Valerie Harper: Tributes paid to Mary Tyler Moore Show star
- Published
Harper took part in Dancing with the Stars in 2013
Stars have been paying tribute to The Mary Tyler Moore Show actress Valerie Harper, who died on Friday at the age of 80.
She was best known for playing budding feminist Rhoda Morgenstern in the classic 1970s TV series and in her own spin-off sitcom.
Her co-star Ed Asner tweeted his tribute, external, signing off: "Goodnight beautiful. I'll see you soon."
Alyssa Milano, who starred with Harper in Melrose Place, also paid tribute.
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Actor and activist Mia Farrow described Harper as simply "brilliant"., external
Singer Cyndi Lauper also paid tribute, as did Patricia Arquette, external and Debra Messing.
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Harper also took part in TV's celebrity competition Dancing with the Stars.
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Carnegie Hall, where Harper trained as a dancer, posted a picture of the star during a rally to save the New York institution.
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Harper died on Friday morning, her daughter Cristina Cacciotti said.
The actress had revealed to People magazine in March 2013 that she had leptomeningeal carcinomatosis - cancer cells in the membrane of her brain.
She was given only months to live but just seven months later she competed on Dancing With the Stars and made an appearance in the sitcom 2 Broke Girls in 2015.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show ran from 1970 to 1974
She had previously been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009.
Harper will always be best remembered for her portrayal of Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the best friend and neighbour of Moore's character.
Asked why the character was so popular with viewers, Harper told the New Yorker: "They recognised her as real. She had a weight problem and she was insecure. She was a New Yorker. But she also had this victorious streak. She could be belligerent and she could stand on her own."
Harper won three consecutive Emmys for best supporting actress in a comedy on Moore's show - 1971, 1972 and 1973.
In 1974, she was given her own show, Rhoda, which ran for five years and earned her another Emmy for best actress in a comedy the following year. She also won a Golden Globe in the role.
Harper also starred in sitcom Valerie in the 1980s but was fired after the second season after falling out with NBC over a salary dispute.
In recent decades, she also had roles in Melrose Place, Sex in the City, The Office and Desperate Housewives.
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- Published16 April 2019
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