Marion Ross
Encyclopedia
Marion Ross is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Cunningham on the television series Happy Days
from 1974 to 1984.
, she lived in Waconia
and then moved to Willmar
and eventually to Albert Lea, Minnesota
. At the age of 13, she changed the spelling of her name from "Marian" to "Marion" because she thought it would look better on a marquee. After completing her sophomore year in high school, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
, and worked as an au pair
while studying drama at the MacPhail Center for the Arts, and attending Southwest High School
. A year later, her family moved to San Diego, California
. She graduated from Point Loma High School
in San Diego.
Ross enrolled in San Diego State University
, where she was named the school's most outstanding actress. After graduation in 1950, she performed in summer theater in La Jolla, California. The director was impressed by her talent, and recommended that she try for work in films.
film debut in Forever Female, starring Ginger Rogers
and William Holden
. She found steady work in film, appearing in The Glenn Miller Story
(1954), Sabrina
(1954), Teacher's Pet
(1957), and Operation Petticoat
(1959).
Her career on television also began in 1953
, when she played the Irish maid on the series Life With Father
for two years. Her list of credits spans the history of classic TV, from The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Steve Canyon
, The Barbara Stanwyck Show
, Father Knows Best
, The Outer Limits
, The Brothers Brannagan
(two episodes as Diane Warren), The Eleventh Hour
, Route 66
, Hawaii Five-O
, The Brady Bunch
, Love Boat
, and Night Court
. In the 1961-62 season, she played Gertrude Berg
's 33-year-old daughter, Susan Green, in CBS's sitcom Mrs. G. Goes to College
. The Fugitive
Ross also had an uncredited and non-speaking role as one of the hapless passengers on board Trans Global Flight #1 in the 1970 movie Airport. In 1970 Marion played a fellow computer scientist opposite Eric Braeden
in the sci-fi thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project
.
Ross's best known role is in the sitcom Happy Days
, which aired for eleven seasons on ABC
, from 1974 to 1984. She portrayed endearing matriarch Marion Cunningham, mother of Richie, Chuck, and Joanie. She later starred in the short-lived but critically acclaimed drama—infused with a healthy dose of humor—Brooklyn Bridge
,which ran on CBS
from 1991 to 1993. Despite lasting only two seasons, the series won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award following its first season. With Ross in the lead role, even though the series was created and executive-produced by Gary David Goldberg
and was substantially based on his early life, this "drama" won its Golden Globe and received its Emmy nomination in the comedy/musical category.
Ross also played a part in CBS's Touched by an Angel
as a homeless woman who talked about the JFK conspiracy, and was in the final two episodes that closed out the series. In 1996, Ross starred as Rosie Dunlop opposite Shirley MacLaine
in the Terms of Endearment
sequel The Evening Star
. Additionally, Ross played a secretly ill mother Eunice Fadiman in "The Cat
", an episode of Early Edition
that first aired on April 13, 1997.
Ross acted on Broadway and on film, but she preferred television. In recent years, she played recurring roles as Drew Carey
's mother on The Drew Carey Show
(during one episode of which she was referred to as her Happy Days character Mrs. Cunningham, a deliberate error for a contest the show was running); as evil Bernice Forman on That '70s Show
; and as Lorelai "Trix" Gilmore and Marylin on Gilmore Girls
. She also frequently appeared on Hollywood Squares
and did voiceover work as Grandma SquarePants on SpongeBob SquarePants
and Mrs. Lopart on the Disney Junior Series Handy Manny
.
In an episode of the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters that aired in January 2007, she guest-starred as Ida, the not-so-loving mother of Nora and Saul, making an unwelcome visit to celebrate a milestone in her daughter's life. In April 2010, she returned for a guest appearance in the series' fourth season
. In an episode that aired April 10, 2011, on ABC, her character dies of a heart attack.
On June 7, 2008, the Albert Lea Civic Theater in Albert Lea, Minnesota
changed its name to the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center.
In April 2010, Ross guest-starred in Nurse Jackie
as a homeless woman with dementia, and on May 13, 2010 she guest-starred in Grey's Anatomy
as Betty Donahue. Also in 2010 she appeared in the Cartoon Network movie Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster
as Mrs. Trowburg, along with former Happy Days
co-star Ted McGinley
.
with actor Paul Michael until his death on July, 8, 2011. Her two adult children also work in entertainment: son Jim Meskimen's
credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas and appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
, and daughter Ellen Plummer was a writer/producer on Friends
.
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
from 1974 to 1984.
Early life
Born Marian Ross in Watertown, MinnesotaWatertown, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,029 people, 1,078 households, and 775 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,808.0 people per square mile . There were 1,100 housing units at an average density of 656.6 per square mile...
