He was born Garry Kent Masciarelli in the Bronx borough of New York City on November 13^th, 1934. His father, Anthony Wallace, hailed from San Martino Sulla Marrucina, Chieti, Abruzzo, in Italy and was an industrial film director and producer. Anthony Wallace changed his family’s name from Masciarelli to Marshall shortly before Garry was born. Garry’s mother, Marjorie Irene (Née Ward), was of German, English and Scottish descent and taught at a tap dance studio, which she owned. Garry’s two siblings, Penny and Ronny, were an actress/director and television producer, respectively.

Inevitably, show business was in Garry’s blood.

Marshall graduated from Northwestern University, where he wrote for the sports section of the college newspaper and pledged for the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Fresh out of college, Marshall left Chicago for Hollywood in 1961. There he met Jerry Belson, and a great partnership was born. Together, Marshall and Belson wrote for such popular shows as "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Lucy Show," according to the New York Times.

Their first major success on their own was adapting Neil Simon’s play "The Odd Couple" for television. Focusing on the hilarious antics of neat freak Felix Unger (Tony Randall) and his messy roommate Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman), "The Odd Couple" received three primetime Emmy award nominations for outstanding comedy program.

After the Odd Couple, Marshall created his first solo project: "Happy Days." This lively, upbeat series depicted adolescent life in 1950s America. It was one of the highest-rated shows of the 1970s and starred Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and a young Scott Baio. Despite never receiving a single Emmy nomination, "Happy Days" remained a hit with people of all ages. Arthur Fonzarelli, or “The Fonz” or “Fonzi,” donned a leather jacket in each episode; that jacket is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

"Happy Days" was the launch pad for some other ABC sitcoms that bared Marshall’s signature. "Laverne and Shirley," which starred Marshall’s sister Penny, centered on single roommates Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This would be the first of many Garry Marshall projects that featured strong female leads.

Unlike "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley," "Mork and Mindy" was a show that was a little bit more…Out there, so to speak. The main character, Mork, is an alien from the planet Ork. He lands on Earth in a tiny spaceship and becomes friends with Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber). The two eventually become roommates, and Mindy helps Mork adjust to the American lifestyle.

Writes CNN.com, "'Mork and Mindy' is famous for introducing the world to legendary comedian Robin Williams, who brought the alien Mork to life."

Having made his mark on television, Marshall began the 1980s with an even greater ambition in mind: Feature films.

His first major hit came in 1984 when he wrote and directed "The Flamingo Kid," starring the then-heartthrob Matt Dillon as a teen working at a beach resort for a summer job.

Three years later, "Overboard" was released. Featuring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell (who would later begin an off-screen romance), the film became a cult classic when, ironically, it began re-airing on television.

The following year, Marshall directed a film adaptation of Iris Rainer Dart’s novel, "Beaches." This heartwarming tale of friendship stars Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey as a pair of opposites ("Odd Couple" anyone?) who remain close for almost three decades. The theme song for "Beaches," “The Wind Beneath my Wings,” hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts and won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1990.

After the success of "Beaches," Marshall went on to direct one of the best-known films, "Pretty Woman." Starring newcomer Julia Roberts and Richard Ward Gere, "Pretty Woman" was among the highest-grossing films of 1990 and was a major box-office hit. IMDB reports that the movie holds the record for highest number of ticket sales for a romantic comedy in the U.S. with an estimated 42,176,400 tickets sold.

This film also stars beloved "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander.

Ten years later, Garry Marshall would work with the Walt Disney Company to create a movie that would have a strong impact on the childhoods of today’s college girls. Based on a novel of the same name, "The Princess Diaries" marks the debut of Anne Hathaway. Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) is an awkward teenager whose life changes forever when her grandmother (Julie Andrews) tells her she is the princess of Genovia. "The Princess Diaries" was a huge commercial success that spawned a sequel, "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement."

The final three films that Marshall directed were unique premises with ensemble casts celebrating popular U.S. holidays: "Valentine’s Day," "New Year’s Eve" and "Mother’s Day."

The slew of celebrities in each of these films is a strong indication of how powerful a force Garry Marshall was in Hollywood. This little trilogy features stars both old and new, and were prominent at the box office.

Garry Marshall had an eye for talent from day one. His first solo project, "Happy Days," skyrocketed the career of its star, Ron Howard. Howard would go on to become a director himself, creating Academy Award-winning films such as "Apollo 13," "A Beautiful Mind" and "The Da Vinci Code."

Along the same lines, Robin Williams had Garry Marshall to thank for making him a legend. Had Williams not played Mork, we would be without some pretty good childhood films. There would be no "Mrs. Doubtfire;" "Aladdin" never would have met the Genie; and we would never know the rules of "Jumanji."

Julia Roberts became an overnight sensation because of Pretty Woman. She’s had thousands of roles over the years: Tinkerbell ("Hook"), Tess Ocean ("Ocean’s Eleven") and :Erin Brokovich." But she will always be remembered as Vivian Ward.

And then there’s Anne Hathaway, who blossomed before our very eyes. She was once a shy high schooler who became a princess. After ruling Genovia, Hathaway played assistant to Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada" and became a supervillain in "The Dark Knight Rises" as Catwoman. She won her first Oscar for her role as Fantine in the film adaptation of "Les Miserablés," and by that time she had come a long way from writing about her life as a royal.

When you think of Hollywood, think of Garry Marshall. He crafted some of our culture’s most important pieces of entertainment. From our parents’ favorite sitcoms to chick flicks we’ve come to know and love, Garry Marshall was the guy who had the Midas touch in show business.