Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''
The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...
'' (1970–1977), which "helped define a new vision of American womanhood"
and "appealed to an audience facing the new trials of modern-day existence". Moore won seven
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
and three
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
. She was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...
for her performance in ''
Ordinary People''.
Moore had major supporting roles in the musical film ''
Thoroughly Modern Millie'' and the dark comedy film ''
Flirting with Disaster''. Moore also received praise for her performance in the
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
''
Heartsounds''. Moore was an advocate for
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
, vegetarianism and
diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
awareness and research.
Early life
Moore was born in the
Brooklyn Heights neighborhood in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York City, in 1936 to Marjorie (née Hackett) and George Tyler Moore. Her father was a clerk. Her
Irish-Catholic family lived in a rental apartment in Brooklyn's
Flatbush neighborhood, then the family later lived in a rented apartment at 144-16 35th Avenue in
Flushing, Queens
Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial ...
.
Moore was the oldest of three children, with a younger brother John and a younger sister Elizabeth. Moore's paternal great-grandfather, Confederate Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Tilghman Moore, owned the house that is now the
Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum in
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
.
When Moore was eight years old, the family relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1945, at the recommendation of her uncle, an employee of
MCA. She was raised
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and attended St. Rose of Lima Parochial School in Brooklyn until the third grade. In Los Angeles, Moore attended Saint Ambrose School and
Immaculate Heart High School in the
Los Feliz neighborhood.
Moore's sister Elizabeth died at age 21 "from a combination of... painkillers and alcohol." Her brother died at the age of 47 from
kidney cancer
Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, a lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...
.
Career
Television
Early appearances

Moore's television career began in 1955 with a job as "Happy Hotpoint", a tiny elf dancing on
Hotpoint home appliances in TV commercials that ran during breaks on ''
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was b ...
''.
After appearing in 39 Hotpoint commercials in five days, she received approximately $6,000 (). She became pregnant while still working as "Happy", and Hotpoint ended her work when it became too difficult to conceal her pregnancy with the elf costume.
Moore was an uncredited
photographic model for record album covers,
many for the
Tops Records label,
and auditioned for the role of the elder daughter of
Danny Thomas
Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...
for his
long-running TV show, but was turned down.
Much later, Thomas explained that "she missed it by a nose... no daughter of mine could ever have a nose that small".

Moore's first regular television role was as 'Sam' a mysterious and glamorous telephone switchboard operator/receptionist in the series ''
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
''Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960.
Radio
Dick Powell starred in the ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective' ...
'' with
David Janssen
David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...
. Sam's sultry voice was heard talking to Richard Diamond from her switchboard; however, only her legs and occasionally her hands appeared on camera -- never her face, adding to the character's mystique. After creating a minor sensation by appearing as Sam in 12 episodes of ''Richard Diamond'' as an uncredited player, Moore asked for a raise -- and was promptly fired by the show's producers and replaced by Roxane Brooks in the role. However, Moore was able to parlay the publicity from 'revealing' Sam's identity to the press into several flattering articles and profiles, giving her career a boost.
About this time, she guest-starred in
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...
'
NBC detective series ''
Johnny Staccato
''Johnny Staccato'' is an American private detective television series starring John Cassavetes that ran on NBC from September 10, 1959, through March 24, 1960. The program was initially titled ''Staccato''.
Synopsis
Titular character Johnny ...
'', and also in the series premiere of ''
The Tab Hunter Show'' in September 1960 and the ''
Bachelor Father'' episode "Bentley and the Big Board" in December 1960. In 1961, Moore appeared in several big parts in movies and on television, including ''
Bourbon Street Beat''; ''
77 Sunset Strip''; ''
Surfside 6''; ''
Wanted: Dead or Alive'' with
Steve McQueen
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...
; ''
Steve Canyon''; ''
Hawaiian Eye
''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network.
Premise
Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...
''; ''
Thriller'' and ''
Lock-Up''. She also appeared in a February 1962 episode of ''
Straightaway''.
''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966)

In 1961,
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...
cast Moore in ''
The Dick Van Dyke Show'', a weekly series based on Reiner's own life and career as a writer for
Sid Caesar's television variety show ''
Your Show of Shows'', telling the cast from the outset that it would run for no more than five years. The show was produced by
Danny Thomas
Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...
' company, and Thomas himself recommended her. He remembered Moore as "the girl with three names" whom he had turned down earlier.
