Cindy Williams almost quit acting to work as a waitress in Oregon to avoid a “wrong career move” prior to playing Shirley Feeney

CINDY Williams, who died last week aged 75, almost quit acting to work as a waitress before accepting her role as Shirley Feeney on the popular sitcom Laverne & Shirley.

The mother-of-two, whose children announced their deaths in a statement Monday, opened up last year around a time she was contemplating ending her acting career.

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Although Cindy found success through her roles in the 1973 film American Graffiti and the 1974 film The Conversation, the California native felt she was no longer being offered film roles.

On a phone call from her California home, Cindy told the Delaware County Daily Times, “I couldn’t be a waitress in LA.

“I was too recognizable from the movies. So Eugene, Oregon was my intended destination.”

Cindy wasn’t interested in working in a TV show since most of the film actors didn’t change, but she was cast with Penny Marshall [Lorraine] Dates for the characters Fonzie and Richie in a guest shot in Happy Days.

She explained: “These days the biggest movie stars kill to be on TV shows.

“Movie actors would stay away from television for as long as possible. I thought it was the wrong career move. In my opinion, I could never stoop to it.

“But my career has had a dry spell. I was thrilled when Garry [Marshall] called. I liked the role and Happy Days was a smash hit. Circumstances told me to condescend.

“Looking back, I’m so glad Shirley came along when she did and that I identified with her like that. Everything turned out to be positive. I have no regrets, just gratitude.”

The Garry she was talking about is Penny Marshall’s brother. Penny starred alongside Shirley Lorraine.

Cindy opened up about her first meeting with Lorraine before they were cast in Happy Days.

She said: “The first time we met was on a blind date, sort of like Laverne and Shirley did with Fonzie and Richie. We went with two guys who took us to the Coconut Grove to see this natural combination, Little Richard and Liza Minnelli.

“Later we were both hired as writers for a comedy special about the bicentenary. They wanted women in the writers’ room, and Penny and I got hired. Each pair of authors was assigned a different sketch. We were talking about “My country is yours”.

“It never aired because we got a call from Garry about Happy Days and for the next long time I was Shirley Feeney.”

Laverne & Shirley ran on ABC from January 26, 1976 to 1983 and was one of the most popular shows on television between 1977 and 1979.

In “Laverne & Shirley,” Cindy played the straight forward Shirley Feeney for Penny’s more revealing Laverne on the show about two roommates who worked at a Milwaukee bottling plant in the 1950s and ’60s, reports the Associated Press.

Cindy’s death comes approximately five years after the death of her co-star Penny Marshall, who played Laverne, on December 17, 2018.

Penny also died at the age of 75 and her cause of death was determined to be the result of complications from diabetes.

Her brother Garry Marshall, who helped create the sitcom series, also died in 2018.

Cindy starred alongside Penny until the end of the seventh season of the popular series.

The program entered its eighth season without Cindy after she married and became pregnant with their first child.

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