Marion Ross: biography
Marion Ross was born on October 25, 1928 in the small Minnesota town of Albert Lea. At the
young age of 13, she changed the spelling of her name from "Marian" to "Marion" because she
thought it would look better on a marquee. A few years later, the Ross family moved to San
Diego, California, and Marion enrolled in San Diego State College.
As a freshman, Ross was named the school's most outstanding actress. She kept busy in many
college plays until her graduation in 1950. Then she performed in summer theater in La
Jolla, California. The director was quite impressed by her talent, and urged her to give
Hollywood a shot. With the assistance of an old college professor, Ross worked her way into
a contract for Paramount.
In 1953, Ross made her big-screen debut in "Forever Female," where she appeared with Ginger
Rogers. A steady stream of film work followed, including parts in "The Glenn Miller
Story" (1954), "Sabrina" (1954), and "Operation Petticoat" (1959). But she was not destined
for big-screen success; television would prove to be her medium.
Ross' fame on the small screen began in 1953 when she played the Irish maid on the
series "Life With Father" for two years. Her list of credits spans the history of classic
TV, from "The Burns and Allen Show" to "Love Boat" and "Night Court." Marion Ross' prolific
television career includes an exhaustive 400-plus appearances on different shows, in addition
to her long-running role as Mrs. Cunningham on "Happy Days."
For more information on what Marion Ross has done after Happy Days, see the Where are they now? section.
The above biography is from the Nick-at-Nite site with minor additions by
myself. Please e-mail
if you have any additional information.
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