Peter Marshall, Host of Long-Running 'Hollywood Squares,' Dies at 98

Peter Marshall, the singer, comedian, and actor who became a household name as the host of the popular game show "Hollywood Squares," died Thursday. He was 98.

He died on what would have been close pal Rose Marie's 101st birthday of kidney failure, his family confirmed to THR.

One of his closest friends, "Deadpool" actress and his former "Fantasy" co-host Leslie Uggams, wrote on Instagram, "We have lost an absolute icon today - dear friend Peter Marshall. He was as good and kind and loving and talented a man as he appeared in front of the camera. I was blessed to share more than 300 episodes of FANTASY with him, plus to be a guest many, many times on the hilarious HOLLYWOOD SQUARES. His ease with people made everyone comfortable enough to just be themselves. I'll cherish the many phone conversations we have had during the years, including our most recent one six weeks ago. He had a great, great life and touched so many. All of America has lost a good buddy. My love and condolences to his devoted wife, Laurie, and his entire family and circle of friends. 💗🙏"

Marshall was the ideal straight man on "Hollywood Squares" from 1966-1981, serving irresistible set-ups for a dizzying array of comics and other celebs, going on to host about 6,000 installments of the show.

Marshall marveled at his good fortune, working sometimes just one day a week (taping five back-to-back shows) and never having to rehearse, as the game show capitalized on a tipsy vibe fueled by ad-libs from its famous panels.

He owed his good fortune in part to spite! In a candid Television Academy Foundation interview taped in 2010, he admitted that while he wasn't initially intrigued by "Hollywood Squares," finding out that Dan Rowan of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" — one of just two people he ever disliked in show biz — would be offered the job next was a motivating factor.

Taking the job deprived Marshall of what seemed like an amazing opportunity — starring opposite Mary Tyler Moore in a production of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" that seemed bound for Broadway. It proved a fateful decision, with "Squares" making him a wealthy man and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" closing out of town.

Marshall was born Ralph Pierre LaCock on March 30, 1926, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, growing up in Huntington. When his sister had to move to NYC to pursue modeling, he followed her, working as a theater usher and singing with a band as a teenager.

By the early '40s, his sister had become known as movie star Joanne Dru. He lived with her and her husband, actor John Ireland. Ireland's half-brother Tommy Noonan and Marshall teamed up as a comedy duo, selling out clubs and appearing in such films as "Jesse James" (1950), "Holiday Rhythm" (1950), "FBI Girl" (1951), and "Starlift" (1951).

Marshall's other work outside of "Hollywood Squares" includes the TV series "Fantasy" (1982), "All-Star Blitz" (1985), and "Yahtzee" (1988). He appeared on a rebooted "Squares" in 2002.

He appeared in 268 performances of the West End production of "Bye Bye Birdie" (1962) and gave over 800 performances in Broadway's "La Cage aux Folles" (1984-1986).

His album "Boy Singer" (2000) was critically acclaimed.

Marshall was preceded in death by his son David in 2021. He is survived by his third wife, Laurie Stewart, to whom he had been wed for four days shy of 35 years, three children, 12 grandkids, and nine great-grandkids.