Marion Ramsey, ‘Police Academy’ Star and Broadway Actress, Dead at 73
By Zach Seemayer 8:32 PM PST, January 7, 2021
James Lemke Jr/WireImage
Actress Marion Ramsey has died. The star of screen and stage died suddenly early Thursday morning at her home in Los Angeles. She was 73.
Ramsey’s death was confirmed to ET by her rep Thursday evening. No cause of death has yet been disclosed.
The Philadelphia native was born on May 10, 1947, and had her first big acting role on an episode of The Jeffersons in 1976. She went on to be cast as a series regular on Cos, a sketch comedy series hosted by Bill Cosby, shortly thereafter.
Ramsey is best remembered for her role as the soft-spoken Officer Laverne Hooks in the Police Academy franchise, beginning with the first film in 1984., Ramsey reprised the role for every subsequent installment in the series until Police Academy 6: City Under Siege.
Additional film and TV credits include MacGyver, Beverly Hills, 90210, The Nanny, Modern Family, and Return to Babylon. Her most notable recent role came in 2015’s SyFy campy cult hit Lavalantula, where she appeared opposite her former Police Academy co-star Steve Guttenberg. She reprised the role for the 2016 sequel, 2 Lava 2 Lantula.
Ramsey also enjoyed a long career on stage, appearing in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including a pre-Broadway production of Miss Moffatt opposite Bette Davis.
Ramsey is survived by her three brothers.
