Penny Marshall, the star of ABC's "Laverne and Shirley" who became one of the most successful female directors in history at the helm of "Big," "A League of Their Own" and a string of other hit movies, has died. She was 75. The filmmaker died peacefully in her Hollywood Hills on Monday due to complications from diabetes, her publicist told AFP.
Marshall's "heartbroken" family described her as a "tomboy who loved sports, doing puzzles of any kind, drinking milk and Pepsi together and being with her family." "Big" star Tom Hanks, who has gone on to appear in a further 60-plus movies, winning two Oscars, led an outpouring of affection and sadness from Hollywood.
Born in New York's Bronx borough, Marshall was the daughter of producer Tony Marshall and his tap dance teacher wife Marjorie, and a sister to legendary comedy director Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman"), who died in 2016.
She made her name as Laverne DeFazio on the TV sitcom "Laverne and Shirley" (1976-1983), earning three Golden Globe nominations, before making her directorial debut with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986).
She is probably best known in the movie world for directing Hanks in his breakout role in "Big" (1988), which became the first film made by a woman to gross more than $100 million at the domestic box office. She went on to direct Robert De Niro and Robin Williams in medical drama "Awakenings" (1990), which was nominated for a best picture Oscar.
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