September 06, 2019
Valerie Harper was our featured celebrity back on May 17th. While putting that issue together I learned quite a bit about her and was really taken with just how generous, caring, and versatile she was over her long career. Sadly, Valerie Harper passed away on August 30th, at the age of 80.
Back in 2013, it was announced that she had leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare brain cancer. She said that her doctors had given her three months to live. That news didn't get to Harper; she lived for 6 more years and brought so much happiness, strength, and love to so many. Her positivity and smile showed us the immeasurable level of grace. She never let her health define her, keep her from expressing herself, or living her life to the fullest. I admire her so much.
Since her passing the internet and so many of the nostalgic television changes have been paying tribute to Harper with pictures, clip montages, interviews, and classic episodes of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', 'Rhoda', and 'Valerie'/'Valerie's Family' aka 'The Hogan Family'. Simply wonderful! So today Where Are They Now? is paying tribute to Valerie Harper. She may be gone, but she will never be forgotten.
Remember, I did NOT forget the rest of today's issue. So if you would like to see the rest of this issue which includes Harpers' CREDITS, the answers to DEAD OR ALIVE?, and the list of WHO PASSED ON THIS WEEK, then please, please, please click the link right here:
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--DEAD OR ALIVE?--
See if you know if the following celebrities have had a visit from the "Grim Reaper":
Andrew Sachs: Played the abused bellboy, Manuel, in the classic TV series "Fawlty Towers"
Roger Corman: Director of schlocky horror movies, "Little Shop of Horrors", "Pit and the Pendulum"
Cathryn Damon: Played Mary Campbell (one of the sisters) on the TV series "Soap"
(Answer at the bottom)
Valerie Harper
Learn More About Valerie Harper, see Then & Now pictures, and So Much More on Celebrity Nooz
BIRTH DATE: August 22, 1939 in Suffern, New York, USA
BIRTH NAME: Valerie Kathryn Harper
CLAIM TO FAME: Valerie Harper is an American actress best remembered for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and its spin-off 'Rhoda' in the 1970s.
FAMILY LIFE: Harper married actor Richard Schaal in 1964. They divorced in 1978. Harper later married Tony Cacciotti in 1987; the couple adopted a daughter.
INFO: Studied ballet.
Graduated from the private Young Professionals School on West 56th Street, where classmates included Sal Mineo, Tuesday Weld, and Carol Lynley.
Member of Second City.
Harper began as a dancer and chorus girl on Broadway, and went on to perform in several Broadway shows, some choreographed by Michael Kidd.
While doing theater in Los Angeles in 1970, Harper was spotted by casting agent Ethel Winant, and then auditioned for the role of Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Graduate of the Erhard Seminars Training (better known as EST).
Harper returned to situation comedy in 1986 when she played family matriarch Valerie Hogan on the NBC series Valerie. Following a salary dispute with NBC and production company Lorimar in 1987, Harper was fired from the series at the end of its second season. Harper sued NBC and Lorimar for breach of contract. Her claims against NBC were dismissed, but the jury found that Lorimar had wrongfully fired her and awarded her $1.4 million plus 12.5 percent of the show's profits. The series continued without her with the explanation that her character had died off-screen. In 1987, it was initially renamed Valerie's Family and then The Hogan Family, as Harper was replaced by actress Sandy Duncan, who played her sister-in-law Sandy Hogan. NBC canceled The Hogan Family in 1990, but CBS picked up the series for a final season.
In the 70s/80s, Harper was involved in the Women's Liberation Movement and was an advocate of the Equal Rights Amendment. With Dennis Weaver she co-founded L.I.F.E. in 1983, a charity that fed thousands of needy in Los Angeles.
In 2009, Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer.
She announced on March 6, 2013, that tests from a January hospital stay revealed she has leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition in which cancer cells spread into the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain. She said her doctors had given her as little as three months life expectancy.
In September 2017, she made this comment: "People are saying, 'She's on her way to death and quickly'. Now it's five years instead of three months ... I'm going to fight this. I'm going to see a way."
TRIVIA: First met Mary Tyler Moore on set of The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), where her then-husband, Richard Schaal, was guest-starring.
She won four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for her work as Rhoda Morgenstern.
She and her then-husband Richard Schaal were also a writing team and wrote a script for the series Love, American Style (1969) called "Love and the Visitor", Love, American Style: Love and the Elopement/Love and the Visitor (1970), back in the early 1970s.
