Marion Ramsey, an actress and singer who appeared on the hit Broadway show in 1978 Eubie! but is best known for her interpretation of the sweet and squeaky Officer Laverne Hooks in Police Academy franchise, died today at his home in Los Angeles. She was 73 years old.
Her death was announced by her management team at Roger Paul Inc. A cause has not been determined, although the actress has been ill for the past few days.
Born in Philadelphia, Ramsey began his show business career on stage, appearing both on the original Broadway and on subsequent touring productions of Hello, Dolly! In 1974, she starred alongside Bette Davis in the legendary musical flop Miss Moffat, an adaptation of the classic Davis film of 1945 Corn is green. Directed by Josh Logan, the Broadway musical was closed during out-of-town auditions.
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Roger Paul Inc.
Ramsey’s stage career recovered four years later with Eubie !, the praised biographical musical about jazz pianist Eubie Blake, starring Gregory and Maurice Hines.
By the time Eubie! opened, Ramsey had started what would be a long career on TV and film, starting with a special appearance in 1976 on the sitcom The Jeffersons. That same year, she became a regular in the series of comic sketches presented by Bill Cosby Waistband.
Its main role came in 1984 with Police Academy, the comedy film starring Steve Guttenberg. Like the polite officer Laverne Hooks, Ramsey made good use of his high-pitched and whispering voice, a vocal delivery that contrasted with the character’s occasional high-volume explosions. The film’s success was followed by five sequels over the next five years, with Ramsey appearing in all of them. She briefly reprized the role in the 1993 comedy video John Virgo: playing to laugh and, as a voice actress, in a 2006 episode of the animated film Robot Chicken.
Other TV credits include the 1992 animation series The Addams Family. In 2015 and 2016, she met with Guttenberg in the exaggerated Syfy TV films Lavalantula and sequel 2 Lava 2 Lantula! A staunch supporter of AIDS / HIV awareness, Ramsey acted on the show by Sheryl Lee Ralph Divas Simply Singing, an annual fundraising event in Los Angeles.
Ramsey leaves three brothers.