, she lived in Waconia
Waconia, Minnesota
Waconia , a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States, is located about 35 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Waconia surged in suburban development recently and grew to a population of 10,697 . The town is home to the Waconia Wildcats Sports Teams...
and then moved to Willmar
Willmar, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,351 people, 7,302 households, and 4,461 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.9 people per square mile . There were 7,789 housing units at an average density of 657.8 per square mile...
and eventually to Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....
. At the age of 13, she changed the spelling of her name from "Marian" to "Marion" because she thought it would look better on a marquee. After completing her sophomore year in high school, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, and worked as an au pair
Au pair
An au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use...
while studying drama at the MacPhail Center for the Arts, and attending Southwest High School
Southwest High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Southwest High School is a public high school in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota . It is part of the Minneapolis Public Schools. In 2010, Newsweek Magazine ranked the school #116 their "List of the 1,300 Top High Schools in America"...
. A year later, her family moved to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. She graduated from Point Loma High School
Point Loma High School
Point Loma High School is a public high school in the San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, California. It is located in the Loma Portal neighborhood of Point Loma. The school serves the neighborhoods of Point Loma and Ocean Beach. In addition, students who live in Mission Hills may...
in San Diego.
Ross enrolled in San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, where she was named the school's most outstanding actress. After graduation in 1950, she performed in summer theater in La Jolla, California. The director was impressed by her talent, and recommended that she try for work in films.
Career
Ross made her 19531953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
film debut in Forever Female, starring Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
and William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
. She found steady work in film, appearing in The Glenn Miller Story
The Glenn Miller Story
The Glenn Miller Story is a 1954 American film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their first non-western collaboration.-Plot:...
(1954), Sabrina
Sabrina (1954 film)
Sabrina is a 1954 comedy-romance film directed by Billy Wilder, adapted for the screen by Wilder, Samuel A. Taylor, and Ernest Lehman from Taylor's play Sabrina Fair...
(1954), Teacher's Pet
Teacher's Pet
-Film:* Teacher's Pet , a 2004 animated musical based 2000 TV series* Teacher's Pet , a 1958 romantic comedy film* Teacher's Pet , a 1930 two-reel comedy short-Television:...
(1957), and Operation Petticoat
Operation Petticoat
Operation Petticoat is a 1959 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. It was the basis for a television series in 1977 starring John Astin in Grant's role...
(1959).
Her career on television also began in 1953
1953 in television
The year 1953 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1953.-Events:*January 19 – 68% of all US television sets were tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth to little Ricky....
, when she played the Irish maid on the series Life With Father
Life with Father
Life with Father is the title of a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarence Day, Jr., which was adapted in 1939 into a long-running Broadway play by Lindsay and Crouse, which was, in turn, made into a 1947 movie and a television series.-The book:Clarence Day wrote...
for two years. Her list of credits spans the history of classic TV, from The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon was a long-running American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon ran from January 13, 1947 until June 4, 1988, shortly after Caniff's death...
, The Barbara Stanwyck Show
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
The Barbara Stanwyck Show is an American anthology drama television series which ran on NBC from September 1960 to September 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential...
, Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
, The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
, The Brothers Brannagan
The Brothers Brannagan
The Brothers Brannagan is an American crime drama television series that aired in syndication from September 24, 1960, and July 15, 1961.-Synopsis:...
(two episodes as Diane Warren), The Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)
The Eleventh Hour is an American medical drama about psychiatry starring Wendell Corey, Jack Ging, and Ralph Bellamy, which aired sixty-two new episodes plus selected rebroadcasts on NBC from October 3, 1962, to September 9, 1964.-Series premise:...
, Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
, Love Boat
Love Boat
The Overseas Compatriot Youth Formosa Study Tour to Taiwan, informally known as the Love Boat, is currently a four-week summer program for about 400–600 college-aged Overseas Chinese. In Chinese, it is also colloquially referred to as mei-jia-ying - America and Canada Camp, a reference to where...
, and Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
. In the 1961-62 season, she played Gertrude Berg
Gertrude Berg
Gertrude Berg was an American actress and screenwriter. A pioneer of classic radio, she was one of the first women to create, write, produce and star in a long-running hit when she premiered her serial comedy-drama The Rise of the Goldbergs , later known as The Goldbergs.-Career:Berg was born...
's 33-year-old daughter, Susan Green, in CBS's sitcom Mrs. G. Goes to College
Mrs. G. Goes to College
Mrs. G. Goes To College is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from October 4, 1961 to April 5, 1962...
