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IMDbPro

Cindy Williams(1947-2023)

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
"Laverne & Shirley" Cindy Williams
Watch Still Waiting In The Wings
Play trailer2:58
Waiting in the Wings: Still Waiting (2018)
10 Videos
99+ Photos
Cindy Williams was born Cynthia Jane Williams in Van Nuys, California on August 22, 1947. The Leo was 5'4" and, during her first years on Laverne & Shirley (1976), weighed a dainty 105 lbs. The brown haired, blue-eyed female was born the daughter of Francesca Bellini and Beachard Williams. Her father was an electronic technician, and Cindy grew up in reduced circumstances. She had one sister, Carol Ann Williams, and an older half-brother, Jim from her mother's first marriage.

As a child, she dreamed of being an actress. She used to create and perform her own plays and, as she grew, she wished that one day, Debbie Reynolds would see her in one of those amateur shows and whisk her away and put her in a film. Another thing that brought show business into her life was her alcoholic father's imitations of comics like Jackie Gleason and Milton Berle. She worked as a waitress, while she auditioned for commercials, television guest spots, and feature films. Her first step to fame was a movie in which she tap danced with Gene Kelly. She stepped on Kelly's foot, leaving her "really embarrassed". She landed important film roles early in her career.

Famed director George Cukor cast her in Tädin kanssa maailmalla (1972). Her next big role was for George Lucas in American Graffiti - Svengijengi -62 (1973), as Ron Howard's girlfriend, for which she earned a BAFTA nomination as Best Supporting Actress. That led to Francis Ford Coppola casting her in Keskustelu (1974). The three instant-classic films should have propelled her into movie stardom, but her career inexplicably hit a lull. She couldn't go back to working as a waitress, because she was too well-known.

She was set up in a writing team with Penny Marshall and the girls were called by Penny's brother, Garry Marshall, to do a stint as two fast girls on Onnen päivät (1974). The public received them so warmly that Cindy and Penny soon got their own show and was referred to everywhere as "Shirley Feeney".

She earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in 1978. She left the show in 1982, pregnant with daughter Emily. She was married to Bill Hudson, who had previously been married to actress Goldie Hawn. Williams later gave birth to a son, Zachary, in 1986. She went on to make a few movies and co-produced "The Father Of The Bride" movies with Hudson. They divorced in 2000.

She did Jenny Craig commercials and acted on guest spots on the TV show For Your Love (1998) and reunited with Penny Marshall several times on television. In 2015, her memoir, Shirley, I Jest! (co-written with Dave Smitherman), was published.

Cindy Williams died, aged 75, following a brief, undisclosed illness, in 2023.
BornAugust 22, 1947
DiedJanuary 25, 2023(75)
BornAugust 22, 1947
DiedJanuary 25, 2023(75)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
    • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

Remembering Cindy Williams: 1947-2023

Remembering Cindy Williams: 1947-2023

Celebrate the life of Cindy Williams, best known for playing Shirley Feeney on "Laverne and Shirley."
See the gallery
Editorial Image
Photos

Photos143

Cindy Williams in The Killing Kind (1973)
Cindy Williams in The Killing Kind (1973)
Cindy Williams in The Killing Kind (1973)
John Savage and Cindy Williams in The Killing Kind (1973)
Michael Sklar and Cindy Williams in Laugh-In (1977)
Harrison Ford and Cindy Williams in American Graffiti - Svengijengi -62 (1973)
Jon Gries, Carol Ann Williams, and Cindy Williams in Juhlat ovat ohi (1979)
Cindy Williams in Juhlat ovat ohi (1979)
Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams in Keskustelu (1974)
Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams in Keskustelu (1974)
Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams in Keskustelu (1974)
Maggie Smith, Alec McCowen, and Cindy Williams in Tädin kanssa maailmalla (1972)

Known for:

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams in Laverne & Shirley (1976)
Laverne & Shirley
7.0
TV Series
  • Shirley Feeney
Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark, Paul Le Mat, Mackenzie Phillips, and Cindy Williams in American Graffiti - Svengijengi -62 (1973)
American Graffiti - Svengijengi -62
7.4
  • Laurie
  • 1973
Gene Hackman in Keskustelu (1974)
Keskustelu
7.8
  • Ann
  • 1974
Paljas avaruus (1981)
Paljas avaruus
3.5
  • Annie McHugh
  • 1981

