Marion Ramsey, ‘Police Academy”s Officer Hooks, Dies at 73
Marion Ramsey, who starred as Office Laverne Hooks in the Police Academy franchise, has died.
Deadline reports that Ramsey's death at age 73 was announced by her management team. Although the cause of death has yet to be revealed, they noted that she had been ill recently.
Born May 10, 1947, Ramsey's career started on the stage, appearing in the original Broadway production and national touring company of the famed musical Hello, Dolly! She was later in the ensemble of 1978's Tony Award-nominated Eubie!, a revue of the songs of noted jazz composer Eubie Blake. In between she had a starring role opposite Bette Davis in Miss Moffatt, although the show famously closed during out-of-town tryouts, and was on an episode of The Jeffersons.
Ramsey reached greater exposure, however, with her portrayal of Officer Hooks in 1984's Police Academy, where an unlikely group of misfit cadets go through training to become big-city law enforcement officers. She played the timid, sensitive Hooks, whose high voice would turn into a mighty shout when she needed to assert authority. Ramsey appeared in its annual sequels up through 1989's Police Academy 6: City Under Siege. Although she wasn't in the seventh installment, she reprised the role in 1993 for the direct-to-video John Virgo: Playing for Laughs and a 2006 episode of the animated series Robot Chicken.
Ramsey also lent her voice to the animated The Addams Family series, which ran on ABC in 1992-93. More recently, she reunited with Police Academy co-stars Steve Guttenberg and Michael Winslow for the Syfy network's 2015 movie Lavalantula, as well as its sequel, 2 Lava 2 Lantula!
Watch Officer Hooks Take Her Driving Test in 'Police Academy'
Watch Officer Hooks Control a Noisy Bus in 'Police Academy 3: Back in Training'