Cindy Williams

For other people named Cindy Williams, see Cindy Williams (disambiguation).

Cindy Williams
Williams in a publicity photo for Laverne & Shirley, 1976
Born	Cynthia Jane Williams (1947-08-22)August 22, 1947 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Birmingham High School
Alma mater	Los Angeles City College
Occupation	Actress producer
Years active	1970–2023
Known for	Laverne & Shirley Happy Days American Graffiti
Spouse(s)	Bill Hudson (m. 1982; div. 2000)
Children	2

Cynthia Jane Williams (August 22, 1947 – January 25, 2023) was an American actress and producer, known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcom Happy Days (1975–1979), and Laverne & Shirley (1976–1982). She also appeared in American Graffiti (1973) and The Conversation (1974).

Early life

Williams was born in the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles, California, on August 22, 1947. The family moved to Dallas, Texas when she was a year old and returned to Los Angeles when she was ten years old. She had one sibling, a sister named Carol Ann.

Williams wrote and acted during childhood at a church and later acted at Birmingham High School, graduating in 1965. She attended Los Angeles City College with a theater major.

Career

After college, Williams began her professional career by landing national commercials, which included Foster Grant sunglasses and TWA. Her first roles in television, among others, were on Room 222, Nanny and the Professor and Love, American Style.

Williams accompanied an actor-friend from Los Angeles City College who needed a scene partner for the audition and was also accepted at The Actors Studio West, but rarely attended due to acting commitments Williams picked up important film roles early in her career: George Cukor's Travels with My Aunt (1972); as Laurie Henderson, Ron Howard's character's high school sweetheart in George Lucas's American Graffiti (1973) for which she earned a BAFTA nomination as Best Supporting Actress; and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974). She auditioned, along with thousands of others, for Lucas's Star Wars for the role of Princess Leia, but it was played by Carrie Fisher.

Williams met Penny Marshall, first on a double date, and later at Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope company, both hired as comedy writers, because "they wanted two women", on a prospective TV spoof for the Bicentennial. While writing at Zoetrope, Penny Marshall's brother, Garry Marshall, called to ask if they would like to make an appearance on one episode of Happy Days, the television series he produced.

In 1975, Williams was cast as a fun-loving brewery bottle capper, Shirley Feeney, in an episode of Happy Days with Penny, who played her best friend and roommate Laverne De Fazio. The girls were cast as "sure-thing" dates of Richie and Fonzie (Henry Winkler). Their appearance proved so popular that Garry Marshall, producer of Happy Days, commissioned a spin-off series for the characters of Shirley and Laverne. Williams continued her role on the very successful Laverne & Shirley series from 1976 until 1982. At one point during its run, the series was the number one rated show on television. Williams was praised for her portrayal of Shirley Feeney. She left the show after the second episode of the show's eighth and what would become its final season, after she became pregnant with her first child. The show's various producers were not enthusiastic that Williams was pregnant, as her character Shirley was not pregnant. Williams and co-star Penny Marshall had also been feuding for quite some time on the set long before Williams became pregnant. They would reconcile many years later. The success of the TV series led to a short-lived Saturday morning animated series Laverne & Shirley in the Army (1981–82), created by Hanna-Barbera.

In 1990, Williams returned to series TV in the short-lived sitcom Normal Life and, a couple years later, reunited with former Laverne & Shirley producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett to star in their family sitcom Getting By (1993–94). She guest starred on several television shows, including two episodes of 8 Simple Rules.

Williams performed onstage in the national tours of Grease, Deathtrap and Moon Over Buffalo, and a regional production of Nunsense. She reunited with her Laverne & Shirley co-star Eddie Mekka in a November 2008 regional production of the Renée Taylor-Joseph Bologna comedy play It Had to Be You.

File:Cindy Williams 2017.jpg

Williams in 2017

She made her Broadway debut as daffy Mrs. Tottendale in The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre on December 11, 2007, succeeding Jo Anne Worley in the role originated by Georgia Engel.

Williams reunited with Penny Marshall on the TV series Sam & Cat in the episode "#SalmonCat" (2013).

In 2015, her memoir Shirley, I Jest! (co-written with Dave Smitherman) was published. In the same year, Williams engaged in celebrity branding for the senior citizen service Visiting Angels.

