birthdays: october 15

Penny Marshall, 69, she skyrocketed to fame as one half of the long-running comedic twosome Laverne & Shirley - although let's be honest, she spent a decade on television prior, which included a stint on The Odd Couple - but the latter part of her career has been devoted to production, sitting in the director's chair for Big, Awakenings, A League of Their Own, The Preacher's Wife, and a few episodes of United States of Tara.
Emeril Lagasse, 52, king of "BAM!" he spent six years on Emeril Live, cooking up a storm to climb to the top ranks of celebrity chefs.  Though he devotes much more time to his cookware and food lines now, he still makes regular appearances on cooking shows, including Iron Chef, Next Food Network Star, and Top Chef.
Larry Miller, 58, comedic character actor who's oft-collaborated with director Garry Marshall (the store clerk in Pretty Woman, a car buyer in Raising Helen, a flamboyant hairdresser in The Princess Diaries), he's also been part of the Christopher Guest troupe, appearing in Waiting for Guffman and For Your Consideration and played a snarky administrator in The Nutty Professor and a goofy doting father in 10 Things I Hate About You.
Mario Puzo, (1920-1999), two-time Academy Award winner for his work on adapting his original novel The Godfather, his other screenwriting work includes the 70s disaster drama Earthquake and the first couple Superman movies.  He also penned The Dark Arena and The Last Don.
Jane Darwell, (1879-1967), highly prolific actress whose original goal of becoming an opera singer was delayed in favor of an acting career, for which she won an Oscar in 1940 (The Grapes of Wrath).  She also had parts in The Ox-Bow Incident, Gone with the Wind, and, in her final role, Mary Poppins.
Paige Davis, 42, television host whose biggest accomplishment was hosting and producing the hugely successful TLC show Trading Spaces for seven years (and she nabbed two Emmy nods for it).  She's additionally played the Hollywood Squares and appeared on countless talk shows.
Todd Solondz, 52, Globe-nominated director/screenwriter who's eccentric work includes writing/directing Sunshine, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and Life During Wartime.  His next book is no departure, Dark Horse, about a toy collector who falls in love with a family black sheep.