Mary : The Mary Tyler Moore Story

By Herbie J Pilato
 
A new Mary Tyler Moore biography, with never-before revealed insights from those who knew and worked with the celebrated actress, will be published on anniversary of her passing.Two years ago – January 25, 2017 – the world lost Mary Tyler Moore at age 80. Her many awards include two Emmys and a Golden Globe for her role as Laura Petrie in the 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, and three Emmys, plus a second Golden Globe, as Mary Richards in her 1970s hit series The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Moore also won an Emmy for the 1993 TV movie Stolen Babies. In 1980, she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the Robert Redford-directed drama, Ordinary People. But for fans of Mary Tyler Moore, the characters she played are paramount.
 
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, premiering in September 1970, made her a symbol and role model for the Women’s Movement. Her portrayal of an independent working woman challenged traditional women’s roles in television. First Lady Michelle Obama said about the character Mary Richards: “She wasn’t married; she wasn’t looking to get married; at no point did the series end in a happy ending with her finding a husband – which seemed to be the course you had to take as a woman.”
 
A decade before, Moore’'s role as Laura Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show confronted conventional TV wives and moms through her assertiveness, as well as the chemistry between her and Van Dyke. Moore said, “We brought romance to comedy, and, yes, Rob and Laura had sex!” While celebrating her life and career, MARY: THE MARY TYLER MOORE STORY also explores in-depth her personal and professional struggles and triumphs. It narrates the many TV and film productions, stage plays, and personal appearances that spanned her 50-plus-year-career.
 
This new book delineates as never before Moore’s issues with childhood sexual abuse; alcoholism; diabetes; cosmetic surgery; her near-obsessive love for animals; her troubled personal relationships with parents and spouses, as well as the tragic deaths of her son, her brother, and sister; and difficulties with a few of her co-stars, such as Rose Marie (from The Dick Van Dyke Show).
 
In covering the gamut of Moore’s personal and professional life, this new biography features exclusive interviews with many of her co-stars, including Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Larry Matthews, and the late Carol Channing, plus recollections from several writer/producers who worked on many of her television productions. Among these is journalist and breast-cancer survivor Betty Rollin, whom Moore portrayed in the groundbreaking 1978 TV biopic, First You Cry. Despite her personal challenges, Mary Tyler Moore achieved a level of stardom and lasting admiration experienced by few. Her amazing, inspiring story is unveiled in MARY: THE MARY TYLER MOORE STORY.