The 1950s-themed sitcom Happy Days was such a hit for ABC in the 1970s that it spawned several spinoffs, including Laverne & Shirley, a show about two young women juggling the demands of life, love, and work in 1950s Milwaukee. The show originated in a 1975 Happy Days episode in which Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) go on a double date with The Fonz (Henry Winkler) and Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard). The response to the episode was so positive that ABC quickly developed a spinoff, which premiered on January 27, 1976. Laverne & Shirley ran for eight seasons and 178 episodes, making its stars household names.
The series featured Laverne and Shirley working the bottling line at Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee, living in the basement apartment of a downtown brownstone, and spending their evenings at the pizza parlor and bowling alley owned by Laverne’s father (Phil Foster). Their annoying upstairs neighbors, Lenny and Squiggy (Michael McKean and David Lander), provided frequent comic relief, as the girls struggled to make ends meet and find the men of their dreams.
Cindy Williams left the series during its eighth season to have a child, and it was soon canceled, with the final episode airing in 1983. Thanks to reruns and streaming, however, the show remains among the most popular TV comedies of all time, with the cast members forever linked to the characters they played. The following are the main cast members of Laverne & Shirley, and where they are now.
Penny Marshall (Laverne DeFazio)
For Penny Marshall, playing the brash, opinionated Laverne was merely one chapter in a hugely successful career story. She gained fame in 1972 playing Myrna, the goofy secretary to Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman), on The Odd Couple. A memorable guest-starring role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show followed, and her brother, Garry Marshall, cast her and Cindy Williams in a 1975 episode of his sitcom Happy Days. The response to their characters inspired a spinoff, and the rest is TV history.
After the series ended, Marshall shifted her career focus behind the camera. She made her feature film directing debut with the 1986 Whoopi Goldberg comedy, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, but her next film, 1988’s Big, starring Tom Hanks, was a smash hit and established her as an A-list director. She followed that up with the 1990 Oscar-nominated drama Awakenings, with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. She is best remembered for directing the 1992 classic A League of Their Own, and went on to direct The Preacher’s Wife and Riding in Cars with Boys.
After battling both brain and lung cancer, she passed away on December 17, 2018, at the age of 75. Her death was caused by heart failure related to complications from diabetes.
Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney)
Cindy Williams played the straight-laced, goodie-two-shoes Shirley Feeney to TV superstardom, but she was already a movie star when she joined the show in 1976. She had a breakthrough role in George Lucas’ 1973 classic American Graffiti and followed that up with a pivotal role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Best Picture nominee The Conversation (1974). Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley soon followed, and Williams would earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a TV Comedy in 1978.
After leaving the series during its final season in 1982 to have a child, Williams continued to act, appearing in films like Bingo and More American Graffiti. Most of her acting roles consisted of guest spots on television, including Touched by an Angel, Lois & Clark, 7th Heaven, and Law & Order: SVU. Williams passed away peacefully on January 25, 2023, at the age of 75, and is survived by her children, Zak and Emily Hudson. A cause of death was not announced.
Michael McKean (Lenny Kosnowski)
Michael McKean had his first major role playing Lenny in Laverne & Shirley, appearing in 149 episodes. During his run on the show, he also appeared in the Steven Spielberg film 1941, as well as Used Cars and Young Doctors in Love. After the show ended, he worked consistently in film, including writing and starring in the classic mockumentary This is Spinal Tap in 1984. His other film and TV credits include Clue, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Short Circuit 2, Coneheads, The X-Files, Alias, and Good Omens. He also had a cameo in Penny Marshall’s directorial debut, Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
In 2004, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for his work on the film A Mighty Wind. The New York City native recently had a notable role on the Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul, playing Charles McGill, the brother of Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), and earned an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actor (Drama) for the role in 2019. He would also revisit his classic role in 2025’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. He is currently married to actress Annette O’Toole.
