By Geoffrey Huchel
Sad news to report as another TV icon has died.
Actress Cindy Williams, best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the popular 1970s television series LAVERNE & SHIRLEY (1976-1983) passed away January 25, 2023, in Los Angeles, California, after a brief illness. She was 75.
Williams began her career by appearing in commercials, and before long was landing gigs on several television series. One of those series was HAPPY DAYS (1974-1984). Williams first played Shirley Feeney on HAPPY DAYS when she was cast as a guest-star, alongside Penny Marshall, who was cast as Laverne De Fazio, Shirley’s best friend and roommate. Their stint on HAPPY DAYS proved so popular that Penny’s brother Garry Marshall, a producer on HAPPY DAYS created a spin-off series for the girls, which would become LAVERNE & SHIRLEY. The series brought much success to Williams and would make her an American TV icon.
Another notable role for Williams was that of Laurie Henerson, Ron Howard’s high school sweetheart in the film AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973). She earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
Her additional credits include NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR (1970-1971), LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE (1969-1974), HAWAII FIVE-O (1968-1980), THE CONVERSATION (1974), POLICE STORY (1973-1987), MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1979), CHIPS (1977-1983), LAVERNE & SHIRLEY IN THE ARMY (1981-1983), EARTH ANGEL (1991), BINGO (1991), LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1993-1997), TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL (1994-2003), 8 SIMPLE RULES (2002-2005), SAM & CAT (2013-2014), and THE ODD COUPLE (2015-2017).
Ringside Report sends our condolences to Cindy Williams’ family during their time of grief.
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