1937-
Television Actress

The New Woman.

In many ways the 1970s was the decade of the television sitcom. While programs such as All in the Family and M*A*S*H revolutionized the form, many viewers and critics believed that The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) perfected it. As the clean-cut heart of the MEDIA 383.show, Moore's character, Mary Richards, exemplified a new image for American women: intelligent and professional yet personable, looking for love but not tying her self-image to a prospective husband and family. As TV Guide put it in 1973, "Thirty-three, unmarried and unworried — Mary is the liberated woman's ideal." Rather than preaching, the show used an effective blend of humor and everyday life to depict the lives of a career woman and her friends.

Building a Show.

In the 1960s Moore played Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show and...