[Profile]
the Paley Center for Media. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
Moore's energetic comic performances as Van Dyke's character's wife, begun at age 24 (eleven years Van Dyke's junior), made both the actress and her signature fitted
capri pants popular, and she became internationally known. When she won her first
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for her portrayal of Laura Petrie, she said, "I know this will never happen again." As Laura Petrie, Moore often wore styles that recalled the fashion of
Jackie Kennedy, such as capri pants, echoing an ideal of the Kennedy administration's
Camelot.
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977)
In 1970, after performing in the one-hour musical special ''Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman'', Moore and husband
Grant Tinker
Grant Almerin Tinker (January 11, 1926 – November 28, 2016) was an American television executive who was chairman and CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986. Additionally, he was a co-founder of MTM Enterprises and a television producer.
Early life
T ...
successfully pitched a sitcom that centered on Moore to
CBS. ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...
'' was a half-hour newsroom sitcom featuring
Ed Asner as her gruff boss
Lou Grant. ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' bridged aspects of the
Women's Movement
The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and women. Such issues are women's ...
with mainstream culture by portraying an amiable, independent woman whose life focused on her professional career rather than marriage and family.

The show marked the first big hit for film and television producer
James L. Brooks, who would also do more work for Moore and Tinker's production company. Moore's show proved so popular that three regular characters,
Valerie Harper as
Rhoda Morgenstern,
Cloris Leachman as
Phyllis Lindstrom, and
Ed Asner as
Lou Grant spun off into their own three separate series playing the same characters, albeit with ''Lou Grant'' being an hour-long drama instead of a half-hour sitcom.
The premise of the single working woman's life, alternating during the program between work and home, became a television staple.
[ After six years of ratings in the top 20,]["The Mary Tyler Moore Show"]
museum.tv. Retrieved April 3, 2009. the show slipped to number 39 in season seven.
Producers asked that the series be canceled because of falling ratings, afraid that the show's legacy might be damaged if it were renewed for another season. Despite the decline in ratings, the 1977 season won its third straight Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for Outstanding Comedy. In seven seasons, the program won 29 Emmys and Moore won three awards for Best Lead Actress in a sitcom. The record was unbroken until 2002, when the NBC sitcom ''Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'' won its 30th Emmy.
Later projects
On January 22, 1976, while season six of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' was in progress, Moore appeared in ''Mary's Incredible Dream'', an experimental musical/variety special for CBS, and which also featured Ben Vereen
Benjamin Augustus Vereen (né Middleton; October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. He gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received ...
. She described it as "a totally different concept from anything ever attempted on television... We go from song to dance to song and back again, telling a story of the eternal cycle of man. If viewers don't want to follow the story, they can just enjoy the music and dancing." In 1978, she starred in a second CBS special, ''How to Survive the '70s and Maybe Even Bump Into Happiness'', where she received significant support from a strong lineup of guest stars: Bill Bixby, John Ritter
Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American comedian and actor. He was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason Ritter, Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is best known for ...
, Harvey Korman and Dick Van Dyke. In the 1978–79 season, Moore also starred in two unsuccessful CBS variety series. The first, '' Mary'', featured David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...
, Michael Keaton, Swoosie Kurtz and Dick Shawn in the supporting cast. After CBS canceled that series, it brought Moore back in March 1979 in a new, retooled show, ''The Mary Tyler Moore Hour
''The Mary Tyler Moore Hour'' is an American sitcom-variety show starring Mary Tyler Moore, Dody Goodman, Michael Keaton, and Joyce Van Patten that aired on CBS from March 4, 1979, to June 10, 1979, with a total of 11 episodes spanning over ...
''. Described as a "sit-var" (part situation comedy/part variety series), it had Moore portraying a TV star putting on a variety show.[ The program lasted just 11 episodes.
In the 1985–86 season, Moore returned to CBS in a sitcom titled '' Mary'', which suffered from poor reviews, sagging ratings, and strife within the production crew. Moore said she asked network to pull the show because she was unhappy with the direction and production. Moore also starred in the short-lived '' Annie McGuire'' in 1988. In 1995, after another lengthy break from TV series work, Moore was cast as tough, unsympathetic newspaper owner Louise "the Dragon" Felcott on the CBS drama '' New York News'', the third series in which her character was involved in the news media. Moore was disappointed with the writing of her character and was negotiating with producers to get out of her contract for the series when it was canceled.
In the mid-1990s, Moore appeared as herself on two episodes of '' Ellen''. She guest-starred on ]Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer.
