List of The Mary Tyler Moore Show characters

The following is a list of featured on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Main characters

Mary Richards
Main article: Mary Richards

Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) is a single native Minnesotan[1] who moves to Minneapolis in 1970 at age 30 and becomes Associate Producer of WJM-TV's Six O'Clock News. Her sincere, kind demeanor often acts as a foil for the personalities of her co-workers and friends.

Lou Grant
Main article: Lou Grant

Lou Grant (Edward Asner) is the Producer (later Executive Producer) of the news. His tough and grumpy demeanor initially hides his kind-hearted nature which is gradually revealed as the series progresses. He is referred to as "Lou" by everyone, including Mary's friends, with the exception of Mary herself, who can rarely bring herself to call him by his first name rather than "Mr. Grant". He was married to Edie, but during the run of the show they separated and divorced.

Murray Slaughter

Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod) is the head writer at fictional television station WJM-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is assigned to write the news stories for the station's nightly news broadcast, and makes frequent quips about Ted Baxter's mangling of his news copy, and Sue Ann Nivens' aggressive, man-hungry attitude.

Murray is happily married to Marie (Joyce Bulifant) and has several daughters. In the show's later years, he and Marie adopt a Vietnamese son. Although he is a happy family man, he is forever in love with Mary Richards, who he thinks is, in his words, "Absolutely terrific". He is protective of her and always concerned for her happiness and well-being. At one point, when Murray truly believes he is in love with Mary in a real way, Marie thinks he is going to leave her. Mary explains to her that she thinks of Murray as a best friend. This helps things settle down.

In a season three episode, it is revealed that Murray is a compulsive gambler. When a snowstorm keeps Lou Grant from flying to Vegas, he holds a poker game that Murray reluctantly joins.

Murray tries to write a novel; despite failing, he never gives up. He, along with Mary, Lou Grant, and another nemesis of his, Sue Ann Nivens, is fired from WJM-TV to boost sagging news ratings. Ironically, Ted, the one most responsible for the dismal ratings, is retained.

He and Mary Richards are the only characters to appear in every episode of the series.

Ted Baxter
Main article: Ted Baxter

Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) is the dim-witted, vain, and miserly anchorman of the Six O'Clock News. He frequently makes mistakes and is oblivious to the actual nature of the topics covered on the show but, to cover for tormenting insecurity, he postures as the country's best news journalist. He is often criticized by others, especially Murray and Lou, for his many shortcomings, but is never fired from his position. Initially a comic buffoon in the series, Ted's better nature is gradually revealed as the series unfolds, helped along by his sweet, seemingly vague, but frequently perceptive wife Georgette.

Rhoda Morgenstern
Main article: Rhoda Morgenstern

Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) (1970–74) (Season 1–4, 6 & 7 Guest) is Mary's best friend and upstairs neighbor. She works as a window dresser, first at the fictional Bloomfield's Department Store, and later at Hempel's Department Store. Though insecure about her appearance, she is also outgoing and sardonic, often making wisecracks, frequently at her own expense. Like Mary, she is single. She dates frequently, often joking about her disastrous dates. Rhoda moves to New York City and falls in love after the fourth season, beginning the spinoff series, Rhoda.

Phyllis Lindstrom
Main article: Phyllis Lindstrom

Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman) (1970–75) (Season 1–5, 7 Guest) is Mary's snobbish friend and neighbor. Phyllis is a recurring character appearing in many episodes of the first two seasons, after which her appearances decline in frequency. She is married to unseen character Lars, a dermatologist, and has a precocious daughter, Bess (Lisa Gerritsen). Phyllis is controlling, egotistical and often arrogant. She is actively involved in groups and clubs and is a political activist and a supporter of Women's Liberation. Rhoda and Phyllis are usually at odds and often trade insults. After appearing in three episodes of season five, Phyllis moves to spin-off Phyllis. In that series it is explained Phyllis has been widowed. Discovering that her husband had virtually no assets and that she must support herself, Phyllis returns to her home town of San Francisco.

Sue Ann Nivens
Main article: Sue Ann Nivens

Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White) (1973–77) (Season 4–7), is the host of WJM's The Happy Homemaker show. While her demeanor is superficially cheerful, she makes judgmental comments about Mary, exchanges personal insults with Murray, and uses many sexual double entendres, especially around Lou, to whom she is strongly attracted.

