Peter Marshall, original host of ‘Hollywood Squares,’ dies at 98

NEW YORK — Peter Marshall, a stage and screen star best known for hosting the original version of “The Hollywood Squares” from 1966 until 1981, died Thursday morning at the age of 98.

In a statement to the Daily News, publicist Harlan Boll confirmed Marshall died of kidney failure just before 9 a.m. at his home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Marshall, who won five Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on the celebrity-filled, tic-tac-toe-style NBC game show, was also an accomplished stage performer, radio personality, singer and one-half of the popular comedy act Noonan & Marshall.

Born Ralph Pierre LaCock in West Virginia on March 30, 1926, Marshall moved to New York City as a teenager, where he landed a job as an usher at the Paramount Theater and as a page at NBC Radio.

In 1944, after graduating from high school, Marshall was drafted into the Army and stationed in Italy, where he perfected his hosting and disc jockey skills working for the Armed Forces radio.

As part of Noonan & Marshall in the late 1940s, the young comedian sold out nightclubs in L.A. and New York before getting cast in small roles on the big screen in films including 1950’s “Jesse James” and 1951’s “Starlift.”

He later worked his way to theatrical stage, with credits such as the Elvis-influenced musical “Bye Bye Birdie” in London’s West End alongside Chita Rivera in 1961. He also starred in several shows on Broadway, including “Skyscraper” opposite Julie Harris in 1965 and the lead role in “La Cage aux Folles” in 1983.

Some of his other theater credits include “The Music Man” and “42nd Street,” as well as Neil Simon’s farcical play “Rumors,” in which took on the role of Lenny Ganz in a national tour for two years.

But Marshall’s coronation as a popular culture powerhouse came in 1966 when he signed up to host the original version of “The Hollywood Squares,” a soon-to-become TV classic. For the next 16 years, Marshall would host more than 5,000 episodes of the beloved game, which featured a rotating panel of celebrity guests such as Joan Rivers, Paul Lynde and Ruta Lee.

Marshall is survived by his wife of 35 years, Laurie, his daughters Suzanne Browning and Jaime Dimarco, his son Pete LaCock, 12 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, “as well as numerous dogs and cats,” according to his family.

His son David LaCock died from COVID in 2021 at the age of 68.