Peter Marshall, Broadway Veteran and Original Hollywood Squares Host, Dies at 98

Peter Marshall, stage veteran and five-time Emmy-winning host of the original Hollywood Squares game show, died on August 15 of kidney failure at his Encino home. His family shared the news of his passing in a statement released by publicist Harlan Boll. He was 98.  

Born Ralph Pierre LaCock in Huntington, West Virginia on March 30, 1926, Marshall entered the entertainment industry in his teens as an NBC Radio page and an usher at Paramount Theater. He was drafted into the Army in 1944 and became a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio.

After forming a comedy duo with Tommy Noonan, which led to a number of television and film appearances, he landed the role of Albert Peterson in the 1961 West End production of Bye Bye Birdie, opposite Chita Rivera. Marshall made his Broadway debut in early 1961 in the short-lived William Welch play, How to Make a Man, returning to Broadway in the 1965 musical Skyscraper with Julie Harris and Charles Nelson Reilly. He made his final Broadway appearance in the original 1983 production of La Cage aux Folles as a replacement in the role of Georges, originated by Gene Barry. He delivered over 800 performances of the show on Broadway and on tour. His musical theater credits also include High Button Shoes, Anything Goes, The Music Man, and 42nd Street. He additionally starred for two years as Lenny Ganz in the national tour of the Neil Simon farce Rumors.

In 1966, Marshall began his tenure as host of Hollywood Squares, a game-show spin on tic-tac-toe featuring nine celebrity guests and two contestants. The show featured regular appearances from Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, Rich Little, Rose Marie, George Gobel, Wally Cox, Ruta Lee and Charlie Weaver among many other stars of the day. He served as the show's frontman for 15 years, subsequently hosting The Peter Marshall Variety Show, Big Bands From Disneyland, the audience participation series Fantasy with Leslie Uggams and game shows All-Star Blitz and Yahtzee.

In 2002, Marshall released his memoir, Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square, co-authored by Adrienne Armstrong. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Laurie, daughters Suzanne Browning (Husband David) and Jaime Dimarco (Husband Steve), son Pete LaCock (Wife Janna) and caregiver, Louis Soto; he is predeceased by son David LaCock, who died in 2021 from complications due to Covid. He is also the grandfather of 12 and the great-grandfather of nine.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Actors & Others for Animals, the Lange Foundation or the Mercy Kids Therapy and Development Center.