Her most notable film appearances include roles in Freebie and the Bean (1974) and Chapter Two (1979), both of which garnered her Golden Globe Award nominations.
Harper is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and ran for president in the 2001 election, losing to Melissa Gilbert. She served on the Hollywood Board of Directors of SAG.
Harper was announced as a contestant for the 17th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Tristan MacManus. Harper and MacManus were voted off the show on October 7, 2013.
WHERE IS SHE NOW: Sadly, Valerie Harper passed away on August 30, 2019. She leaves a wonderful legacy on both the big and small screen. To many viewers she was their best friend as Rhoda and to others she was the world's greatest mom on 'Valerie Family'. Thank you for all the laughter and joy. Rest in peace.
CREDITS:
2014-2019 American Dad! (TV Series)...IHOP Diner
- I Am the Jeans: The Gina Lavetti Story (2019) ... (voice)
- Cock of the Sleepwalk (2014) ... IHOP Diner (voice)
2013-2018 The Simpsons (TV Series)...Jennifer Clarkeson / General Hospital nurse / Ms. Myles / ...
- Frink Gets Testy (2018) ... Jennifer Clarkeson (voice)
- Gone Boy (2017) ... General Hospital nurse (voice)
- Mr. Lisa's Opus (2017) ... Ms. Myles (voice)
- Whistler's Father (2017) ... Backstage Mom (voice)
- Moho House (2017) ... Mrs. Butterworth (voice)
- Looking for Mr. Goodbart (2017) ... Old Lady (voice)
- A Test Before Trying (2013) ... Department of Standardized Testing Proctor (voice)
2016 Stars in Shorts: No Ordinary Love...Mother
2016 My Mom and the Girl (Short)...Norma / Nanny
2016 Childrens Hospital (TV Series)...Mamma Fiorucci
- Childrens Horsepital (2016) ... Mamma Fiorucci
2015/I Merry Xmas (Short)...Mother
2015 2 Broke Girls (TV Series)...Nola Anderz
- And the Great Unwashed (2015) ... Nola Anderz
2015 Melissa & Joey (TV Series)...Aunt Bunny
- Thanks But No Thanks (2015) ... Aunt Bunny
2014 Signed, Sealed, Delivered (TV Series)...Theresa Capodiamonte
- To Whom It May Concern (2014) ... Theresa Capodiamonte
- Time to Start Livin' (2014) ... Theresa Capodiamonte
2014 The Town That Came A-Courtin'...Charlotte
2013 Hot in Cleveland (TV Series)...Angie
- Love Is All Around (2013) ... Angie
2011-2012 Drop Dead Diva (TV Series)...Judge Leslie Singer
- Freak Show (2012) ... Judge Leslie Singer
- Bride-a-Palooza (2011) ... Judge Leslie Singer
2012 Shiver...Audrey Alden
2011 Fixing Pete (TV Movie)...Mrs. Friedlander
2011 Certainty...Kathryn
2011 My Future Boyfriend (TV Movie)...Bobbi Moreau
2011 Desperate Housewives (TV Series)...Claire Bremmer
- Where Do I Belong? (2011) ... Claire Bremmer
2009 'Til Death (TV Series)...Barbara Stark / Barbara
- The Courtship of Eddie's Parents (2009) ... Barbara Stark
- The Courtship of Eddie's Parents (2009) ... Barbara
2007 Golda's Balcony...Golda Meir
2005 Committed (TV Series)...Lily Solomon
- The Mother Episode (2005) ... Lily Solomon
2003-2004 Less Than Perfect (TV Series)...Judith, Owen's Mom
- Mom's the Word (2004) ... Judith, Owen's Mom
- Claude's Alternative Thanksgiving (2003) ... Judith, Owen's Mom
2004 As Told by Ginger (TV Series)...Maryellen / Librarian
- The Wedding Frame (2004) ... Maryellen / Librarian (voice)
2002 Dancing at the Harvest Moon (TV Movie)...Claire
2001 Three Sisters (TV Series)...Merle Keats
- Three Thanksgivings, One Turkey (2001) ... Merle Keats
- The In-Laws (2001) ... Merle Keats
2001 Family Law (TV Series)...Julia
- Clemency (2001) ... Julia
2001 That '70s Show (TV Series)...Paula
- Eric's Naughty No-no (2001) ... Paula
2000 Beggars and Choosers (TV Series)
- Be Careful What You Wish For (2000)
2000 Mary and Rhoda (TV Movie)...Rhoda Morgenstern-Rousseau
1999 Sex and the City (TV Series)...Wallis Wysel
- Shortcomings (1999) ... Wallis Wysel
1996-1999 Touched by an Angel (TV Series)...Kate Prescott
