Mary Tyler Moore’s On-Screen Persona Hid the Truth About Her Traumatic Childhood
By the time Mary Tyler Moore stepped into the role of Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, she was already well on her way to becoming a household name. Her bright, energetic performance made audiences instantly fall in love, but it also hinted at something bigger. Moore wasn’t just a television star in the making - she was poised to change the medium itself.
That transformation didn’t begin and end with the groundbreaking Mary Tyler Moore Show of the 1970s. Through MTM Enterprises, she helped bring some of the era’s most influential television to life, spanning far beyond comedy - and as remarkable as that legacy is, it barely scratches the surface of just how fascinating Mary Tyler Moore’s life truly was.
Mary Tyler Moore Had a Horrific Childhood
Mary Tyler Moore's family life as a child was hard, as her father tended to be morose and emotionally distant. Her mother also lived with alcoholism, which further complicated her childhood.
As difficult as these realities were for her, they weren't what made Moore's childhood truly nightmarish. When she was six years old, she was violated by her neighbor.
Her First Television Gig Was as an Elf in an Ad Series
Before Moore had any acting experience, she was trained as a dancer. This presented an unusual opportunity to start building her resumé, as her skills led the home appliance company Hotpoint to cast her as "Happy the Hotpoint Elf," who's moved to dance by the company's products.
She shot her first commercial in 1955 and wound up appearing in 39 before the company fired her. This was reportedly because she'd become pregnant and Hotpoint didn't like the idea of being represented by a pregnant elf.
She Made TV Producers Regret Underestimating Her
After appearing in Hotpoint commercials, Moore landed her first recurring television role on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, playing the switchboard operator, Sam. The character was never shown fully on screen - only from behind or from the waist down - and Moore was not listed in the credits, a decision meant to preserve an air of mystery.
After 12 episodes, Moore asked the producers for a raise. Instead of negotiating, they fired her. She responded by publicly revealing she had been the voice and body behind Sam all along. The move undercut the show’s carefully crafted “mystique” and, more importantly, brought Moore new attention through magazine profiles and interviews, giving her career a noticeable boost.
She Almost Skipped the Biggest Audition of Her Career
Before being cast as Laura Petrie in 1961, Mary Tyler Moore had plenty of reasons to feel discouraged. In a 2004 appearance on The View, she recalled spending that period auditioning constantly, only to face rejection after rejection.
One week in particular stood out as especially demoralizing. As Moore remembered it, her agent eventually called and said, “Carl Reiner wants to see you about being the wife of Dick Van Dyke on a new series.” Her response was immediate: “No, I’m not going. I can’t take any more rejection.” Her agent insisted, telling her to get there immediately.
She went - and, as Moore later put it, “Oh boy.”
Dick Van Dyke Helped Mary Tyler Moore's Career Rebound
The end of The Dick Van Dyke Show left Mary Tyler Moore facing real uncertainty. Her attempts to transition into film didn’t deliver the success she’d hoped for. Even though Thoroughly Modern Millie performed well at the box office and earned strong reviews, it wasn’t enough to firmly establish her movie career.
Around the same time, Dick Van Dyke learned from his wife that fans were spreading rumors about his character having cheated on Laura Petrie. In response, he created the TV special Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman and invited Moore to reprise her role. It drew such strong ratings that CBS greenlit Moore for 24 episodes of a half-hour series without ever seeing a pilot.
She Was Supposed to Play a Divorcee on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'
When Moore was developing The Mary Tyler Moore Show with Allan Burns, James L. Brooks and her second husband, Grant Tinker, they envisioned making her character a recently divorced 30-year-old with a Jewish woman from New York as her best friend.
CBS researchers warned Burns that viewers in middle America wouldn't accept New Yorkers, Jewish characters, divorced people and men with mustaches. Burns was unconvinced when it came to Rhoda's character, and she remained a Jewish New Yorker who audiences grew to like, despite an initial icy reception from test audiences.
However, they did see reason to change Moore's backstory from featuring a divorce to a broken engagement because test audiences still saw her as Laura Petrie and hated the idea of her divorcing Dick Van Dyke.
The Owner of the House Hated the Experience
The Mary Tyler Moore Show put Mary Richards' first apartment in a Queen Anne Victorian home owned by Paula Giese and her husband. She maintained that she had been told her house would be filmed once for a documentary, rather than repeatedly for a TV series.
