*Sadly we must report that actress and singer Marion Ramsey has died. She appeared on Broadway back in 1978 in the hit production of “Eubie.” However, she was best known as the squeaky-voiced, soft-spoken policewoman in the “Police Academy” franchise as Officer Laverne Hooks.
Her first turn as Officer Hooks was in the original “Police Academy” in 1984. Ramsey was then featured in five of the six sequels that followed.
According to reports, Ramsey died in her Los Angeles earlier today. She was 73.
Ramsey’s death was announced by her management team at Roger Paul Inc. As of this posting, a cause has not been determined, though the actress had been ill in recent days.
Here’s more Via Yahoo News:
Born in Philadelphia, Ramsey began her show business career on the stage, appearing in both the original Broadway and subsequent touring productions of Hello, Dolly! In 1974, she starred opposite Bette Davis in the legendary flop musical Miss Moffat, an adaption of Davis’ classic 1945 film The Corn Is Green. Directed by Josh Logan, the Broadway-bound musical closed during out-of-town tryouts.
Ramsey’s stage career rebounded four years later with Eubie!, the lauded 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 in TV and film, beginning with a 1976 guest appearance on sitcom The Jeffersons. That same year she became a regular on the Bill Cosby-hosted sketch comedy series Cos.
Her signature role came in 1984 with Police Academy, the comedy film starring Steve Guttenberg. As the mild-mannered Officer Laverne Hooks, Ramsey made good use of her high-pitched, whispery voice, a vocal delivery that contrasted with the character’s occasional high-volume outbursts. The hit film was followed by five sequels over the next five years, with Ramsey appearing in all of them. She briefly reprised the role in the 1993 comedy video John Virgo: Playing for Laughs and, as a voice actress, in a 2006 episode of the animated Robot Chicken.
Marion Ramsey’s other TV credits include the 1992 animated series The Addams Family. In 2015 and 2016, she reunited with Guttenberg in the campy Syfy TV movies Lavalantula and sequel 2 Lava 2 Lantula! A staunch AIDS/HIV awareness advocate, she performed several times in Sheryl Lee Ralph’s “Divas Simply Singing,” an annual fundraising event in Los Angeles.
Ramsey is survived by 3 brothers.
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