PETER MARSHALL

March 30, 1926

Peter Marshall was born Ralph Pierre LaCock into a show business family in Huntington, West Virginia. His sister was actress Joanne Dru, who replaced Vivian Vance in Desilu’s “Guestward Ho!”  He is perhaps best remembered as the original host of “Hollywood Squares” from 1966 to 1981, but he was also an actor and singer, with more than fifty films, television shows, and Broadway shows to his credit. 

When Marshall was ten, he moved to New York City to be with his mother, a costume designer. After he graduated from high school, he was drafted into the Army in 1944 and stationed in Italy. In the 1950s, Marshall earned his living as part of a comedy act with Tommy Noonan in night clubs and on television variety shows. 

Their very first appearance on the new medium of television was in the 1949 pilot for “Let There Be Stars”, the very first television program produced by ABC-TV in Hollywood.  

During the first season of “The Lucy Show”, Marshall played Hughie in “Lucy’s Sister Pays a Visit” (TLS S1;E15) first aired on January 7, 1963. Hughie was engaged to Lucy’s sister, Marge (Janet Waldo). Lucy and Viv host their wedding ceremony in the Carmichael living room, but someone gets cold feet! 

In 1966 he began hosting the daytime “Hollywood Squares,” a position he held until 1981, doing more than 280 episodes of the game show.  Although Lucille Ball never filled a square, her children did. Lucie Arnaz appeared on a dozen episodes between July 1971 and the end of 1973. Desi Jr. appeared in two episodes during 1970. Desi Sr. did three weeks worth of episodes in 1972. 

The show earned Marshall four daytime Emmy Awards. When it moved to syndication in 1971, it earned him two primetime Emmy nominations. When the show was rebooted in 2002, Marshall appeared as a guest, and even guest-hosted for Tom Bergeron. 

In 1974, Marshall was back to acting with “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye,” the first of the Lucille Ball Specials. Marshall played Greg Carter, a dentist in practice with the husband of the character played by Lucille Ball. 

His most recent screen appearance was in 2011. 

He has been married to Laurie Marshall since August 19, 1989. He was previously married to Sally Carter-Ihnat, and Nadene Rita Teaford. He has four children.