Penny Marshall

Penny Marshall is an American Golden Globe-nominated actress, producer and director. She was the first woman to direct two films that grossed over $100 million each --Big and A League of Their Own.

Marshall first gained prominence as a television actress with a recurring guest role on The Odd Couple from 1971 - 1975. She then played the role of the wise-cracking brewery worker “Laverne De Fazio” in the popular television sitcom Laverne and Shirley from 1976 - 1983. While on Laverne and Shirley, she made two guest star appearances on Mary Tyler Moore as Mary's neighbor in her new apartment building, “Paula Kovacks.” She also made one guest star on Taxi playing herself in the role.

She has directed several successful feature motion pictures since the mid‐1980s, including Big, Awakenings starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro, and A League of Their Own, which starred Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell. In addition, she has directed blockbuster hits such as Riding in Cars with Boys starring Drew Barrymore and The Preacher’s Wife with Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.

Marshall lent her voice to the evil nanny on the first produced episode of The Simpsons, “Ms. Botz,” and played a cameo role as herself in HBO's hit series Entourage. In 2007, she graced the silver screen in three films: Blonde Ambition, Alice Upside Down and Everybody Wants to be Italian.