Marshall served in the U.S. army for a period before joining the New York Daily News as a reporter. He eventually moved to Los Angeles in his late-twenties, where he met television writer, Jerry Belson. The pair put their heads together to write various episodes for shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Lucy Show. Marshall then served as a producer on such shows as Laverne and Shirley, starring his sister, Penny; Happy Days; and Mork and Mindy, starring Robin Williams.

Marshall has also occasionally appeared on the opposite side of the lens as a supporting actor. In the mid-90s, he played Candice Bergen's boss on Murphy Brown. On the big-screen, he has appeared in Grand Theft Auto in 1977, Hocus Pocus in 1994, Lost in America in 1985, Jumpin' Jack Flash in 1986, Runaway Bride in 1999, Orange County in 2002, and A League of Their Own in 1992, starring Madonna and directed by his sister, Penny. Marshall has also acted in stage productions, and in 2005, lent his voice to the animated smash-hit, Chicken Little, along with Joan Cusack, Zach Braff, and Catherine O'Hara.

Marshall has co-produced and co-written How Sweet It Is! in 1968 and The Grasshopper in 1970. He made his directorial debut in Young Doctors in Love in 1982, and went on to direct Overboard in 1987, starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, and Beaches in 1988, starring Barbara Hershey and Bette Middler. His first major hit came in 1990, with Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts as a hooker with a heart of gold. Other films that followed were Frankie and Johnny in 1991, starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer; Runaway Bride in 1998; Exit to Eden in 1994, with Rosie O Donnell and Dan Aykroyd; The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, starring Anne Hathaway; and Raising Helen, starring Kate Hudson.

In addition to writing and directing for television and film, Marshall has also written standup comedy for such comedians as Joey Bishop and Phil Foster, along with material for The Tonight Show.

Marshall’s contributions to television and film have been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

YUDDY