Mary Tyler Moore

An iconic modern woman who embodied classic American archetypes--suburban homemaker and independent single woman--in two very different, but very successful sitcoms, Mary Tyler Moore also made an enormous contribution to television history as the producer of numerous acclaimed comedies and dramas of the 1970s and 1980s. Audiences first fell in love with Moore as a believable symbol of the smart, young, pants-wearing mom on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (CBS, 1961-66) before she came to signify a new breed of independent, liberated professional woman on the Emmy-winning sitcom, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (CBS, 1970-77). In addition to her longstanding reputation for comedy, Moore delivered a powerful, Oscar-nominated performance in the 1980 feature "Ordinary People," in addition to starring in over a dozen television movies. As co-founder of MTM Productions, Moore was integral to the success of top rated "Mary Tyler Moore" spin-offs "Rhoda" (CBS, 1974-78) and "Lou Grant" (CBS, 1977-82), as well as "The Bob Newhart Show" (CBS, 1972-78) and the police drama "Hill Street Blues" (NBC, 1981-87). Though her career slowed down in later years, Moore remained active in numerous charities and causes, particularly related to Type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with early in her career. Because of her contributions to television, Moore remained a timeless icon whose influence with subsequent generations of female performers remained incalculable. Her death on January 25, 2017 at the age of 80 was greeted with worldwide mourning from fans and peers alike.