Cast remembers late director
Madonna, Davis and O’donnell recall working for Penny Marshall
Madonna has led the cast of A League of Their Own in paying tribute after the death of its director, Penny Marshall.
Marshall, the Laverne & Shirley star turned filmmaker, died on Dec. 18 at 75 after suffering complications from diabetes.
She cast Madonna as a dancer turned baseball star in the 1992 sports comedy that stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the team’s manager.
After hearing of Marshall’s death, Madonna posted a picture of her smiling while she received direction on the set of the movie.
She captioned the image: “Lucky to have known you and worked with you Penny Marshall. Your Talent was as BIG as your Heart! And you were a Trailblazer for Women In Hollywood. GOD BLESS you and your family!”
Geena Davis and Rosie O’donnell, who also starred alongside Penny’s daughter Tracy Reiner as members of the Rockford Peaches, a team of female baseball players competing in a women’s league run during the Second World War, also paid tribute.
“I’m terribly sad to hear the news about Penny passing,” Davis wrote next to an Instagram snap of her as Dottie.
“My heart goes out to Tracy Reiner and her family. Penny brought so much joy to so many and will be sorely missed. I will be forever grateful to her for letting me be a part of A League of Their Own.”
O’donnell tweeted that she was “heartbroken” by the news, while Hanks added in his own Twitter post: “Goodbye, Penny. Man, did we laugh a lot! Wish we still could. Love you.”
The film was a hit that earned US$132 million and in 2012 was chosen for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.
Other stars who paid tribute to Marshall included her ex-husband Rob Reiner, Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Anne Hathaway, Danny Devito, and Ava Duvernay.