comic actor, Marshall frequently portrays wisecracking men who tell it like it is. He became famous for playing the recurring character of network executive Stan Lansing in the CBS hit sitcom “Murphy Brown” (1994-1997) and is known for appearing in such movies as Hocus Pocus (1993), Never Been Kiss (1999), The Majestic (2001), Orange County (2002), Chicken Little (2005) and Keeping Up with the Steins (2006). He was also in the animated series “Father of the Pride” (2004).

For his significant contribution to the entertainment business, Marshall received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also picked up a 1990 American Comedy Award for Creative Achievement, a 1995 Writers Guild of America Award for Valentine Davies, a 1995 Casting Society of America Award for Lifetime Achievement and a 1998 PGA Golden Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement. More recently, he won a Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year award from the 2004 American Cinema Editors.

As for his personal life, Marshall is the husband of Barbara, whom he married in 1963. He is the father of actor-director Scott Marshall, and actresses Kathleen and Lori Marshall.


Brother of Penny

Childhood and Family:

Son of Anthony Wallace Marsciarelli, an Italian-American, and Marjorie Irene Ward, a dance instructor of English and Scottish ancestry, Garry Kent Marsciarelli, who would later be famous as Garry Marshall, was born on November 13, 1934, in New York, New York. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York, and after his 1952 graduation, he studied at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he graduated in 1956. Gary is the brother of producer-actress Ronny Hallin and actress-director Penny Marshall.

On March 9, 1963, Gary was married to Barbara Marshall, who made a brief appearance as a nurse on “Frankie and Johnny” (1991). They have three children together, Kathleen, Scott and Lori Marshall.


Creator of Happy Days

Career:

A native of New York, Gary Marshall started his career as a copy boy and sports reporter for the DAILY NEWS while also pursuing a second job as a joke writer for stand-up talents like Joey Bishop and Phil Foster. A drummer in his own flourishing jazz group and a feeble stand-up comic, Marshall had his first taste in front of the TV camera by playing a recurring role in the CBS long-running “George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” (1950-1958).

In 1960, Marshall was recruited by Jack Paar to write material for the original “Tonight Show,” and in 1962, he was brought to Hollywood to write for ‘The Joey Bishop Show.” It was also in Hollywood that Marshall met his long-term collaborator Jerry Belson, with whom he wrote episodes for such celebrated sitcoms as “The Danny Thomas Show” (ABC), “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (CBS, 1961), “The Lucy Show” (CBS, 1962), and for the dramatic adventure series “I Spy” (NBC, 1965). The two also teamed up for a number of primetime specials and created, as well as produced, the soon cancelled NBC sitcom “Hey, Landlord” (1966-1967) before adapted Neil Simon’s Broadway hit “The Odd Couple” into the long-running television comedy of the same name. The show, starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, ran from 1970 until 1975, and Marshall jointly earned four Emmy nominations for Outstanding New Series and Outstanding Comedy Series. Still with Belson, Marshall also made his debut as a producer and scriptwriter in a feature with 1968’s romantic comedy How Sweet it Is, starring Debbie Reynolds and James Garner. The movie was directed by veteran TV director Jerry Paris.

Marshall also created the hit comedy/family series “Happy Days” (1974-1984), which starred Ron Howard, Marion Ross, Anson Williams and Henry Winkler. Debuting in 1974, the show became television’s number one program during the 1976-1977 seasons. From the popular “Happy Days,” Marshall spun-off two successful ABC sitcoms, “Laverne and Shirley” (1976-1983, starred his sister Penny) and “Mork and Mindy” (1978-1982, starred Robin Williams). During that same period, Marshall also chased other projects, like directing episodes of the ABC series “Blansky’s Beauties (1977), where he also served as executive producer.

By the early 1980s, Marshall ventured into feature film directing and made his debut with Young Doctors in Love (1982), a star-studded comedy that didn’t quite hit the spot. He continued with such well-received films as the coming-of-age teen The Flamingo Kid (1984, starred Matt Dillon), the Goldie Hawn-Kurt Russell comedy Overboard (1987) and the Bette Midler starring Beaches (1988). Marshall, however, did not experience a huge box office hit until he directed Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Pretty Woman (1990), which nabbed a BAFTA Film nomination for Best Film and a César nomination for Best Foreign Film. The romantic comedy became one of Disney’s highest grossing live-action films, earning over $400 million worldwide. This was followed by Frankie and Johnny (1991, starred Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer), the disappointing Exit To Eden (1992), Dear God (1996), The Other Sister (1999) and Runaway Bride (1999).

A lifelong theater lover, Marshall, who made his debut as a playwright with “Shelves” (1973), which ran for four weeks in Chicago’s Pheasant Run Playhouse and co-wrote (with Belson) the play “The Roast” (1980), which lasted four days on Broadway, had better fortune with “Wrong Turn at Lungfish” (1993), co-written with Lowell Ganz. The play enjoyed regional publicity in Los Angeles and at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre before its off-Broadway run at NYC’s Promenade Theatre. From 1994-1997, Marshall gained fans for his recurring role in the popular CBS sitcom “Murphy Brown,” where he was cast as network boss Stan Lansing. He also made cameos in such films as Hocus Pocus (1993) and Soulmates (1996), and starred and executive produced the Showtime movie The Twilight of the Golds (1997). He went on to appear in films like With Friends Like These ... (1998), Never Been Kiss (1999), Can’t Be Heaven (2000), Tomcats (2001), The Hollywood Sign (2001), The Majestic (2001), Orange County (2002) and The Long Ride Home (2003). He also played Bernie on the CGI-animated NBC series “Father of the Pride” (2004). Back in the director’s chair, Marshall scored another victory with The Princess Diaries (2001), a Cinderella-like story starring Anne Hathaway. The comedy film was a hit and spawned a 2004 installment, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Also in 2004, he directed Kate Hudson in the comedy film Raising Helen.

In 2005, the character actor found himself playing Pastor in a short by Melissa Joan Hart, Mute, and providing the voice of Buck Cluck, the father of the title character, in the animated film Chicken Little. His most recent acting gig is costarring with Jeremy Piven, Daryl Hannah and Jemi Gertz in the independent comedy Keeping Up with the Steins (2006), directed by son Scott Marshall.

Currently, the 73-year-old director has completed the comedy/drama film Georgia Rule, which is set to be released on May 11, 2007. The Mark Andrus-written movie stars Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Cary Elwes and Garrett Hedlund.


Awards:

- American Cinema Editors: Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year, 2004
- PGA Golden Laurel: Honorary Lifetime Membership, Lifetime Achievement Award in Television, 1998
- Women in Film Lucy: Lucy, 1996
- Casting Society of America: Lifetime Achievement, 1995
- Writers Guild of America: Valentine Davies, 1995
- American Comedy: Creative Achievement, 1990