Cindy Williams

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Cynthia Jane “Cindy” Williams (August 22, 1947 – January 25, 2023) was an American actress and memoirist. She is best known for playing Shirley Feeney on the TV shows Happy Days (1975–1979) and its spin-off Laverne & Shirley (1976–1982). She also acted in the films American Graffiti (1973) and The Conversation (1974).

Early life
Williams was born in Van Nuys, Los Angeles. Her mother was a waitress and her father worked at an electronics company. The family moved to Dallas when she was one, then returned to Los Angeles when she was ten. She had a sister named Carol Ann. She began acting at a church and later with school productions at Birmingham High School, graduating in 1965. She studied theater at Los Angeles City College and started her career in national commercials before moving into television and film.

Career highlights
Her early film roles included Travels with My Aunt (1972) and Laurie Henderson in American Graffiti (1973), which earned her a BAFTA nomination. She also appeared in The Conversation (1974). Williams auditioned for the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars but was not cast. She met Penny Marshall, and together they were hired as writers for a TV spoof, which led to their appearance on Happy Days. The popularity of their characters inspired the hit spin-off Laverne & Shirley, which ran from 1976 to 1982. Williams left the show early in the eighth season after announcing her pregnancy and due to on-set tensions with Marshall. The duo also produced a short-lived animated series, Laverne & Shirley in the Army (1981–82). Williams reprised her role as Laurie in More American Graffiti (1979) and continued to work in television, film, and stage, including a Broadway run in The Drowsy Chaperone (2007) and several national or regional theater productions. She published a memoir, Shirley, I Jest!, in 2015.

Personal life and death
Williams married Bill Hudson in 1982, and they had two children before divorcing in 2000. She was a Roman Catholic. Williams died in Los Angeles on January 25, 2023, at age 75 after a brief illness. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.