She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
's '' The Ellen Show'', in 2001. In 2004, Moore reunited with her ''Dick Van Dyke Show'' castmates for a reunion special, '' The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited''.
In 2006, Moore guest-starred as Christine St. George, the high-strung host of a fictional TV show, in three episodes of the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show
''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...
''. Moore's scenes were shot on the same sound stage where ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' was filmed in the 1970s. She made a guest appearance on the season two premiere of '' Hot in Cleveland'', which starred her former co-star Betty White. It marked the first time that White and Moore had worked together since ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' ended in 1977. In the fall of 2013, Moore reprised her role on ''Hot in Cleveland'' in a season four episode that reunited Moore and White with former ''Mary Tyler Moore Show'' cast members Cloris Leachman, Valerie Harper and Georgia Engel. The reunion coincided with Harper's public announcement that she had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and was given only a few months to live.
Theater
Moore appeared in several Broadway plays. She was the star of a new musical version of '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' in December 1966, but the show, titled ''Holly Golightly'', was a flop that closed in previews before opening on Broadway. In reviews of performances in Philadelphia and Boston, critics "murdered" the play in which Moore claimed to be singing with bronchial pneumonia.
She starred in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' with James Naughton, which opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on February 24, 1980, and ran for 96 performances, and in '' Sweet Sue'', which opened at the Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1921, the Music Box ...
on January 8, 1987, later transferred to the Royale Theatre, and ran for 164 performances.
During the 1980s, Moore and her production company produced five plays: '' Noises Off'', '' The Octette Bridge Club'', '' Joe Egg'', '' Benefactors'', and ''Safe Sex''.
Moore appeared in previews of the Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...
play '' Rose's Dilemma'' at the off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club in December 2003 but quit the production after receiving a critical letter from Simon instructing her to "learn your lines or get out of my play". Moore had been using an earpiece on stage to feed her lines to the repeatedly rewritten play.
Films
Moore made her film debut as a nurse in the Jack Lemmon
John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...
comedy '' Operation Mad Ball'' (1957). Her first speaking part came in ''X-15
The North American X-15 is a Hypersonic speed, hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft which was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the List of X-planes, X-plane series of ...
'' (1961). Following her success on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', she appeared in a string of films in the late 1960s (after signing an exclusive contract with Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
), including '' Thoroughly Modern Millie'' (1967), as a would-be actress in 1920s New York who is taken under the wing of Julie Andrews
Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
' title character, and two comedic films released in 1968, '' What's So Bad About Feeling Good?'' with George Peppard, and '' Don't Just Stand There!'' with Robert Wagner. She starred opposite Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
as a nun in '' Change of Habit'' (1969). Moore's future television castmate Ed Asner appeared in the film as a police officer.
Moore returned to the big screen in the coming-of-age drama '' Ordinary People'' (1980). She received an Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
nomination for her portrayal of a grieving mother trying to cope with the drowning death of a son and the suicide attempt of another son (played by Timothy Hutton who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...
for his performance).[ Moore appeared in only two more films during the next fifteen years: '' Six Weeks'' (1982) and '' Just Between Friends'' (1986). She appeared in the independent hit '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996).
Moore was in the television movie '' Run a Crooked Mile'' (1969) and starred in several television movies including '' First, You Cry'' (1978), which brought her an ]Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
nomination for portraying NBC correspondent Betty Rollin's struggle with breast cancer. Her later TV movies included the medical drama '' Heartsounds'' (1984) with James Garner, which brought her another Emmy nomination, '' Finnegan Begin Again'' (1985) with Robert Preston, which earned her a CableACE Award nomination, the 1988 mini-series '' Lincoln'', which brought her another Emmy nomination for playing Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (Birth name, née Todd; December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) was First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.
Mary Todd was born into a large and wealthy ...
, and ''Stolen Babies'', for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1993. Later she reunited with former co-stars in '' Mary and Rhoda'' (2000) with Valerie Harper, and ''The Gin Game'' (2003) (based on the Broadway play), with Dick Van Dyke. Moore starred in ''Like Mother, Like Son'' (2001), playing convicted murderer Sante Kimes
Sante Kimes (née Singhrs; July 24, 1934 – May 19, 2014), also known as the Dragon Lady, was an American murderer, con artist, robber, fraudster, serial arsonist and suspected serial killer. Her decades-long crime spreeincluding throughout h ...
.
