Penny Marshall: Revealed by her Double Birth Order

                               Penny  Marshall

The entertainment world lost Carole Penny Marshall 

December 17, 2018. We all knew her as Laverne in the 

TV sitcom Laverne & Shirley but did you really know 

a her? Her Double birth order will reveal the real Penny 

Marshall.

A Family of Double Birth Orders

When children in a family are spaced four or more years 

apart they add the Only birth order to their birth number. 

This addition of the Only child’s characteristics powers 

up their individual birth orders it magnifies and intensifies 

their personalities. In the Marshall family Gary was born in 

1934, then Ronell in 1938, last was Penny in 1943. Gary 

was a 1/Only, Ronell is a 2/Only and Penny a 3/Only.

Artistic Roots

Penny’s father, Anthony Marshall was an industrial film 

director. Her mother Marjorie, a tap dance teacher. Both 

her older brother Gary and Sister Ronny went into the film 

making industry. Penny would follow them years later.

The Three/Only Birth Order

The Three birth order is the most sensitive of all the birth 

orders. Laughing on the outside but crying on the inside 

describes them best. Her friend Cindy Miller said she was 
like a barbecued marshmallow, crispy on the outside and 
the most mushy marshmallow on the inside.Threes rarely 
let you see inside as they develop a protective wall 
around themselves. When you add the Only birth order 
you magnify all these traits. Penny was nothing like her 
older siblings. Combining the Three Birth order with the 
Only gives the recipient the “Drama Queen” label. They 
understand all those around them but events in their own 
lives are always dramatic.  She was known in her family 
as the “bad one,” walking out on the ledge of their 
apartment, sneaking into movies, and getting pregnant 
while in college. She married the father only to get 

divorced two years later. She married Rob Reiner in 
1971 divorced in 1980.

Penny the Director

Her directing career started in 1986 with Jumpin’ Jack Flash,

 Big in 1988 with Tom Hanks who shared her #3 birth order. 

This film made her the first woman director to have a film 

grossing over 100 million dollars. In 1992 she directed 

A League of Their Own which also grossed over 100 million. 

As a director she used her innate birth order talent to 

understand just how to reach her actors. 

Additive Personality

The #3 birth order has a greater possibility of addiction? They

 are open to the world around them but sometimes not strong 

enough to resist. Cigarettes was one of her addictions as was 

cocaine, marijuana and Quaaludes. She gave up all of them 

except her cigarettes after her cancer treatment.

Quotes and Friends

What defines you are the subtle things; who are your friends 

and what do you say. Your friends tend to be your birth order. 

Suzanne Somers a Three/Only helped Penny during her 

cancer treatment. She was also friends with Rosie O’Donnell 

another #3. Penny has said, “I have the strange combination 

of fearlessness and massive insecurity.” “My brother and 

sister were much older. I was called the mistake, amongst 

other things.” “I wasn’t a girly girl; I was a tomboy.” This 

last quote sums it up, “I’ll try anything. What are they gonna 

do, kick me out of show business?” Show business and the 

public will miss her.

You can find more information about Double Birth orders in  

Life’s Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path 

Throughout Life by Dr. Robert V.V. Hurst. If you would like a 

FREE audio recording of the book contact me through the 

website www.mybirthorder.com and I will send you the code 

for Audible books.