. The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
Ross also had an uncredited and non-speaking role as one of the hapless passengers on board Trans Global Flight #1 in the 1970 movie Airport. In 1970 Marion played a fellow computer scientist opposite Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden is a German-American film and television actor, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film Titanic...
in the sci-fi thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project is an American science fiction thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus, by Dennis Feltham Jones, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient and deciding to assume control of the world.-Plot:Dr. Charles A...
.
Ross's best known role is in the sitcom Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, which aired for eleven seasons on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, from 1974 to 1984. She portrayed endearing matriarch Marion Cunningham, mother of Richie, Chuck, and Joanie. She later starred in the short-lived but critically acclaimed drama—infused with a healthy dose of humor—Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge (TV series)
Brooklyn Bridge is an American television program which aired on CBS between 1991 and 1993. It is about a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the middle 1950s...
,which ran on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1991 to 1993. Despite lasting only two seasons, the series won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award following its first season. With Ross in the lead role, even though the series was created and executive-produced by Gary David Goldberg
Gary David Goldberg
Gary David Goldberg is a United States writer and producer for television and film. Goldberg is best known for his work on Family Ties , Spin City , and his semi-autobiographical series Brooklyn Bridge .-Background:Gary David Goldberg was born on June 25, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of...
and was substantially based on his early life, this "drama" won its Golden Globe and received its Emmy nomination in the comedy/musical category.
Ross also played a part in CBS's Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
as a homeless woman who talked about the JFK conspiracy, and was in the final two episodes that closed out the series. In 1996, Ross starred as Rosie Dunlop opposite Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
in the Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
sequel The Evening Star
The Evening Star
The Evening Star is a 1996 sequel to Academy Award for Best Picture-winning Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway she played in the original film. The movie takes place about fifteen years after the original following the characters from 1988 to...
. Additionally, Ross played a secretly ill mother Eunice Fadiman in "The Cat
The Cat
- People :"The Cat" the nickname of several people, including:* Peter Bonetti , British footballer for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England* Greg Cattrano , American lacrosse player...
", an episode of Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
that first aired on April 13, 1997.
Ross acted on Broadway and on film, but she preferred television. In recent years, she played recurring roles as Drew Carey
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
's mother on The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
(during one episode of which she was referred to as her Happy Days character Mrs. Cunningham, a deliberate error for a contest the show was running); as evil Bernice Forman on That '70s Show
That '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
; and as Lorelai "Trix" Gilmore and Marylin on Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
. She also frequently appeared on Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
and did voiceover work as Grandma SquarePants on SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
and Mrs. Lopart on the Disney Junior Series Handy Manny
Handy Manny
Handy Manny is a Disney animated children's television program that premiered on September 16, 2006. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers...
.
In an episode of the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters that aired in January 2007, she guest-starred as Ida, the not-so-loving mother of Nora and Saul, making an unwelcome visit to celebrate a milestone in her daughter's life. In April 2010, she returned for a guest appearance in the series' fourth season
Brothers and Sisters (season 4)
The fourth season of Brothers & Sisters was picked up for a fourth season on April 23, 2009.The premiere aired on ABC on Sunday September 27, 2009 and concludes May 16, 2010...
. In an episode that aired April 10, 2011, on ABC, her character dies of a heart attack.
On June 7, 2008, the Albert Lea Civic Theater in Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....
changed its name to the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center.
In April 2010, Ross guest-starred in Nurse Jackie
Nurse Jackie
Nurse Jackie is an American series that premiered on June 8, 2009, on Showtime, Movie Central and The Movie Network.The series stars Edie Falco as the title character Jackie Peyton, an emergency room nurse at All Saints' Hospital in New York City...
as a homeless woman with dementia, and on May 13, 2010 she guest-starred in Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
as Betty Donahue. Also in 2010 she appeared in the Cartoon Network movie Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster
Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster
Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster is a live action/CGI television film by Warner Premiere for Cartoon Network based on the Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby-Doo by Hanna-Barbera. It is the fourth live-action Scooby-Doo film...
as Mrs. Trowburg, along with former Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
co-star Ted McGinley
Ted McGinley
Theodore Martin "Ted" McGinley is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Jefferson D'Arcy on the television series Married... with Children and as Charley Shanowski on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith...
.
Personal life
Ross lived in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
with actor Paul Michael until his death on July, 8, 2011. Her two adult children also work in entertainment: son Jim Meskimen's
Jim Meskimen
Jim Ross Meskimen is an American comedian and actor, perhaps best known for his work on the improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and as the voice of President George W. Bush and other politicians for the internet Jib Jab animated shorts...
credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas and appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...
, and daughter Ellen Plummer was a writer/producer on Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.