Memoirs
Moore wrote two memoirs. In the first, ''After All'', published in 1995, she acknowledged being a recovering alcoholic, while in ''Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes'' (2009), she focuses on living with type 1 diabetes.
MTM Enterprises
In 1969, Moore and her husband Grant Tinker
Grant Almerin Tinker (January 11, 1926 – November 28, 2016) was an American television executive who was chairman and CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986. Additionally, he was a co-founder of MTM Enterprises and a television producer.
Early life
T ...
founded MTM Enterprises
MTM Enterprises (also known as MTM Productions) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' for CBS. The name for the produc ...
, Inc., which produced ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and other successful television shows and films. It also included a record label, MTM Records. MTM Enterprises produced American sitcoms and drama television series such as '' Rhoda'', '' Lou Grant'' and '' Phyllis'' (all spin-offs from ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show)'', '' The Bob Newhart Show'', '' The Texas Wheelers'', '' The Bob Crane Show'', '' Three for the Road'', '' The Tony Randall Show'', ''WKRP in Cincinnati
''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...
'', '' The White Shadow'', '' Friends and Lovers'', '' St. Elsewhere'', '' Newhart'', and '' Hill Street Blues'', and was later sold to Television South, an ITV Franchise holder in 1988. The MTM logo resembles the Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo, but includes a cat named Mimsie instead of a lion. Currently, the shows of MTM Enterprises are distributed by 20th Century-Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...
, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
.
Personal life
At age 18 in 1955, Moore married her next-door neighbor, 28-year-old cranberry juice salesman Richard Meeker, and within six weeks she was pregnant with her only child, Richard Carleton Meeker Jr., born on July 3, 1956. Meeker and Moore divorced in 1962. Later that year, Moore married Grant Tinker
Grant Almerin Tinker (January 11, 1926 – November 28, 2016) was an American television executive who was chairman and CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986. Additionally, he was a co-founder of MTM Enterprises and a television producer.
Early life
T ...
, a CBS executive and later chairman of NBC, and in 1969 they formed the television production company MTM Enterprises
MTM Enterprises (also known as MTM Productions) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' for CBS. The name for the produc ...
, which created and produced the company's first television series, ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. After a 1973 breakup and patch-up, Moore and Tinker announced a permanent separation in 1979 and divorced two years later. In the early 1980s, Moore dated Steve Martin and Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
. Another relationship, with Michael Lindsay-Hogg, ended when she wanted to be exclusive and he did not.
On October 14, 1980, Moore's son Richard died of an accidental gunshot to the head while handling a small .410 shotgun. He was 24 years old. The same model was later taken off the market because of its "hair trigger". Three and a half weeks earlier, '' Ordinary People'' had been released where she played a mother who was grieving over the accidental death of her son.
A 47-year-old Moore married 29-year-old cardiologist Robert Levine on November 23, 1983, at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. They met in 1982 when he treated Moore's mother in New York City on a weekend house call, after Moore and her mother returned from a visit to the Vatican where they had a personal audience with Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
. Moore and Levine remained married for 34 years until her death in 2017.
Moore was an alcoholic
Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...
much of her life but quit drinking in 1984 when she admitted herself into the Betty Ford Center.[ One year after getting sober, she quit her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit.
]
Health issues and death
Moore was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1969. In 2011, she had surgery to remove a meningioma, a benign brain tumor. In 2014, friends reported that Moore had heart and kidney problems and was nearly blind from complications related to diabetes.
Moore died at the age of 80 on January 25, 2017, at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...
, from cardiopulmonary arrest complicated by pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
after having been placed on a ventilator the week before. She was interred in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull, Easton, Connecticut, Easton, Weston, Connecticut, W ...
, in a private ceremony.
Philanthropy
In addition to her acting work, Moore was the International Chairperson of JDRF (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). In this role, she used her celebrity status to help raise funds and awareness of diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained hyperglycemia, high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or th ...
type 1.
In 2007, in honor of Moore's dedication to the Foundation, JDRF created the "Forever Moore" research initiative which will support JDRF's Academic Research and Development and JDRF's Clinical Development Program. The program works on translating basic research advances into new treatments and technologies for those living with type 1 diabetes.
Moore advocated for animal rights for years and supported charities like the ASPCA and Farm Sanctuary. She helped raise awareness about factory farming methods and promoted more compassionate treatment of farm animals.
Moore appeared as herself in 1996 on an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer.
