10/26/2026
Happy 98th Birthday, Marion Ross!
Born on October 25, 1928, in Watertown, Minnesota, Marion Ross turns 98 today. From the Cunningham family kitchen to Bikini Bottom, her work has reached generations of television viewers.
She is best known as Marion Cunningham, affectionately called Mrs. C, on Happy Days. Airing on ABC from 1974 to 1984, the sitcom paired her with Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham, alongside Ron Howard, Erin Moran and Henry Winkler. Her warmth, comic timing and willingness to stand up to the Fonz made Mrs. C much more than a supporting presence in the Cunningham household.
Ross later played Sophie Berger, the strong-willed grandmother in Brooklyn Bridge, earning two Emmy nominations. Across her career, she received five Primetime Emmy nominations, including two for Happy Days and one for Touched by an Angel.
Her other television families brought very different personalities. She played Richard's formidable mother, Lorelai “Trix” Gilmore, on Gilmore Girls, Drew's mother Beulah Carey on The Drew Carey Show, and Eric's grandmother Bernice Forman on That '70s Show.
Younger audiences know her voice as Grandma SquarePants in SpongeBob SquarePants, including the episode “Grandma's Kisses.” Her Disney voice work includes Mrs. Lopart in Handy Manny, while other animated appearances include Ms. Wakefield in King of the Hill and Grandma Moonbeam in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
Before Happy Days, Ross appeared in films including Sabrina and Operation Petticoat. She later earned a Golden Globe nomination for The Evening Star and shared her own story in the 2018 memoir My Days: Happy and Otherwise.
Whether offering Mrs. C's firm advice or Grandma SquarePants's cookies and affection, Marion gave each television family a personality viewers could recognize instantly.
Happy Birthday Marion Ross! 🥳
