She could turn the world on with her smile, but now our world is a darker place without her. Earlier today, Mary Tyler Moore passed away at a hospital in Greenwich, Conn where she was being treated for pneumonia. She was 80 years old.
Moore was born on December 29, 1936 in Brooklyn, and her climb to fame as a model and dancer at the age of 17. Her first big break on television came in the late ’50s when she was cast as the enigmatic telephone receptionist, Sam, on Richard Diamond, Private Detective. She went on to appear in several films and TV shows including 77 Sunset Strip, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Steve Canyon, Hawaiian Eye, and Thriller before ultimately landing her first iconic role in The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961.
As Laura Petrie, Moore proved herself to be a very gifted comedic actress opposite her onscreen husband, Van Dyke. Although The Dick Van Dyke Show only ran for five seasons, it remains a popular show in syndication and it has widely been recognized as one of the all-time great sitcoms. For her work on the series, Moore won an Emmy for outstanding actress in a comedy.
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In the ’70s, Moore left behind an even bigger cultural impact when she and her husband, Grant Tinker brought The Mary Tyler Moore Show to CBS. For this series, Moore played Mary Richards, a newly single woman attempting to make it as a news producer at TV station. The series quickly became one of the biggest hits on TV, and Moore was widely credited for shaping the perception of the modern American woman. She went on to win four additional Emmy awards for her role on the series.
Outside of television, Moore had a memorable turn in Ordinary People as a grieving mother who was faced with the death of one son and the attempted suicide of another. For that part, Moore received her first and only Academy Award nomination. Even in the face of health difficulties, Moore continued to act through the next several decades. She may be gone now, but she leaves behind an unforgettable legacy. CraveOnline extends its condolences to Moore’s family, friends, and fans around the world.
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