Marla Pennington

American actress (born 1954)

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Marla Pennington-Rowan

Born|

Marla Lynn Pennington

(1954-03-05) March 5, 1954 (age 70)

Burbank, California, U.S.

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1974–1989
Spouse| Thomas Patrick Rowan (1988-2021, his death)
Children| 2

Marla Lynn Pennington (born March 5, 1954) is an American former actress. She is best known for her role as Joan Anderson[1] Lawson on Small Wonder, her last acting role to date.

Her other television credits include Soap, Diff'rent Strokes, Magnum, P.I., Charlie's Angels, Happy Days, The Incredible Hulk, and General Hospital. Pennington's film credits include National Lampoon's Class Reunion, and The Day of the Locust.

While Small Wonder was her last acting role, she appeared in a brief reunion with her co-stars on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet on January 14, 2009. She provided commentary to the Small Wonder season 1 DVD set, released in February 2010.[citation needed]

In 1988, Pennington married entertainment lawyer Tom Rowan, son of comedian Dan Rowan (of Rowan and Martin fame) with whom she had a son, Dan, and a daughter, Kat. Upon Small Wonder ending in 1989, she retired from acting to devote time to her family.[2] Rowan passed away in 2021, leaving Pennington a widow.[3]

## Filmography

[edit]

Film

Year  | Film  | Role  | Notes
1976  | Jim the World's Greatest | Jan  | Alternative title: Story of a Teenager
1982  | National Lampoon's Class Reunion | Mary Beth  | Alternative title: Class Reunion
Television
Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes
1974  | Lucas Tanner | Jane Benson  | 1 episode
1976  | Charlie's Angels | Jenny Warren  | Episode: "Bullseye"
1976–1979  | General Hospital | Samantha Livingston Chandler #2  | Unknown episodes
1979  | How the West Was Won | Blossom  | Episode: "Luke"
Buffalo Soldiers | Girl  | Television movie
1979–1981  | Soap | Leslie Walker  | 17 episodes
1980  | The Incredible Hulk | Miriam Charles  | Episode: "Deathmask"
1981  | Magnum, P.I. | Carol Ann Little  | Episode: "Billy Joe Bob"
1982  | Happy Days | Cynthia Brannigan  | Episodes: "A Touch of Classical"
"Hi Yo, Fonzie Away"
1983  | Herndon | Laura  | Television movie
1984  | Diff'rent Strokes | Nurse Joan Fleming  | 1 episode
1985–1989  | Small Wonder | Joan Lawson  | 96 episodes

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Small Wonder : Season 2 Episode 21, retrieved 2023-11-30
2. ^ "'Small Wonder': The Strange True Story Behind the Weirdest Sitcom of the '80s". 4 September 2015.
3. ^ "Thomas Rowan Obituary (2022) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com.

## External links

[edit]

* Marla Pennington at IMDb
* Biography at smallwonder.tv

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