Screengrab via Universal Pictures Tracy Reiner pictured in "Apollo 13."
Tracy Reiner, the only child of Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall, is an actress in her own right having appeared in “A League of Their Own” and “Big.” TMZ was the first to report on December 18 that Marshall had died at the age of 75. The website gave her cause of death as complications caused by diabetes.
Marshall is survived by her sister, Ronny Hallin, 80, and her daughter Tracy Reiner, 54. Marshall’s brother, the legendary filmmaker Garry Marshall, passed away in 2016. On Marshall’s official Facebook page, a brief message read, “Our family thanks everyone for the kind messages and thoughts. Losing Penny is hard to endure. Keep her sister Ronny, Daughter Tracy and grandchildren Spencer, Bella and Viva in your prayers.”
Here’s what you need to know about Tracy Reiner:
1. Tracy’s Biological Father Is Michael Henry But She Was Adopted by Celebrated Director Rob Reiner
GettyTracy Reiner, honorees Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner, actor Michele Singer Reiner, writer Nick Reiner, and Rony Reiner attend the Carl and Rob Reiner Hand and Footprint Ceremony during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
In 2012, Marshall spoke candidly about giving birth to Tracy in an interview with Newsweek. Marshall spoke about Tracy’s father, Michael “Mickey” Henry, as a football player in her college, the University of New Mexico. Marshall said Tracy was conceived because Henry was sad about being dropped from the football team. When Marshall discovered she was pregnant, the pair got married which happened to be in the days after JFK’s Assassination in November 1963.
Marshall vaguely describes divorcing Henry and marrying Rob Reiner adding, “Tracy came to stay with us—she said we had more TV channels. I did have to send her off to college while wearing a Playboy Bunny suit because it was during the shooting of that episode of ‘Laverne & Shirley.'” Tracy said in a 2011 interview with the Hollywood Sentinel that she grew up between Los Angeles, New Mexico and New York City. During her time in high school in Los Angeles, Tracy enrolled at Colfax Avenue School, which is also the alma-mater of Molly Ringwald, Claire Danes and Jodie Foster.
2. Tracy is Known for Her Roles in ‘When Harry Met Sally…,’ ‘A League of Their Own,’ & ‘Apollo 13’
Tracy has had a vast acting career in her own right, according to her IMDb page. In the 1970s, Tracy appeared in multiple episodes of her mother’s sitcom, “Laverne & Shirley.” More famously, Tracy had substantial roles in the movies, “A League of Their Own,” “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Masque of the Red Death.” In her interview with the Hollywood Sentinel, Tracy said she worked on “Saturday Night Live” for three seasons. During the same interview, Tracy said that she has had her Screen Actors Guild card since she was 15 years old.
Tracy said in a 2014 interview that the most common line that fans say to her is from, “A League of Their Own,” Tom Hanks’ famous, “There’s no crying in baseball!” Tracy said people say it to her at amusement parks. When asked about the ending of the movie and if Geena Davis’ character purposely dropped the ball to allow her sister the glory, Tracy said, “Seriously? Whatever you believe, you make true.”
3. Tracy Is Married With 5 Children
Tracy is married to Matthew Theodore Conlan. The couple has two children together. Tracy has a son, Spencer, from a previous relationship. Her husband has two children from a previous relationship. Marshall said of Spencer in her 2012 Newsweek interview, “I love him dearly.” Marshall added that Tracy has two daughters, Bella and Viva. In 2011, Bella appeared in the movie “Boys With Eyes.” An online profile of Tracy says that the family has 12 pets.
At one point in her youth, Tracy said that she was romantically linked to one of Francis Ford Coppola’s sons.
4. On Her Facebook Page, Tracy Says She Was Her Mother’s Manager
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Tracy says on her Facebook page that she had been working as her mother’s manager. While on her LinkedIn page, Tracy says that she sits on numerous non-profits boards in Hollywood. Since August 2018, Tracy has been the president of the Womens Club of Hollywood. She describes her role as, “Restoring and re establishing a historic and valuable organization to its original grandeur.”
Tracy studied dance and theater at Bennington College in the 1980s and Film Studies at the University of Southern California in the 1990s. In one bio, Tracy is quoted as saying, “It was complete culture shock. I was forever try to build bridges between both of those worlds and schooling became the easiest place. I went to a lot of schools: Private, alternative, college and universities.” In addition, Tracy is the CEO of Manifesto Films.
5. Tracy Is Heavlily Involved in Renewable Energy Research
Tracy said in a 2014 interview with Jeff Pearlman that 15 members of her family were employed by the Atomic Energy Commission. Tracy spoke about her interest in renewable energy saying, “There is a tremendous effort being made to save the earth and a tremendous effort at still raping the earth. She will have to reconcile this battle. I am on the side of the white blood cells fighting the disease.” Tracy said in a 2011 interview with the Hollywood Sentinel, “My family in New Mexico all worked at the government facilities; Los Alamos, Sandia National Labs, Kurtland Air Force Base.”
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Tracy Reiner, Penny Marshall’s Daughter: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know