Mary Tyler Moore

Emmy Award winner Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress and comedian mostly recognized for her starring roles as Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Fast Facts

1. Born: December 29, 1936
2. Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
3. Nominated for 14 Emmy Awards, winning 7 times
4. Winner of 3 Golden Globe Awards
5. Co-founder of Broadway Barks
6. International Chairman for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International

Career

Moore started acting in commercials at the age of 17. Soon after, she appeared in a number of TV series including Bourbon Street Beat, 77 Sunset Strip and Lock Up. In 1961 she co-starred on The Dick Van Dyke Show, where she was an instant hit and won an Emmy for her performance.

In 1970 Moore starred in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which became her second hit. The show was so popular that in May 2002, she had a statue dedicated to her character, Mary Richards. The statue, taken from the show's opening sequence where she throws her hat up in the air, is located in downtown Minneapolis in front of Macy's Department Store.

Moore attempted two other sitcoms following The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but neither were as successful as her first two.

Today, Moore appears on Broadway, and makes special appearances on shows such as The Ellen Show.

Quotes

"And then Dick called and said, I'm going to do a special called Dick Van Dyke and the other woman, that would be you, because every time I try to check into a hotel with my wife, they look at me as though I'm cheating on Laura."

"I just like the continue doing what I've been doing. A melange of funny, straight drama, television, movies, a little theater here and there wouldn't hurt. So if I can keep doing that, I'll be a very happy person."

"I live in New York simply because I don't know any better. I moved there when the show went off the air a couple of years after that."

"I'm not an actress who can create a character. I play me."

"Reruns are wonderful because it usually indicates that they had something going for them to begin with and that's why you're still looking at them. And in both my shows, The Dick Van Dyke Show and the last one, they were so well written and so good they hold up."

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