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Marion Ross born October 25, 1928 in Watertown, Minnesota) is an American actress.
She grew up in Waconia, Willmar and Albert Lea. At the age of 13, she changed the spelling of her name from "Marian" to "Marion" because she thought it would look better on a marquee. After Marion completed her sophomore year in high school, she moved to Minneapolis and took a job as an au pair so she could take drama lessons at the MacPhail Center for the Arts. After a year in Minneapolis, where she attended Southwest High School, her family moved to San Diego, California, and Marion enrolled in San Diego State College.
Ross was named the school's most outstanding actress. After graduation in 1950, she performed in summer theater in La Jolla, California. The director was impressed by her talent, and recommended that she try for work in Hollywood.
In 1953, Ross made her big-screen debut in Forever Female where she appeared with Ginger Rogers. A steady stream of film work followed, including parts in The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Sabrina (1954), and Operation Petticoat (1959).
Her career on television began in 1953 when she played the Irish maid on the series Life With Father for two years. Her list of credits spans the history of classic TV, from Burns and Allen Show, Love Boat and Night Court.
Marion Ross' most famous role was in the long-running series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984. She played as Marion Cunningham, Ritchie and Joanie's mother.
Ross has acted on Broadway and in films, but she adores doing TV. In recent years, she played recurring roles as Drew Carey's mother on The Drew Carey Show and Grandma Forman on That '70s Show. She is also seen frequently on Hollywood Squares, and does voiceovers for Grandma SquarePants on SpongeBob SquarePants.
Ross lives in Los Angeles with actor Paul Michael. Her two children also work in entertainment: Jim Meskimens acting credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Ellen Plummer is a writer/producer on Friends.
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