The Mary Tyler Moore Show Cast: Surprising Facts About the Beloved ‘70s Comedy’s Stars

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was considered the most beloved comedy show in the ’70s. The character Mary Richards is still known as one of the greatest and funniest women on TV. The other characters included her boss Lou Grant, played by Ed Asner; the anchorman Ted Baxter, played by Ted Knight; Gavia MacLeod, her newswriter played by Murray Slaughter; and many others.

There were other fascinating characters who did a great job entertaining people, like Georgette Franklin, who played Georgia Engel, the anchorman’s girlfriend, and Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens, who had her own segment, called The Happy Homemaker, on the fictional TV station.

Mary was a beloved actress of the ’60s and ’70s, and with her remarkable role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, she earned quite a lot of success and fame in her lifetime.

What’s interesting about Mary is that she was an animal rights activist who helped raise awareness and funds to support and safeguard animals!

Betty White was the last actress to be cast in the show and was supposed to be there for just one episode.

However, her character and tremendous acting skills made such an impact on the audience that White was cast as a recurring character.

Ted Knight did it all, from hosting radio shows to voicing animated characters and commercial jingles.

Did you know Knight dropped out of high school? He was an engineer who helped build various bridges, roads, and houses during the troubles of the 1940s.

Harper began her career as a dancer, but she suffered quite a lot in her life as she was diagnosed with various severe illnesses.

Her character Rhoda was so popular with the fans that Harper got her own spin-off show, Rhoda.