Fans are in mourning today after the death of Peter Marshall. The longtime Hollywood Squares host passed away on Thursday at the age of 98 after suffering from kidney failure.

Marshall’s beloved wife Laurie, who he’d been married to for 35 years, told Variety that he died at their home in Encino, California.

Marshall was a giant of television. He hosted over 5,000 episodes of Hollywood Squares from 1966-1980. He was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards throughout his career, winning five times.

Marshall’s History

Marshall was born Ralph Pierre LaCock on March 30, 1926 in Huntington, West Virginia. He began his career in entertainment at just 15, when he worked as both an NBC Radio page and an usher at Paramount Theater in Times Square.

Marshall was later drafted into the Army at age 18 in 1944, where he continued to pursue his entertainment career. During his time serving, he hosted for Armed Forces Radio. 

In 1949, Marshall formed a comedy duo with Tommy Noonan. Together, they began making frequent appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In the 1950s, Marshall was signed by Twentieth Century Fox. Roles quickly followed in movies like 1959’s The Rookie (1959), Swingin’ Along (1961), Ensign Pulver (1964) and The Cavern (1964).

Marshall made his Broadway debut in 1965 in Skyscraper with Julie Harris. He later performed in Broadway plays like High Button Shoes, Anything Goes, The Music Man and 42nd Street.

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Marshall Becomes A Game Show Host

In 1966, Marshall was offered the hosting gig on Hollywood Squares. The popular game show featured two contestants competing in a star-studded, tic-tac-toe match with nine celebrity guests. Indeed, frequent guests included Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, Rich Little, Rose Marie, George Gobel, and Wally Cox.

“It was the easiest thing I’ve ever done in show business,” Marshall later recalled in 2010. “I walked in, said ‘Hello stars,’ I read questions and laughed. And it paid very well.”

Marshall also hosted a syndicated nighttime version of the show from 1971 to 1981. Once Hollywood Squares ended in 1980, Marshall hosted The Peter Marshall Variety Show, Big Bands from Disneyland, All-Star Blitz, and Yahtzee. 

While hosting these shows, Marshall continued to perform as a singing actor. He appeared in Annie (1983) as Bert Healy and starred as Georges in La Cage Aux Folles in over 800 performances on both Broadway and on tour.

Despite his success as a host, Marshall always saw himself as a singer!

“I am a singer first, I am not a game show host.” he told The Herald-Dispatch in 2013,“That was just a freak opportunity. I had been on Broadway with Julie Harris and was going back to Broadway when I did the audition, and I thought it was a few weeks but that turned into 16 years.”

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Marshall’s Surviving Family

Aside from his wife, Marshall is also survived by his daughters Suzanne Browning and Jaime Dimarco, and son Chicago Cubs player Pete LaCock. He was sadly predeceased by one son named David.

In addition, Marshall is survived by 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

​​“I’m a great-grandparent, too. I love it,” Marshall previously told Closer Magazine. “I have terrific, interesting grandkids. They come to see me, which is great.”

And that, folks, is a life well-lived. Rest in peace, Peter Marshall.

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