Writer and Garry Marshall collaborator Marty Nadler dies aged 80
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Marty Nadler, the writer, producer and stand-up comedian best known for his decades-long collaboration with director Garry Marshall, has died aged 80 in Margate, Florida, from complications of the autoimmune disorder myasthenia gravis. His son, Charlie Nadler, announced the death, which closes out a career spanning more than four decades in television and film, including sitcoms such as Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley and films including Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride.
Nadler served as lead writer on several Marshall-produced sitcoms from the 1970s onward, including Who's Watching the Kids and Blansky's Beauties, and contributed jokes and cameo appearances to nine Marshall films. He met his future wife, writer Holly Mascott, in 1976 while working on Laverne & Shirley; they married on Martha's Vineyard in 1978 and divorced in 2002 but remained close. After retiring to South Florida, he executive produced the 2022 film iMordecai, and in his final years performed a comedy act with his son Charlie, recording a special at the Garry Marshall Theatre that proved to be their last performance together. He is survived by Mascott, Charlie and daughter-in-law Cary Kandel, with burial planned on Martha's Vineyard.
- Garry Marshall collaborator Marty Nadler has died aged 80.
- Career spanned Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Pretty Woman and more.
- His final act was a comedy special recorded with son Charlie.
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Marty Nadler was an American comedy writer, producer and stand-up performer best known for his long working relationship with director and producer Garry Marshall, spanning more than 40 years. Marshall was a hugely influential figure in American television and film, creating hits such as Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley and later directing films including Pretty Woman. Nadler was a key part of that world, writing for the shows and contributing to several of the films.
Nadler grew up in the Bronx and got his start through stand-up comedy before being introduced to Garry Marshall by his sister, actress and director Penny Marshall. That introduction led to decades of collaboration, with Nadler becoming a lead writer on Marshall's sitcoms and later adding jokes and small on-screen appearances to a number of his movies. He was also known in later years for performing alongside his son, Charlie Nadler, as part of a father-son comedy act.
This background matters because Nadler's death connects to the wider legacy of Garry Marshall's television and film output, much of which remains widely watched today, and because it highlights a lesser-known figure whose writing helped shape some well-known shows and films from behind the scenes.
More coverage
- Variety — Writer and Comedian Marty Nadler Dies at 80
- Deadline — Marty Nadler Dies: Comic & Longtime Garry Marshall Collaborator On Sitcoms & Films Was 80
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “Marty Nadler, Writer, Producer and Longtime Garry Marshall Contributor, Dies at 80”.