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Sami Staitman in Sami (2023)
    Sami
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Grandma
    • 2023
  • Rebecca Holden and Richard Rossi in Canaan Land (2020)
    Canaan Land
    3.0
    • Talk Show Guest
    • 2020
  • The Pack Podcast (2020)
    The Pack Podcast
    5.7
    Podcast Series
    • Luann
    • 2020
  • Waiting in the Wings: Still Waiting (2018)
    Waiting in the Wings: Still Waiting
    6.5
    • Rosie
    • 2018
  • Nikki Deloach and Andrew W. Walker in A Dream of Christmas (2016)
    A Dream of Christmas
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Jayne 'The Angel'
    • 2016
  • Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon in Poikamiesboksi (2015)
    Poikamiesboksi
    6.3
    TV Series
    • Vivian
    • 2016
  • Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande in Sam & Cat (2013)
    Sam & Cat
    5.7
    TV Series
    • Janice Dobbins
    • 2013
  • Essence Atkins, Terry Crews, Teala Dunn, and Coy Stewart in Are We There Yet? (2010)
    Are We There Yet?
    5.5
    TV Series
    • Erin (Martin's Mum)
    • 2012
  • Stealing Roses
    Stealing Roses
    6.2
    • Rose
    • 2012
  • Julie Mond and Trevor Donovan in Strawberry Summer (2012)
    Strawberry Summer
    5.8
    TV Movie
    • Ruth Yates
    • 2012
  • Peter at the End (2012)
    Peter at the End
    7.3
    Short
    • Donna
    • 2012
  • The Happiest Man Alive
    8.0
    Short
    • Sally
    • 2010
  • Drive (2007)
    Drive
    7.7
    TV Series
    • House Mother
    • 2007
  • Shorty McShorts' Shorts (2006)
    Shorty McShorts' Shorts
    3.7
    TV Series
    • (voice)
    • 2007
  • The Legend of William Tell
    • Jillian
    • 2006

Producer

  • Stealing Roses
    Stealing Roses
    6.2
    • associate producer
    • 2012
  • Steve Martin and Kimberly Williams-Paisley in Morsiamen isä 2 (1995)
    Morsiamen isä 2
    6.1
    • co-producer
    • 1995
  • The Cindy Williams Comedy Special (1994)
    The Cindy Williams Comedy Special
    TV Special
    • executive producer
    • 1994
  • Steve Martin and Kimberly Williams-Paisley in Morsiamen Isä (1991)
    Morsiamen Isä
    6.5
    • co-producer
    • 1991

Director

  • Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams in Laverne & Shirley (1976)
    Laverne & Shirley
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1981

Funny Women of Television

Funny Women of Television

We salute the brilliant women behind all those unforgettable laughs on the small screen.
View the gallery
Production art
Photos

Videos10

Trailer
Trailer 2:38
Trailer
Work Horses
Trailer 1:57
Work Horses
The First Nudie Musical
Trailer 2:37
The First Nudie Musical
Bingo
Trailer 1:59
Bingo
The Magic School Bus: Ups And Downs
Trailer 1:14
The Magic School Bus: Ups And Downs
Still Waiting In The Wings
Trailer 2:58
Still Waiting In The Wings
Stealing Roses Film Trailer
Trailer 1:43
Stealing Roses Film Trailer
I Can Make It
Video 2:26
I Can Make It
Shirley's Big Surprise
Video 4:22
Shirley's Big Surprise
Quick to Flare
Video 3:20
Quick to Flare

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 1.63 m
  • Born
    • August 22, 1947
    • Van Nuys, California, USA
  • Died
    • January 25, 2023
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(brief illness)
  • Spouse
    • Bill HudsonMay 1, 1982 - December 15, 2000 (divorced, 2 children)
  • Children
      Emily Taylor Hudson
  • Relatives
    • Carol Ann Williams(Sibling)
  • Other works
    (1970s) TV commercial: Foster Grant sunglasses.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 2 Pictorials

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Wrote with Penny Marshall before acting with her.
  • Quotes
    [on leaving the Laverne & Shirley show due to her pregnancy] I thought I was going to come back and they'd hide [her baby bump] behind benches, couches, pillows, and that wasn't it. When it came time for me to sign my contract for that season, they had me working on my due date to have my baby. I said, 'You know, I can't sign this.' And it went back and forth and back and forth, and it just never got worked out. Right after that, [shows] would build nurseries on sets.
  • Trademark
    Cute Yet High-Strung Women
  • Nickname
    • Cindy

FAQ14

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