This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Cindy Williams.
Cindy Williams is the guest star of Menopause The Musical® at Harrah’s Las Vegas through May 29. Menopause The Musical® is celebrating its 11th anniversary in Las Vegas, making it the longest-running scripted musical in Las Vegas history.
Williams is most recognized for her role as “Shirley Feeney” in the TV comedy series “Laverne And Shirley.”
Born in Van Nuys, Calif., Williams first became interested in acting during high school. After graduation she attended L. A. City College where she majored in Theatre Arts. After leaving college, she landed her first television roles on “Room 22,” “Nanny And The Professor,” and “Love American Style.” Some guest-starring roles include “Law And Order: SUV,” “Seventh Heaven,” and “8 Simple Rules.”
Her stage credits include, among other productions, the national tour of Grease, playing Miss Lynch, the national tour of Deathtrap with Elliot Gould, The Female Odd Couple with Joanne Worley, Steel Magnolias as Ouiser Boudreaux and, in 2007, Williams made her Broadway debut in the role of Mrs.Tottendale in the award-winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone.
Williams co-starred with Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss and Harrison Ford in “American Graffiti,” directed by George Lucas, a low-budget film that went on to become a box office smash and film classic.
Among her favorite honors is her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, her TV Land award for Fan Favorite as well as winning Best Actress at the L. A. Comedy Film Festival for the Indy film “Stealing Roses.” Cindy also garnered a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nomination for best supporting actress in “American Graffiti.”
Her book “Shirley, I Jest!: A Storied Life” was released to critical acclaim and is now being released in paperback.