Marion Ross

Marion Ross

actress, soundtrack

Marion Ross was born on Oct 25, 1928 in USA. Marion Ross's big-screen debut came with Life with Father - Season 1 directed by Fletcher Markle in 1953. Marion Ross is known for Please Tell Me I'm Adopted! directed by Larry Soileau, Nicole Dupre Sobchack stars as Tiffany Grant and Ben Kacsandi as Bob Thomas. Marion Ross has got 6 awards and 10 nominations so far. The most recent award Marion Ross achieved is Hoboken International Film Festival. The upcoming new tvshow Marion Ross plays is Please Tell Me I'm Adopted! - Season 2 which will be released on Mar 06, 2017.

The lovely, cheery, continuously upbeat All-American mom from the classic Happy Days - Les jours heureux (1974) TV sitcom had fervent desires of becoming an actress while growing up in her obscure Minnesota town. Born Marian Ross (with an "a") on October 25, 1928, she grew up in her native state and, at one time, worked as a teenage au pair in order to earn money for drama lessons at the MacPhail Center in Minneapolis. The family eventually relocated to San Diego (she was in her late teens) and Marion attended and graduated from Point Loma High School.Changing her stage moniker to Marion (with an "o") Ross because it read classier to her, the young hopeful enrolled at San Diego State College and appeared in the theater department's various productions. Graduating in 1950, Marion worked in summer theater in and around the San Diego area, including the Old Globe Theatre.Marion managed to land a Paramount Studio contract with the assist of an old college professor and found a few unbilled parts to play as various actress, tourist and girlfriend types in a variety of films such as Romance inachevée (1954), Le secret des Incas (1954), Sabrina (1954) and Du plomb pour l'inspecteur (1954). At the same time, she won a regular role as the Irish maid "Nora" in the Victorian-TV comedy Life with Father (1953) which ran a couple of seasons and was headed by Leon Ames and Lurene Tuttle. This program happened to be the first live color series for network Hollywood TV.Not your conventional leading lady type, Marion landed slightly larger parts in such movies as Un magnifique salaud (1956), Lizzie (1957), Le Chou-chou du professeur (1958) and Opération jupons (1959), but any and all attempts to move further up the Hollywood film ladder proved a long-lasting frustration.Marking her Broadway debut in 1958 with a role in "Edwin Booth" starring José Ferrer, Marion nevertheless continued to focus on TV work. Throughout the 1960s, she appeared in a fairly steady amount of shows, both comedies and dramas, including Papa a raison (1954), Rawhide (1959), Route 66 (1960), Au-delà du réel (1963), Brigade criminelle (1966) and The Brady Bunch (1969).By the end of the decade, however, Marion was still disillusioned, but now she was divorced from her husband of 18 years, Freeman Meskimen, and struggling to raise two children. Middle-aged stardom came to her (in her 46th year) with the nostalgic sitcom series Happy Days - Les jours heureux (1974), which arrived on a wave of 50s popularity triggered by the huge box-office reception to the film American Graffiti (1973). The show starred "Graffiti" lead Ron Howard and co-starred Henry Winkler as "The Fonz". Marion was ideally paired with Tom Bosley, who expertly played her beleaguered hubby. The series became a certifiable hit and Marion's ever-pleasant "Marion Cunningham" the new, slightly blended version of Lucille Ball's ditzy and Barbara Billingsley's pristine perfect moms. Two Emmy nominations came Marion's way during the show's long tenure (ten seasons).Following the demise of such an exalting hit, many actors often find themselves either resting on their laurels or witnessing a sad decline in their career. Not Marion. She continued to pursue her career assertively and challengingly and the critics kept taking notice. She earned terrific reviews for her recurring La croisière s'amuse (1977) role in 1986, and enjoyed standard guest turns on Tribunal de nuit (1984), MacGyver (1985), L'homme à la Rolls (1963) and (the revived) "Superman".One of Marion's finest hours on TV occurred with her role as the obstinate, iron-willed Jewish matriarch in the Brooklyn Bridge (1991) series, which neatly deflected any broad, daffy stereotype she might have incurred from her Happy Days - Les jours heureux (1974) role. Irritating yet ingratiating at the same time, Marion's fine interpretation garnered the veteran actress two more Emmy nominations. Sadly, a lack of viewership triggered an abrupt cancellation and deep disappointment in Marion.While never making a strong dent in films, an excellent supporting turn for Marion came in the form of her moving portrayal of Shirley MacLaine's loyal housekeeper and confidante in Étoile du soir (1996), the long-awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning Tendres passions (1983). Critics predicted an Academy Award nomination for the actress but, surprisingly, it did not pan out.Other films over the years have included Le cerveau d'acier (1970); Lâchez les bolides (1977), which starred Happy Days - Les jours heureux (1974) son Ron Howard (who also made his directorial debut); and, more recently, Music Within (2007) and the silly spoof Super Héros Movie (2008).During her post-"Happy Days" years, Marion reinvigorated her career on the stage. As a result, she earned renewed acclaim and respect for her roles in "Arsenic and Old Lace" (which brought her back to Broadway), "Steel Magnolias", "Long Day's Journey Into Night", "The Glass Menagerie", "Pippin" and "Barefoot in the Park", among others. She also toured with her one-woman show as poet Edna St. Vincent Millay entitled "A Lovely Light".On TV, Marion found recurring flinty-like roles on 70s show (1998) (as Grandma Forman), Les anges du bonheur (1994) (a fifth Emmy nomination), Le Drew Carey Show (1995), Gilmore Girls (2000) (as Gloria Gilmore), and Brothers & Sisters (2006), as well as guest parts on "Nurse Jackie," "Grey's Anatomy," "Anger Management," "Two and a Half Men," "Hot in Cleveland," "Chasing Life" and "The Odd Couple." Primarily involved in voice work into the millennium, she as provided voices for such animated shows as "Family Guy," "King of the Hill," "Scooby-Doo!" and "Guardians of the Galaxy," while also voicing the recurring roles of Grandma SquarePants in Bob l'éponge (1999) and Mrs. Lopart in Manny et ses Outils (2006).Into her nonagenarian years and still active, Marion was more recently featured in the old-fashioned comedy/fantasy Angels on Tap (2018). The ever-vital octogenarian continues to reside at her country-style home she calls the "Happy Days Farm" in California's San Fernando Valley.

  • Birthday

    Oct 25, 1928
  • Place of Birth

    Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA
  • Also known

    -

Known For

Awards

6 wins & 10 nominations

Hoboken International Film Festival
2014
Best Supporting Actress
Winner - Jury Award
LA Femme International Film Festival
2014
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner - LA Femme Filmmaker Award
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Movies & TV Shows

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Movies
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