NEED TO KNOW
Marion Ross got her start in acting in the early 1950s, but her breakout role as Marion Cunningham didn’t come until 1972
Ross played the character in Love, American Style, which opened the door for Happy Days, which aired from 1974 to 1984
Ross has continued acting, with her last voice acting credit in 2024 and last appearance on screen in 2021
Happy birthday, Mrs. C!
Marion Ross, the actress beloved for playing Marion Cunningham on Happy Days, is surrounded by love as she celebrates her 97th birthday.
A glimpse at the actress on her special day was shared by her son, Jim Meskimen, in a birthday post on Instagram.
“My mom and yours, Marion Ross, turns 97 today! She loves you, too!” he captioned the shot of the actress blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.
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Ross’ Happy Days costar, Henry Winkler, also shared his birthday wishes for the actress, reposting a photo of her previously shared on Twitter. The photo was from Ross’ 95th birthday in 2023.
“A magnificent woman , artist and friend . HAPPY B DAY Marion … love, Henry,” he tweeted along with the photo.
Ross began acting in 1953, but it wouldn’t be until over 20 years later that she became America’s mom with her role on the hit sitcom.
Speaking with PEOPLE in Nov. 2024, Happy Days showrunners and producers, Brian Levant and Fred Fox Jr., shared some more about Ross’ magic as they discussed their book, 50 Years of Happy Days: A Visual History of an American Television Classic.
“We love Marion Ross, and there’s really a reason [that] people revere her, and Barbara Billingsley and Florence Henderson. I’ve always thought that television really can’t hide who you really are. And Marion, like a rare few, who really came across so warm and open. And she’s a tough woman. She was playing a ’50s homemaker, but she was a working mother struggling to support her kids, and her craft,” Levant shared.
“And when she bought that 1951 White Rolls Royce that she’d tool around in, there was a joy, and a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, that extended to her.”
Levant and Fox talked about the playful chemistry between Ross and Winkler on stage, with Levant noting, “She always gave Henry as good as she got. They really had fun together, and it was fun working with Marion.”
Fox recalled an outing with the actress where people approached her with compliments, “and you could just see the twinkle in her eye. She ws very happy to see that.
Levant was also impressed with Ross’ capacity to continue in her field, recalling a time the two partnered on a different project in the early 2010s.
“The last time I worked with her, holy s—, what was she? She was like 85, 86, right? And she did a three and a half page monologue, in one take. And I couldn’t think of one thing to do differently. We just printed the first take, and sent her home.”
Read the original article on People