Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley Star, Dies At 75

Cindy Williams first got her start in small roles on TV shows like “Room 222,” and “Love, American Style,” but her breakthrough role came as Laure Henderson in George Lucas’ coming-of-age dramedy, “American Graffiti.” Her performance earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and performed alongside future “Happy Days” co-star, Ron Howard. The performance helped her nab a role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” alongside Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, and Robert Duvall.

In her later years, Williams returned to the world of television in the shows “Normal Life” and “Getting By,” before appearing in films and series like “Bingo,” “Meet Wally Sparks,” “The Biggest Fan,” “Strip Mall,” “For Your Love,” “7th Heaven,” “8 Simple Rules” and “Girlfriends.” A few years after the “Laverne & Shirley: Together Again,” reunion special, the two cameoed together on an episode of the Nickelodeon show “Sam & Cat” with Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande, playing the show creators of a 1970s-style sitcom. In 2015, she published a memoir titled “Shirley, I Jest!: A Storied Life,” which documents Williams’s blue-collar origins to starring in one of the most memorable shows in television history.

Cindy Williams will be largely remembered as the ​​sweet, positive, and nurturing working-class girl she played on TV, helping change the way female friendships would appear on screen forever. 730 Knapp Street, Apartment A. was better because of her. She will be greatly missed.