She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
sitcom '' Ellen''. The storyline of the episode includes Moore honoring Ellen for trying to save a 65-year-old lobster from being eaten at a seafood restaurant. She was also a co-founder of Broadway Barks, an annual animal adopt-a-thon held in New York City. Moore and friend Bernadette Peters worked to make it a no-kill city and to encourage adopting animals from shelters.
In honor of her father, George Tyler Moore, a lifelong American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
enthusiast, in 1995 Moore donated funds to acquire an historic structure in Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,531 at the time of the 2020 census. The town wa ...
, for Shepherd College (now Shepherd University
Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In the fall of 2023, the university enrolled 3,274 ...
) to be used as a center for Civil War studies. The center, named the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War, is housed in the historic Conrad Shindler House (c. 1795), which is named in honor of her great-great-great-grandfather, who owned the structure from 1815 to 1852.
Moore also contributed to the renovation of a historic house in Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
, that had been used as headquarters by Confederate Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson during his Shenandoah Valley campaign in 1861–62. The house, now known as the Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum, had been owned by Moore's great-grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Tilghman Moore, commander of the 4th Virginia Infantry in Jackson's Stonewall Brigade.[
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Politics
During the 1960s and 1970s, Moore had a reputation as a liberal or moderate, although she endorsed President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
for re-election in 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
. She endorsed President Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
for re-election in a 1980 campaign television ad. In 2011, her friend and former co-star Ed Asner said during an interview on '' The O'Reilly Factor'' that Moore "has become much more conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
of late"; Bill O'Reilly, host of that program, stated that Moore had been a viewer of his show and that her political views had leaned conservative in recent years. In a ''Parade'' magazine article from March 22, 2009, Moore identified herself as a libertarian centrist who watched Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
. She stated: "when one looks at what's happened to television, there are so few shows that interest me. I do watch a lot of Fox News. I like Charles Krauthammer and Bill O'Reilly... If McCain had asked me to campaign for him, I would have."
In an interview for the 2013 PBS series ''Pioneers of Television'', Moore said that she was recruited to join the feminist movement of the 1970s by Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem ( ; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social movement, social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ...
, but did not agree with Steinem's views. Moore said she believed that women have an important role in raising children and that she did not believe in Steinem's view that all women owe it to themselves to have a career.
Acting credits and accolades
In February 1981, Moore was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the drama film '' Ordinary People'' but lost to Sissy Spacek for her role in '' Coal Miner's Daughter''. In 1981, she won the Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
for Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Best Actress in a Drama for that role.
Moore received a total of seven Emmy Awards, including two for her portrayal of Laura Petrie on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' and four for portraying Mary Richards on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. In 1993 she won an Emmy for her portrayal of Georgia Tann in the Lifetime (TV network), Lifetime made-for-TV film ''Stolen Babies''.
On Broadway, Moore received a Special Tony Award for her performance in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' in 1980, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as well. In addition, as a producer, she received nominations for Tony Awards and Drama Desk Awards for MTM's productions of '' Noises Off'' in 1984 and '' Benefactors'' in 1986, and won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play or Musical in 1985 for ''Joe Egg''.
In 1986, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. In 1987, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy from the American Comedy Awards.
Moore's contributions to the television industry were recognized in 1992 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
On May 8, 2002, Moore was present when cable network TV Land and the City of Minneapolis dedicated a statue in downtown Minneapolis of Mary Richards, her character in ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...
''. The statue, by artist Gwendolyn Gillen, was chosen from designs submitted by 21 sculptors. The bronze sculpture was located in front of the Dayton's department store, later Macy's, near the corner of 7th Street South and Nicollet Mall. It depicts the iconic moment in the show's opening credits where Moore tosses her Tam o' shanter (cap), tam o' shanter in the air, in a freeze-frame at the end of the montage. While Dayton's is clearly seen in the opening sequence, the store in the background of the hat toss is actually Donaldson's, which was, like Dayton's, a locally based department store with a long history at 7th and Nicollet. In late 2015, the statue was relocated to the city's visitor center during renovations; it was reinstalled in its original location in 2017.
Moore was awarded the 2011 Screen Actors Guild's lifetime achievement award. In New York City in 2012, Moore and Bernadette Peters were honored by the Ride of Fame and a double-decker bus was dedicated to them and their charity work on behalf of "Broadway Barks", which the duo co-founded.
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
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Mary Tyler Moore
at britannica.com
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Mary Tyler Moore - Breakfast At Tiffany's
at Discogs
* Interviews:
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Five interview clips
Archive of American Television (1997)
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