Peter Marshall, Veteran Game Show Host and Actor, Dies at 98

Peter Marshall, a former Broadway star and the longtime host of The Hollywood Squares, has passed away at the age of 98.

The news was confirmed by his publicist Harlan Boll, who informed Deadline that the singer, actor, and comic died on Thursday, August 15, at his home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

The cause of death was kidney failure.

Marshall, born Ralph Pierre LaCock, is fondly remembered for his 15-year tenure as host of the tic-tac-toe-style game show The Hollywood Squares from 1966 to 1981. During his time on the show, he earned four Daytime Emmy awards and was nominated for two Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Programming.

Marshall became renowned for guiding the celebrity guests who appeared on the show, including Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, Rich Little, Rose Marie, George Gobel, and Wally Cox.

“It was the easiest thing I’ve ever done in show business,” Marshall reflected in a 2010 interview for the Archive of American Television, as reported by the Associated Press. “I walked in, said ‘Hello stars,’ I read questions and laughed. And it paid very well.”

Before transitioning to daytime TV, Marshall was an accomplished Broadway actor. He made his musical debut in 1965 in Skyscraper with Julie Harris, and his final Broadway appearance in the original production of La Cage aux Folles in 1983.

Marshall’s other theater credits include High Button Shoes, Anything Goes, The Music Man, and 42nd Street. He also performed opposite Broadway icon Chita Rivera in a West End production of Bye Bye Birdie in 1961.

Prior to his theater career, Marshall starred in a comedy duo with Tommy Noonan, leading to numerous television and film appearances.

In 2002, he penned a memoir entitled Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square, co-authored with Adrienna Armstrong, which recounted his years on the famed game show.

Throughout his life, Marshall was married multiple times. He is survived by his third wife, Laurie Stewart, whom he married in 1989. The couple had previously survived a battle with COVID-19 in 2021, which left the entertainer hospitalized for weeks.

Besides his wife, Marshall is survived by daughters Suzanne Browning and Jaime Dimarco, son and former MLB player Pete LaCock, as well as 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, David LaCock, who passed away in 2021.

Next: Gena Rowlands, ‘The Notebook’ Actress and Honorary Oscar Winner, Dead at 94