Ted Knight (born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka; December 7, 1923August 26, 1986) was an American actor known for playing the comedic roles of Ted Baxter 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 ...

'', Henry Rush in '' Too Close for Comfort'' and Judge Elihu Smails in '' Caddyshack''.

Early life

Knight was born in the Terryville section of Plymouth in

Litchfield County, Connecticut Litchfield County is a County (United States), county in northwestern Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield Count ...

to Polish-American parents Sophia (née Kavaleski) and Charles Walter Konopka, a bartender. He withdrew from high school to enlist in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was a member of Company A, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, earning five campaign stars while serving in the European Theater of Operations.

Career

Early roles

During the postwar years, Knight studied acting in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. He became proficient with puppets and ventriloquism, which led to steady work as a television children's show host at WJAR-TV in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, he left Providence for

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, where he landed a job at station WROW-TV (now

WTEN WTEN (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Albany, New York, United States, serving the Capital District, New York, Capital District as an affiliate of American Broadcasting Company, ABC. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is a sister s ...

), hosting ''The Early Show,'' featuring MGM movies, and a children's variety show, playing a Gabby Hayes-type character named "Windy Knight". He was also a radio announcer for sister station WROW radio and briefly for WFNS in Burlington, North Carolina. He left the station in 1957 after receiving advice from station manager (and future Capital Cities chairman) Thomas Murphy that he should take his talents to Hollywood. Ted and georgette Mary Tyler Moore Show

Knight spent most of the 1950s and 1960s creating commercial voiceovers and playing minor television and film roles. He had a small part playing a police officer guarding the room where Norman Bates sat wrapped in a blanket at the end of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's '' Psycho'' (1960). He played Phil Buckley on the ABC soap opera ''

The Young Marrieds ''The Young Marrieds'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 5, 1964 to March 25, 1966. The program was created by James Elward and written by Elward with Frances Rickett. Authors John ...

'' in the early 1960s. He also made guest appearances in numerous series, including ''

How to Marry a Millionaire ''How to Marry a Millionaire'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays ''The Greeks Had a Word for It'' (1930) by Zoe Akins and '' ...

'', ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countri ...

'', '' Lassie'', '' The Donna Reed Show'', ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'' (in the episode " The Lonely"), '' Bourbon Street Beat'', ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'', ''

The Man and the Challenge ''The Man and the Challenge'' is an American adventure fiction television series about a scientist who tests problems of human survival. It stars George Nader and aired on NBC during the 1959–60 television season. Synopsis Dr. Glenn Barton i ...

'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', '' Mr. Lucky'', '' One Step Beyond'', '' Pete and Gladys'', '' Surfside 6'', '' Sea Hunt'', '' The Asphalt Jungle'', '' Dr. Kildare'', '' General Electric Theatre'', '' Manhunt'', '' Cain's Hundred'', ''

The New Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hoste ...

'', '' The Eleventh Hour'', '' The Untouchables'', '' Sam Benedict'', '' The Virginian'', '' Arrest and Trial'', '' Ripcord'', ''

The Lieutenant ''The Lieutenant'' is an American television program, television series, the first created by Gene Roddenberry. An hour-long drama, it aired on NBC on Saturday evenings in the 1963–1964 television schedule. It was produced by Arena Product ...

'', '' The Outer Limits'' (in the episode " The Invisible Enemy"), ''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. The series was filmed i ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

,'' '' Kraft Suspense Theatre'', '' Run for Your Life'', '' 12 O'Clock High'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'', '' Combat!'', '' T.H.E. Cat'', '' The Fugitive'', '' The F.B.I.'', ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'', '' The Invaders'', '' Judd, for the Defense'', '' Garrison's Gorillas'', '' The Wild Wild West'', '' The Outsider'' and '' The Immortal''. Knight's speaking voice also brought him work as a voice artist for various animated series produced by Filmation and

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

, including '' Star Trek: The Animated Series'', '' The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure'', '' The Batman/Superman Hour'', ''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Ve ...

'', ''

Fantastic Voyage ''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who is shrunk to microsco ...

'', '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies'', '' Super Friends'' and '' Lassie's Rescue Rangers''.

''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''

Knight's role as the vain and untalented WJM newscaster Ted Baxter on ''

'' brought widespread recognition and his greatest success. He received six

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 ...

nominations for the role, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy in 1973 and 1976.

