Peter Marshall

Biography

Legend has it Peter Marshall got his big break for his all-time most identifiable role, because a publicity photo of his happened to be lying around NBC. They called him in and must have liked what they saw. Marshall began his job on the first Hollywood Squares broadcast in October 1966, and stayed until the end of the syndicated version in 1981. He also hosted the late 1960s prime time version, the Saturday morning Storybook Squares spinoff, and the syndicated nighttime version that ran from 1971 to 1981. Peter Marshall, the son of a pharmacist, was born Pierre LaCock in Huntington, West Virginia in 1927. (His real name was once the source of a High Rollers question). He started his show biz career in his teens, singing with big bands. He went from there to working as a page at NBC and at one point deejayed in Italy. He eventually ended up in Los Angeles in 1949, starving and in debt. That's when he became partners with Tommy Noonan as the comedy team of Noonan and Marshall. The two made numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and even did a couple of movies. Marshall also appeared in a few films (including "Ensign Pulver") and a few stage musicals ("Bye Bye Birdie" in London) before the Squares. He also did TV commercials, including a 1960s black and white ad for Kellogg's that still pops up occasionally on TV Land as a "Retromercial." He even wrote the screenplay for "Maryjane", a 1968 anti-marijuana film. Marshall himself says he wrote the script in ten days, "and we started filming on the eleventh." During the Squares years Marshall also hosted a syndicated variety show that aired late Saturday nights in the 1970s, and often performed song and dance on variety shows and awards shows like the People's Choice Awards. Just after Squares ended Marshall appeared as radio comedian Bert Healy in the 1982 movie version of Annie. After Squares Marshall hosted Fantasy (which, ironically, NBC cancelled to make way for The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour with the Squares segment hosted by Jon Bauman), All Star Blitz and an aborted late 1980s attempt to bring the Yatzhee game to TV. He also appeared as himself in a spoof called "East Hollywood Squares" on the Fox comedy series In Living Color. His last game show was the disastrous Reel-to-Reel Movie Game on Paxnet. But he found his greatest happiness returning to his stage and musical roots. He appeared in "HMS Pinafore" with the London Symphony, and today once again sings with big bands. In fact he even has a new CD out, and a website up and running to promote it. Last fall, he also filled in for Gary Owens as an announcer on the "Music of Your Life" radio network, and has been tapped for a regular slot this fall. Marshall and his third wife, Laurie, live in Encino, California. Incidentally, he's also the brother of the late actress Joanne Dru, and the father of baseball player Pete LaCock.