Recurring characters
She made her first appearance at one of Mary Richards' parties. She worked as a window dresser at Hempel's Department Store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, along with Rhoda Morgenstern. Later, she worked for a car rental service, as a Golden Girl, and for Rhoda selling plants.
Georgette was devoted to Ted, and they would eventually marry in Mary Richards' apartment. They adopt a child named David (Robbie Rist), and later, she gives birth to a girl named Mary Lou, also in Mary's apartment.
  • Edie Grant (née McKenzie) (Priscilla Morrill) was the wife of Lou Grant. She and Lou had been married for many years and had children, but in the 1971 episode "The Boss Isn't coming to Dinner", marital difficulties lead to Lou and Edie separating. Though they reunite by the end of the episode, they again separate during The Mary Tyler Moore Show's third season, with the marriage ending soon thereafter. In a later season, Edie was remarried to Howard Gordon, and asked Lou and Mary to attend her wedding. Lou held his peace and they parted friends. Even when Lou lived in Los Angeles, he and Edie kept in touch, because their grown daughters remained a common bond between them. In the Lou Grant series, Edie was revealed to be Roman Catholic and of Ukrainian heritage.
  • Gordon Howard, better known as Gordy, was played by actor John Amos. Gordy was the weather reporter on the nightly WJM-TV newscast. Affable, intelligent and professional, Gordy was the polar opposite of Ted. In 1973, Gordy left WJM, and eventually got a job as host of a talk show in New York City. Ted thought this would be a great chance for him to become a national name, and wheedled Gordy to allow him to join him; but Gordy, although his friend, was also wise to his ways, and gently told him no. After that, Gordy returned to New York and reaped success.
The producers introduced Gordy as a weatherman because at the time they felt very few weathermen at the time were black. The original intention had been to make him a sportscaster, but they felt a weatherman would be funny. In several early episodes the character of Gordy remarks, "Why does everyone think I'm the sportscaster?" Amos left the show to do Good Times, but after being fired from Good Times in 1976 he returned for one last guest spot as Gordy in 1977.
  • Bess Lindstrom was portrayed on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Phyllis by actress Lisa Gerritsen. Bess is the daughter and only child of Phyllis Lindstrom and her late husband, Lars. Bess helped her mother decorate the new apartment that Mary Richards moved into. She bonded well with Rhoda Morgenstern, to her mother's horror, calling her "Aunt Rhoda" (to which her mother invariably replied, "She's not your aunt"). She also bonded with Mary, who was an old friend of her mother's. She only referred to Phyllis by her first name rather than with a motherly endearment.
Bess was more prominently featured on the spin-off show, Phyllis. By this time, Bess was in high school. She and her mother moved to her mother's hometown, San Francisco, after her father died. While Bess's step great-grandmother "Mother Dexter" despised Phyllis, she got along beautifully with Bess. Near the end of the series, Bess married Mark Valenti (Craig Wasson), the nephew of Phyllis' boss, City Supervisor, Carmen Valenti, and were expecting a baby.
  • Florence Meredith, best known as Aunt Flo (actually a distant older cousin of Mary Richards), was played on a recurring basis by actress Eileen Heckart. She was a straight-shooting newspaper columnist, who has won over sixteen journalism awards. She made infrequent visits to Minneapolis and also battled Mary's boss, Lou Grant. Although, they clashed, there was a spark between them and they had a brief fling. Flo later made an appearance on Lou Grant, covering the same political campaign as Tribune reporter Billie Newman.
  • Martin and Ida Morgenstern were portrayed on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda by veteran actors Harold Gould and Nancy Walker, respectively. They were the parents of Rhoda Morgenstern. Ida was portrayed as a stereotypical overbearing Jewish mother, whereas Martin was somewhat calmer and more even-keeled. While Rhoda was living in Minneapolis, Ida occasionally visited. When Rhoda moved back to New York, she initially stayed with her mother in the Bronx. During the run of Rhoda, Martin and Ida separated while Martin went off to find himself and pursue a long-shelved dream of becoming a lounge singer. Toward the end of Rhoda's run, Martin had returned and was attempting to win Ida back, though this remained unresolved when the series ended.
  • Dottie and Walter Richards are Mary's parents. Dottie was played by veteran actress Nanette Fabray and Walter was played by Bill Quinn. Their first appearance was in 1972, two years after Mary had left her fiancé and moved to Minneapolis. Her parents moved to Minneapolis to be near Mary, though Mary and her mother, in particular, had a bit of trouble learning to relate to one-another, now that Mary was an adult. That season they made a handful of appearances on the series, before disappearing without explanation.
  • Marie Slaughter was played by actress Joyce Bulifant. Marie was the wife of news writer, Murray Slaughter, and a homemaker. She and Murray had three daughters; they adopted a Vietnamese son toward the end of the series.
  • Joe Warner was played by actor Ted Bessell. He became Mary's boyfriend during season 6, appearing in two episodes. Prior to appearing on the Mary Tyler Moore show, he was best known for having played Marlo Thomas' boyfriend in the sitcom That Girl.
  • Bill, Mary's ex-boyfriend. A doctor, whom Mary dated throughout his med school and residency, after which, he broke things off with her. He appeared only in the pilot, in which he attempted to try to reestablish their relationship, and was played by Angus Duncan.[3]
  • Howard and Paul Arnell, brothers both of whom were played by actor Richard Schaal. Howard appeared in several Season One episodes as an old boyfriend of Mary's. She broke up with him because of his obsession with her, and his overbearing nature. He appeared at Mary's high school reunion, and also attended an impromptu cocktail party Mary and Rhoda hosted. Mary also briefly dated Howard's much more low-key brother Paul, whose company she enjoyed a bit more, but his parents (Mary Jackson and Henry Jones) seemed to favor Howard, and felt that Mary was being disloyal to him by dating Paul.
  • Andy Rivers was played by actor John Gabriel. Andy was WJM's sports reporter, and was hired by Mary. He appeared in five episodes in Seasons 4 and 5. He occasionally dated Mary.
  • Dan Whitfield was played by actor Michael Tolan. Dan taught an evening journalism class that Mary and Rhoda enrolled in. He occasionally dated Mary.
  • Charlene McGuire, a lounge singer who occasionally dated Lou Grant. Charlene was played by Sheree North, and in one episode by Janis Paige.
  • Armond Lynton, played by Jack De Mave. Armond (along with his wife Nancy) was Rhoda's "date" for an evening get-together with Mary in the second episode of the series. He returned in the second season, recently divorced from Nancy, responding to a chain letter sent by Mary.
  • Pete was played by actor and cameraman J. Benjamin Chulay A.C.E. (actor). Pete was the blond-haired fellow in the background on certain episodes. He had small speaking appearances in two episodes in 1973 - 1974.
  • Rayette was played by Beverly Sanders. She is a waitress in a restaurant where Mary occasionally has lunch.

References
  1. Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin (September 2013). "Two Men and an Independent Woman". Emmy. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  2. "She Even Gets Laughs on Her Straight Lines", TV Guide, Dec. 1973.
  3. Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin (2013-05-07). Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic. Simon and Schuster. pp. 73–. ISBN 9781451659238. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
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