David L. Lander (Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman)
David Lander and Michael McKean met while attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. After graduating, they joined a comedy group together, a partnership that would eventually lead to their casting in Laverne & Shirley. Lander had minor roles on television in the early 1970s, including a voice-over as Jerry Lewis for a short-lived animated series. His role as the scene-stealing Squiggy, however, made him one of the most recognized characters on television at the time.
After the series ended, Lander made numerous films and TV appearances, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Star Trek: The Next Generation, A Bug’s Life, Scary Movie, and a cameo as an announcer in Penny Marshall’s A League of Their Own. In 1999, he revealed in an autobiography that he had been battling multiple sclerosis since the 1980s but kept it a secret. Although he remained professionally active, his MS symptoms worsened over time. He passed away on December 4, 2020, in Los Angeles at 73.
Eddie Mekka (Carmine ‘The Big Ragoo’ Ragusa)
Born in Massachusetts in 1952, Eddie Mekka worked as a voice instructor before making it to Broadway and earning a 1975 Tony Award nomination for Best Actor (Musical) for The Lieutenant. Soon after, he was cast in Laverne & Shirley as Carmine, the ex-boxer turned singer and dancer who has an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Shirley. He joined the show in the series’ second episode and appeared in 150 of 178 episodes.
After the series ended, Mekka appeared in the films Beaches and Dreamgirls, and Penny Marshall cast him in a memorable cameo in her film A League of Their Own, dancing with Madonna in a nightclub scene. He made guest-starring appearances in shows including 24, ER, The Love Boat, Family Matters, and several soap operas. Eddie Mekka passed away on November 27, 2021, at the age of 69, at his home in Newhall, California. A cause of death was not officially announced, but he had been suffering from blood clots. He is survived by his daughter, Mia.
Phil Foster (Frank DeFazio)
Phil Foster began acting on the stage during the Great Depression, eventually earning a living as a stand-up comedian. He played in nightclubs across the country and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show before his old friend Garry Marshall cast him as Laverne’s grumpy father, Frank DeFazio, a role for which he is best remembered. He passed away on July 8, 1985, from a heart attack in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 72 years old.
Betty Garrett (Edna DeFazio)
A multi-talented performer, Betty Garrett played Laverne and Shirley’s landlord, Edna DeFazio, in 97 episodes. She began her career in a number of Hollywood musicals beginning in the 1940s. She made many TV appearances, including a recurring role on All in the Family, before being cast in Laverne & Shirley. She continued to act after the show ended, including roles in The Golden Girls and Grey’s Anatomy. She passed away in Los Angeles on February 12, 2011, from an aortic aneurysm at the age of 91. She is survived by her two children.
Leslie Easterbrook (Rhonda Lee)
Leslie Easterbrook starred as Rhonda Lee in 51 episodes of Laverne & Shirley. When the series’ setting shifted to California for the sixth season, Easterbrook joined the cast as an attractive neighbor always on the hunt for Mr. Right. When the series ended in 1983, she joined the cast of the classic 1980s comedy Police Academy, playing the gun-crazy Sgt. Callahan. She went on to appear in five more sequels and a recurring role on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. She continues to act and, in recent years, has shifted to horror films, including 2005’s The Devil’s Rejects.
Carole White (“Big” Rosie Greenbaum)
Carole Ita White appeared as “Big” Rosie, Laverne and Shirley’s high school rival, who still made their lives miserable as adults. Although she only appeared in 13 episodes, she was a popular character during the second and third seasons. She continues to work consistently in various TV shows and films in supporting roles.
Boo Boo Kitty (As Itself)
True fans of the show know Boo Boo Kitty as Shirley’s favorite stuffed animal, who often provided comfort. It became a running gag on the show after Williams found it among the props during rehearsal and gave it the same name her mother had given her cat. Williams revealed in an interview that she kept the stuffed animal after the show ended, and it resided in her lingerie drawer.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