Personal life

Williams was married to Bill Hudson of the musical trio Hudson Brothers in 1982. The marriage ended in divorce in 2000. Together they have two children: a daughter, Emily (born 1982) and a son, Zachary (born 1986). Williams was a Catholic. After a brief illness, she died in Los Angeles on January 25, 2023, at the age of 75.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	Gas-s-s-s	Marissa
1971	Drive, He Said	Manager's Girlfriend
1972	Beware! The Blob	Randy's Girl
1972	Travels with My Aunt	Tooley
1973	The Killing Kind	Lori Davis
1973	American Graffiti	Laurie Henderson	Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1974	The Conversation	Ann
1975	Mr. Ricco	Jamison
1976	The First Nudie Musical	Rosie
1979	More American Graffiti	Laurie Henderson Bolander
1983	The Creature Wasn't Nice	Annie McHugh
1985	UFOria	Arlene Stewart
1985	The Joy of Natural Childbirth	Herself
1989	Big Man on Campus	Diane Girard
1989	Rude Awakening	June Margolin
1991	Bingo	Natalie Devlin
1997	Meet Wally Sparks	Emily Preston
2002	The Biggest Fan	Debbie's Mom
2006	The Legend of William Tell	Jillian
2012	Stealing Roses	Rose	Also associate producer
2018	Waiting in the Wings: Still Waiting	Rosie
2020	Canaan Land	Talk Show Guest

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969–1971	Room 222	Rhoda Zagor / Rita Zagor	3 episodes
1970	My World and Welcome to It	Lydia #2	Episode: "Child's Play"
1970	Barefoot in the Park	Agnes	Episode: "The Marriage Proposal"
1971	Nanny and the Professor	2nd Coed	Episode: "The Art of Relationships"
1971	The Funny Side	Teenage Wife	6 episodes
1971	Getting Together	Cathy	Episode: "Cathy's Clown"
1973	Love, American Style	Karen Brown / Naomi Brubaker	2 episodes
1974	Hawaii Five-O	Sue Reynolds	Episode: "Secret Witness"
1974	The Migrants	Betty	Television film
1974	Cannon	June Bowers	Episode: "The Stalker"
1975	Insight	Flora	Episode: "Somewhere Before"
1975	Police Story	Joanna	Episode: "Test of Brotherhood"
1975–1979	Happy Days	Shirley Feeney	5 episodes
1976	Petrocelli	Carol Janssen	Episode: "Survival"
1976–1982	Laverne & Shirley	Shirley Feeney	159 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1978)
1977	Saturday Night Live	Velocity / Self	Episode: "Live from Mardi Gras"
1978	Suddenly, Love	Regina Malloy	Television film
1979–1980	CHiPs	Cindy Williams	2 episodes
1981–1982	Laverne & Shirley in the Army	Shirley Feeney (voice)	13 episodes
1982	Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour	Shirley Feeney (voice)	Episode: "The Speed Demon Get-Away Caper"
1985	When Dreams Come True	Susan Matthews	Television film
1985	Joanna	Joanna Weston	Television film
1986	Help Wanted: Kids	Lisa Burke	Television film
1986	The Leftovers	Heather Drew	Television film
1988	Save the Dog!	Becky	Television film
1988	Tricks of the Trade	Catherine	Television film
1990	Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen	Rita Sue Bliss	Television film
1990	Normal Life	Anne Harlow	13 episodes
1990	Steel Magnolias	M'Lynn Eatenton	Television film
1990	Menu for Murder	Connie Mann	Television film
1991	Earth Angel	Judith	Television film
1993–1994	Getting By	Cathy Hale	31 episodes
1994	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Wandamae	Episode: "A Bolt from the Blue"
1995	Escape from Terror: The Teresa Stamper Story	Wanda Walden	Television film
1995	The Laverne & Shirley Reunion	Herself	Television special
1995	The Magic School Bus	Gerri Poveri (voice)	Episode: "Ups and Downs"
1996	Touched by an Angel	Claire	Episode: "Jacob's Ladder"
1996	The Stepford Husbands	Caroline Knox	Television film
1996	Hope & Gloria	Connie Carlucci	Episode: "Come Back Lil' Tina"
1999	The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights	Sue Ellen Caldwell	Television film
2000–2001	Strip Mall	Herself	6 episodes
2000–2002	For Your Love	Ronnie	3 episodes
2001	Son of the Beach	Bobbi	Episode: "Grand Prix"
2001	The Brothers García	Mrs. Barbacoa	Episode: "The Student Buddy"
2002	Laverne & Shirley: Together Again	Herself / Shirley Feeney	Television special
2002	7th Heaven	Vice Principal Val	Episode: "The Enemy Within"
2002	Less than Perfect	Joan Casey	Episode: "Meet the Folks"
2003	8 Simple Rules	Mary Ellen Doyle	2 episodes
2004	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Nora Hodges	Episode: "Sick"
2004–2005	Girlfriends	Lisa James	2 episodes
2007	Drive	House Mother	3 episodes
2012	Strawberry Summer	Ruth Yates	Television film
2013	Sam & Cat	Janice Dobbins	Episode: "#SalmonCat"
2016	The Odd Couple	Vivian	Episode: "Taffy Days"
2016	A Dream of Christmas	Jayne 'The Angel'	Television film

External links

• Cindy Williams at the Internet Movie Database
• Cindy Williams at AllMovie
• Cindy Williams at Rotten Tomatoes
• Cindy Williams interview video at the Archive of American Television
• Video Discussion with Actress Cindy Williams at New York Film Academy