Marion Ramsey, the actress best known for her role as Officer Laverne Hooks in the film franchise “Police Academy,” died Thursday in Los Angeles at the age of 73.
Born in Philadelphia, Ramsey’s entertainment career started on stage.
Ramsey began her way into television with a guest role on the hit series “The Jeffersons,” and was a regular in “Cos,” the Bill Cosby sketch comedy series.
Her most well-known role was in the 1984 movie “Police Academy” as Officer Hooks, whose soft-spoken demeanor was punctuated by memorable outbursts.
Ramsey starred in five additional “Police Academy” films through the 1980s.
Ramsey was deeply committed to AIDS awareness and lent her voice for charitable causes, performing in “Divas Simply Singing,” an annual fundraising event.
Later in her TV and film career, she had guest appearances on Adult Swim shows “Robot Chicken” and “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”
In 2015, she reunited with “Policy Academy” stars Steve Guttenberg and Michael Winslow in the Syfy camp movie “Lavalantula” and its sequel “2 Lava 2 Lantula!” the following year.
Her final acting role was in the 2018 indie film “When I Sing. “