However that misunderstanding happened, Giese grew incensed by constant visits from the show's fans and saw a golden opportunity to make the show use someone else's house. She put up a bunch of "impeach Nixon" signs on her lawn, which deterred the producers from using the house, and Mary Richards had to move.
She Starred in a Truly Bizarre Feature
Before filming the very last season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Moore starred in Mary's Incredible Dream in January 1976. It was a musical variety show with funk and disco music stylings, but it was centered around a psychedelic dream she'd supposedly had.
In this dream, Moore's depicted visiting the Garden of Eden and encountering Satan, played by Broadway star Ben Vereen. Apparently, there was also a number in which the Manhattan Transfer sang the Rolling Stones song, "Sympathy for the Devil."
Elvis Presley Confessed an Adorably Wholesome Crush
When Moore was trying to make it in Hollywood, she starred in Change of Habit, alongside Elvis Presley. In her memoir, Moore described Presley as a consummate professional who took extra care to ensure a seven-year-old actress felt comfortable with him.
However, one of the most endearing moments for her came when he confessed go having a crush on her since The Dick Van Dyke Show. As she recounted, "He was so shy about it, he was literally kicking at the dirt below him as he talked. He had a tendency, even though I was younger, to call me 'ma'am' out of respect: 'Yes ma'am. Be right there, ma'am.'"
Moore Met The Love of Her Life By Chance
Moore's usual doctor was unavailable when her mother fell ill after a trip to France, which meant Robert Levine ended up examining her mother at a New York hospital. After he told Moore to call in the event of any problems, she asked if "acute loneliness" counted. What was his response? "I can't think of a better reason to be awakened at 3:00 AM."
She made a social call a few nights later, and the rest is history.
Her Most Meaningful Gift Was a Sandwich
While Moore received many awards during her illustrious career, footage from Being Mary Tyler Moore revealed that none of it meant as much to her as one tuna sandwich her husband once made for her late at night.
While that may sound strange and unexpected, Levine explained why this sandwich was so significant while speaking to Vanity Fair. In his words, "She said that it was one of the most special gifts that anyone had ever given her, because it was given solely for her. That was the moment that convinced her that she really loved me."
Mimsie the Cat Was Expressly Rescued for the MTM Logo
Those who watched any amount of TV during the 1970s or '80s will remember the MTM Enterprises logo, which featured a tiny orange tabby cat mewing adorably. Her name was Mimsie and she was sought out after Grant Tinker suggested Moore name her production company MTM Enterprises.
Moore was flattered, and when staff realized the name sounded similar to MGM Studios, they had the idea to replace MGM's grand lion with a meek kitten, since they were such a small company. They sought out a cat with the loudest mew they could find and took in Mimsie!
Moore's Career Thrived in 1980, But Tragedy Struck
Moore gave birth to her son, Richard Meeker, Jr. in 1955, and while he fell into narcotics use as a teenager, he was able to reconcile with his mother after he got clean. Moore shared regrets of her own, as her career often kept her absent when he was a child, and, as she put it, "I demanded a lot of Richie. I was responsible for a lot of alienation."
While 1980 saw Moore earn an Oscar nomination for the movie Ordinary People and win a Tony for Whose Life Is It Anyway?, her career success was overshadowed by a personal tragedy. While fiddling with a gun with a sensitive trigger, Meeker accidentally experienced a self-inflicted wound and passed away at the age of 24.
She Insisted On Doing Her Own Stunts at 64
Long after both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off, Rhoda, had ended, Moore and Rhoda actress Valerie Harper reunited for the TV movie, Mary and Rhoda.
While chasing a stray dog in high heels, Moore's character tumbles to the ground in a scene. A stuntwoman was originally supposed to handle this part, but Moore insisted on handling the pratfall herself. She broke two bones in her right wrist.
Moore Was a Champion for Animal Rights
In addition to being a vegetarian, Moore was passionate about the welfare of animals to the point of starting a foundation dedicated to facilitating adoptions called Broadway Barks. Specifically, she co-founded the organization with actress and singer Bernadette Peters, who kept it going after Moore had to step away for health reasons in 2013.
Mason Zimmer