Post-''MTM'' appearances

In 1975, Knight recorded an album of mostly novelty songs, ''Hi Guys'', on the Ranwood label. The title track, in which Knight tries to extract himself from various embarrassing situations by using his signature "Hi, guys!" line, received some play on the Dr. Demento show. Knight was the special guest star on the first episode of ''

The Bobby Vinton Show ''The Bobby Vinton Show'' was a Canadian musical variety television series produced for the CTV Television Network between 1975 and 1978, with a total of 52 episodes broadcast. Featuring Bobby Vinton, a best-selling popular music singer since the ...

'' in September 1975. Vinton highlighted Knight's Polish heritage and the two sang a duet of Vinton's hit " My Melody of Love" in Polish. Knight was also featured in a production number based on one of the songs from the ''Hi Guys'' album, "I'm in Love with Barbara Walters". Knight used a variation of the Ted Baxter character for regional commercials. In the Cleveland area during the early to late 1970s, a newsman simply known as "Ted" would provide news of the events at a local shopping center known as Southgate USA, often finishing the 60-second spot with a comedic flair, including wearing a jacket that resembled Baxter's blue WJM blazer. Knight also returned to Albany to film promo spots for his former employer WTEN. Knight guest-starred in "Mr. Dennis Steps Out", the October 26, 1977, episode of the situation comedy '' Busting Loose'', as Roger Dennis, the owner of an escort service in New York City. This appearance launched a new show, '' The Ted Knight Show'', Knight's first starring role. ''The Ted Knight Show'' lasted for only six episodes in the spring of 1978. Knight appeared in several episodes of ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'', including one episode as a rival cruise captain. Knight's final film role was in the 1980 golf comedy '' Caddyshack'', in which he played Judge Elihu Smails, a foil for Rodney Dangerfield's character.

''Too Close for Comfort''

Knight was cast in the lead role as the curmudgeonly cartoonist Henry Rush in the series '' Too Close for Comfort'' in 1980. Throughout the series' run, Knight would wear sweatshirts from colleges and universities sent to him by students who were fans of the show. ABC canceled the show after three seasons, but it was revived in first-run syndication in 1984. In 1986, the show was retitled ''The Ted Knight Show'' and saw Henry retire from cartooning and become part-owner of a weekly newspaper. A second season was planned until Knight's health became a factor.

Personal life

In 1948, Knight married Dorothy Smith and the couple had three children: Ted Jr., Elyse and Eric. In January 1985, Knight was awarded a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for his contributions to the television industry. It is located at 6673

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

Death

A few months after the end of the ''Mary Tyler Moore Show'' in 1977, Knight was diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

, for which he received treatment. In 1985, the cancer returned and spread to his

bladder The bladder () is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys. In placental mammals, urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra during urination. In humans, the bladder is a distens ...

and

gastrointestinal tract The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the Digestion, digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascula ...

. Knight experienced complications from the surgery and was advised to not resume work on ''Too Close for Comfort'' until he recovered. His condition worsened and he died on August 26, 1986, at age 62. Knight was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

. His grave marker bears the name Theodore C. Konopka and the words "Bye Guy", a reference to his Ted Baxter

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

"Hi, guys!" His hometown of Terryville, Connecticut dedicated a bridge on Canal Street over the Pequabuck River in his memory. There is a bronze plaque bearing his likeness on the bridge.

Television

Filmography

Selected Television Appearances

* ''

'' (1959) (Season 1, Episode 7: "The Lonely") as Adams * ''

'' (1960) (Season 5, Episode 33: "Party Line") as Mr. Maynard * ''

'' (1964) (Season 10, Episode 16: "Run, Sheep, Run") as Rancher Bill Miller * '' Combat!'' (1964) (Season 2, Episode 27: "Weep No More") as German Sergeant * '' The Outer Limits'' (1964) (Season 2, Episode 7, " The Invisible Enemy") * Highway Patrol as reporter Merle Hartman in 1958.

References

External links

*
Interview with Lydia Cornell by Michael Sutton

Interview with Lydia Cornell
on the podcast ''The Future and You'' (anecdotes about Ted Knight and ''Too Close For Comfort'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Ted 1923 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male comedians American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Polish descent Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Comedians from Connecticut Deaths from colorectal cancer in California Filmation people Hanna-Barbera people Male actors from Connecticut Male actors from Los Angeles Military personnel from Connecticut Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Terryville, Connecticut United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers