Cindy Williams was an actress best known for starring as Shirley in the classic TV sitcom “Laverne & Shirley.”
- Died: January 25, 2023 (Who else died on January 25?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles after a brief illness at the age of 75.
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Laverne & Shirley
Williams was best known as Shirley Feeney, half of the 1950s duo on “Laverne & Shirley.” The show, a spin-off of “Happy Days,” featured Williams and Penny Marshall (1943–2018) as Milwaukee roommates who worked as bottle cappers at the Shotz Brewery. Shirley dated Carmine Ragusa, played by Eddie Mekka (1952–2021), and tolerated neighbors Lenny and Squiggy, played by Michael McKean and David Lander (1947–2020). Williams also voiced Shirley in the 1981 animated series “Laverne & Shirley in the Army.” She left “Laverne & Shirley” at the beginning of its eighth and final season in 1982 when she became pregnant and the producers preferred not to write a pregnancy into the show.
Further acting career
Prior to her fame on “Laverne & Shirley,” Williams came to prominence in the 1973 movie “American Graffiti,” playing Laurie, girlfriend of Ron Howard’s character. She went on to star in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.” She made early appearances on TV shows including “Room 222,” “Love, American Style,” and “Hawaii Five-O.” Williams and Marshall were friends before being cast on “Laverne & Shirley,” and they worked together as a comedy writing team. Though they struggled with on-set tensions while working together on the sitcom, their friendship continued after the show’s cancellation.
Later, Williams starred in the short-lived ‘90s sitcoms “Normal Life” and “Getting By,” and she made appearances on many TV shows, including “Lois & Clark,” “7th Heaven,” “8 Simple Rules,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Williams also had a stage career, touring nationally with shows including “Grease.”
Notable quote
“Everybody who’d ever come up to me who said, ‘I love Laverne & Shirley,’ were the nicest people. There wasn’t one time when I thought, ‘Get that jerk out of here.’ They were the sweetest. I love people, and the show opened all kinds of doors to meeting people.” –from a 1993 interview for the Los Angeles Times
Tributes to Cindy Williams
Full obituary: The Los Angeles Times
