Marion Ross was born Marian Ross on October 25, 1928, in Minnesota. She grew up in her native state and worked as a teenage au pair to earn money for drama lessons. The family relocated to San Diego, and Marion attended and graduated from Point Loma High School. She changed her stage name to Marion Ross and enrolled at San Diego State College, appearing in theater productions.
Marion managed to land a Paramount Studio contract and found a few unbilled parts in films such as The Glenn Miller Story, Secret of the Incas, Sabrina, and Pushover. She won a regular role as the Irish maid "Nora" in the Victorian TV comedy Life with Father, which ran for a couple of seasons.
Marion landed slightly larger parts in movies such as The Proud and Profane, Lizzie, Teacher's Pet, and Operation Petticoat, but her attempts to move further up the Hollywood film ladder proved frustrating. She made her Broadway debut in 1958 with a role in "Edwin Booth" and continued to focus on TV work.
Throughout the 1960s, Marion appeared in a steady amount of shows, including Father Knows Best, Rawhide, Route 66, The Outer Limits, The Felony Squad, and The Brady Bunch. By the end of the decade, she was disillusioned and struggling to raise two children.
Middle-aged stardom came to Marion with the nostalgic sitcom series Happy Days in 1974, which starred Ron Howard and co-starred Henry Winkler. The show became a certifiable hit, and Marion's ever-pleasant "Marion Cunningham" earned her two Emmy nominations.
Following the demise of Happy Days, Marion continued to pursue her career assertively and challengingly, earning terrific reviews for her recurring role on The Love Boat and enjoying standard guest turns on Night Court, MacGyver, and Burke's Law.
One of Marion's finest hours on TV occurred with her role as the obstinate, iron-willed Jewish matriarch in the Brooklyn Bridge series, which garnered her two more Emmy nominations. She also appeared in films such as Colossus: The Forbin Project, Grand Theft Auto, The Evening Star, Music Within, and Superhero Movie.
During her post-"Happy Days" years, Marion reinvigorated her career on the stage, earning renewed acclaim and respect for her roles in "Arsenic and Old Lace," "Steel Magnolias," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "The Glass Menagerie," "Pippin," and "Barefoot in the Park," among others.
On TV, Marion found recurring roles on That '70s Show, Touched by an Angel, The Drew Carey Show, Gilmore Girls, and Brothers & Sisters, as well as guest parts on various shows. Primarily involved in voice work, she has provided voices for animated shows such as "Family Guy," "King of the Hill," "Scooby-Doo!," and "Guardians of the Galaxy."
