Valerie Harper

Valerie Harper
Harper in 1974
Born
Valerie Kathryn Harper

(1939-08-22)August 22, 1939
DiedAugust 30, 2019(2019-08-30) (aged 80)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles[1]
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • dancer
  • writer
Years active1956–2019
Spouses
  • (m. 1964; div. 1978)
  • Tony Cacciotti
    (m. 1987)
Children1
WebsiteOfficial website

Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 – August 30, 2019) was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical Li'l Abner.[2] She is best remembered for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977) and its spinoff Rhoda (1974–1978). For her work on Mary Tyler Moore, she thrice received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and later received the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Rhoda.

Her film appearances include roles in Freebie and the Bean (1974) and Chapter Two (1979), both of which garnered her Golden Globe Award nominations.

From 1986 to 1987, Harper appeared as Valerie Hogan on the sitcom Valerie, from which she was fired after two seasons. Her character was killed off, and the show was retitled Valerie's Family and eventually The Hogan Family. Actress Sandy Duncan was cast in a new role that served as a replacement for Harper's character.

Harper returned to stage work in her later career, appearing in several Broadway productions. In 2010, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Tallulah Bankhead in the play Looped.

  1. ^ Dodd, Johnny; Todisco, Eric (September 7, 2019). "Valerie Harper Laid to Rest in L.A. as Daughter Gives Speech During Funeral". People. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Valerie Harper – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.