Getty Garry Marshall and his daughter Kathleen in 2002.
Garry Marshall’s daughter, Kathleen Marshall LaGambina, was very close to her father. She said he was caring, supportive, and really loved his children. Here’s what you need to know about Kathleen Marshall.
Garry Marshall had three talented children with his wife, Barbara Marshall: Lori, Scott, and Kathleen. Kathleen Marshall LaGambina is married to Douglas Joseph LaGambina.
1. Kathleen Co-Owned a Theater with Her Dad Now Called the Garry Marshall Theatre
Kathleen co-owned Falcon Theater with her dad. She first started working in the entertainment business when she had small parts on Garry’s TV shows, Tolucan Times reported. She and her dad established the theater in 1997.
She told Tolucan Times about the experience of co-owning a theater with her dad: “He decided to build one (a theater) from scratch plus he was moving offices. I was just out of college, acting and running around on auditions. Instead of temping or waitressing for my ‘day job,’ I started working as a liaison for the construction crew and my dad because he was busy and needed somebody to oversee the building.”
The theater’s name was changed in 2017 to the Garry Marshall Theatre. It’s a 130-seat theater (and a nonprofit organization) that promotes new artists and builds community in Burbank, California. According to the theater’s “about” page:
Our mission is to bring people together for the unparalleled experience of participating in the live arts. We strive to connect people through diverse storytelling and innovative performances. We are proud to be a community stomping ground for exploration and education as we celebrate and cultivate artists and audiences alike. We echo and expand upon the philosophy that the live arts spark ideas, elicit conversations and pledge the promise of possibility.
Kathleen told Tolucan Times that she loves running a theater and supporting writers and directors.
According to her LinkedIn, she’s been on the board of Garry Marshall Theatre since 2017, is a producer with Nice Productions/Henderson Productions, and is also an actor.
2. She First Became Interested in the Entertainment Industry After Starring in Small Roles on Her Dad’s Shows
Opening night at @Falcon_Theatre with Kathleen Marshall LaGamba, Garry Marshall, Paul Gray, Rachel Kraft! http://t.co/VKbldcrFed
Kathleen first became interested in the entertainment industry when she played small roles on her dad’s TV shows, like Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, she told Tolucan Times. She loved the atmosphere, so she went to college at Northwestern University and earned a degree in theater, where she performed in The Odyssey and Medea. From there, she was in Off-Broadway productions before moving to Los Angeles. She eventually made her way back to TV for many guest-starring roles.
According to IMDb, Kathleen has had quite a few acting credits in her career, including New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, The Princess Diaries 2, Raising Helen, Duty Dating, Rat Race, Spin Cycle, The Princess Diaries, Runaway Bride, Never Been Kissed, Getting Away with Murder, Exit to Eden, Happy Days, and more. She’s the executive producer of an upcoming movie called Thursdays at Four.
Kathleen told Tolucan Times that when she started the theater with her dad, she learned that she really liked supervising and producing plays.
3. She Said Her Father Was Very Sweet & Supportive
Scott and Kathleen Marshall accepted the Disney Legend award for their father the late and great Garry Marshall! #D23Expo
Kathleen said about her dad: “He’s a good, sweet guy! Working with him we have a really good time. He’s interesting and fun; as a dad he’s caring and supportive. With my Mom they are very normal, funny people so it wasn’t raucous; it was pretty calm.”
In an interview with Grandparents.com, Kathleen’s sister Lori said that Kathleen worked at Haagen-Dazs and became the store manager at 16, hiring her brother Scott when he was 15.
Her favorite movie roles, she told Tolucan Times, were playing an emergency room nurse in Freeway with Kiefer Sutherland and Reese Witherspoon, and having a role on Runaway Bride. “To see a bloody Kiefer be in this really strange hospital was really fun; it was the weirdest part I ever did,” she recalled.
But she said Princess Diaries 2 showcases her acting abilities best.
4. Kathleen Marshall LaGambina Stood in for Her Dad When the ‘Pretty Woman’ Musical Opened in Chicago
In 2018, when the Pretty Woman musical opened in Chicago nearly 30 years after the movie, Kathleen Marshall stood in her father’s place to witness the big event, ABC 7 reported. Garry Marshall directed the movie and co-wrote the musical.
She told ABC 7: “He really wanted this to be a musical. He wanted to get this to Broadway. He had one show that did not do well. He just thought Pretty Woman, they are characters that are so beloved.”
5. All Three of Garry Marshall’s Children Attended the Same University
GettyGarry Marshall and Kathleen Marshall in 2006.
Garry Marshall’s family is very close. In fact, all three of his children attended Northwestern University, The Daily Northwestern shared. Two of his grandchildren and his sister also attended Northwestern. Lori Marshall said that anyone who graduated from NU was immediately considered a friend by her dad. She told Daily Northwestern: “Northwestern taught him to be a well-rounded person. You could be in Waa-Mu, you could be on the sports team, you could do it all because it was possible.”
Kathleen Marshall told the Tolucan Times that she personally became interested in NU after attending their Northwestern Summer Program and absolutely loving it. She said that Henry Winkler and Marion Ross had encouraged her to go to school and not just start starring in plays. Once she went to the summer program, she realized that she loved sets and costumes and wanted to go back to the university for her degree.