‘Happy Days’ star Marion Ross celebrates 97th birthday in rare photo
Marion Ross has made it another year around the sun.
The “Happy Days” alum celebrated her 97th birthday in an Instagram post shared by her son, comedian Jim Meskimen, on Saturday.
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Meskimen, 66, posted a picture of Ross sitting at a table and blowing out her birthday candles in a white cake that was covered in blueberries and strawberries.
“Happy 97, Marion!” Meskimen wrote in yellow font on the picture.
Meskimen also shared a second photo of a shelf filled with birthday cards for Ross.
“So many cards, so much love!” the voice actor wrote.
Meskimen captioned his tribute, “My mom and yours, Marion Ross, turns 97 today! She loves you, too!”
Henry Winkler, who co-starred with Ross in “Happy Days,” also celebrated the TV icon’s birthday on social media.
Winkler, 79, reshared a photo on X of Ross on her 95th birthday two years ago, writing, “A magnificent woman , artist and friend . HAPPY B DAY Marion … love, Henry.”
Ross famously played the role of matriarch Marion Cunningham on “Happy Days,” which aired on ABC from 1974 to 1984. The beloved sitcom also starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, Anson Williams as Potsie Weber, Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham and Winkler as Fonzie.
After “Happy Days” ended, Ross appeared on the CBS sitcom “Brooklyn Bridge’ and had recurring roles on “The Drew Carey Show,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Brothers & Sisters.” She also voiced SpongeBob SquarePants’s grandmother on the animated program from 2001 to 2024.
2019. Getty Images
Ross spoke about the success of “Happy Days” in a 2018 interview with Pasadena Weekly.
“’Happy Days’ lasted because the Fonz absolutely took off, and because in those days, we didn’t have so many TV shows to choose from,” the actress said. “Kids would watch ‘Happy Days’ on Tuesday nights and go and talk about it at school the next day.”
During a May 2020 interview with The Post, Ross explained how her role on the sitcom impacted her personal life.
“I had my children at home and I was running back and forth. I was divorced, and my life was very complicated. At least when “Happy Days” came along, we had 10 years of structure,” she said. “So that was good.”
Ross also told The Post that she was happy to be retired from acting.
“I was so driven at a young age when I was 13 or 14 in Minnesota, and I did what I wanted to do,” she shared. “I’m 91-and-a-half but I’m still very spry and very cute. And my whole life is really lovely.”
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