- Full Circle (1999) ... Kate Prescott
- Flesh and Blood (1996) ... Kate Prescott
1998 Generator Gawl (TV Series)...Dream Crowd / Girl Emcee / Student (English version, voice)
1998 Sorcerous Stabber Orphen (TV Series)...Townspeople
- The Sword of Baltanders (1998) ... Townspeople (English version, voice)
1998 Melrose Place (TV Series)...Mia Mancini
- Last Train to Baghdad (1998) ... Mia Mancini
- Mama Mia (1998) ... Mia Mancini
1997 Dog's Best Friend (TV Movie)...Chicken (voice)
1996 Promised Land (TV Series)...Molly Arnold
- The Magic Gate (1996) ... Molly Arnold
1995 The Office (TV Series)...Rita Stone
- My Guy (1995) ... Rita Stone
- Judgement Day (1995) ... Rita Stone
- Power Playing (1995) ... Rita Stone
- Rita & Frank (1995) ... Rita Stone
- Laboring Pains (1995) ... Rita Stone
- Pilot (1995) ... Rita Stone
1995 The Great Mom Swap (TV Movie)...Grace
1994 A Friend to Die For (TV Movie)...Mrs. Delvecchio
1994 Missing Persons (TV Series)...Ellen Hartig
- What Do You Want... A Signed Confession? (1994) ... Ellen Hartig
- Tell Me You Didn't Do It... I'll Go to the Wall for You (1994) ... Ellen Hartig
- All They Had to Do Was Ask... (1994) ... Ellen Hartig
1991 Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion (TV Movie)...Dyan Draper
1990 City (TV Series)...Liz Gianni
- Just a Passing Dad (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- With a Song in Your Heart and a Knife in Your Back (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Seems Like Old Times (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Oil and Water (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Love Among the Ruins (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Unfinished Business (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- You Can't Bite City Hall (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- The Big Leak (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Your Park or Mine (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- The Miracle at City Hall (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Another One Died on the Steps Last Night (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Family Business (1990) ... Liz Gianni
- Pilot (1990) ... Liz Gianni
1990 Stolen: One Husband (TV Movie)...Katherine Slade
1988 The People Across the Lake (TV Movie)...Rachel Yoman
1988 Drop-Out Mother (TV Movie)...Nora Cromwell
1987 Strange Voices (TV Movie)...Lynn Glover
1986-1987 Valerie (TV Series)...Valerie Hogan
32 episodes
1986 The Love Boat (TV Series)...Laurel Peters
- Egyptian Cruise: Part 2 (1986) ... Laurel Peters
- Egyptian Cruise: Part 1 (1986) ... Laurel Peters
1985 The Execution (TV Movie)...Hannah Epstein
1984 Blame It on Rio...Karen Hollis
1983 An Invasion of Privacy (TV Movie)...Kate Bianchi
1982 Don't Go to Sleep (TV Movie)...Laura
1982 Farrell for the People (TV Movie)...Liz Farrell
1981 The Day the Loving Stopped (TV Movie)...Norma Danner
1980 The Shadow Box (TV Movie)...Maggie
1980 Fun and Games (TV Movie)...Carol Hefferman
1980 The Last Married Couple in America...Barbara
1979 Chapter Two...Faye Medwick
1974-1978 Rhoda (TV Series)...Rhoda Gerard / Rhoda Morgenstern
110 episodes
1970-1977 The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV Series)...Rhoda Morgenstern / Rhoda Gerard
92 episodes
1977 Night Drive (TV Movie)...Carol Turner
1974 Freebie and the Bean...Consuelo - Bean's Wife
1974 Thursday's Game (TV Movie)...Ann Menzente
1972 Columbo (TV Series)...Eve Babcock
- The Most Crucial Game (1972) ... Eve Babcock
1971 Story Theatre (TV Series)
1971 Love, American Style (TV Series)...Barbara Watkins (segment "Love and the Housekeeper")
- Love and the Fuzz/Love and the Groupie/Love and the Housekeeper/Love and Women's Lib (1971) ... Barbara Watkins (segment "Love and the Housekeeper")
1969 With a Feminine Touch
1963 Trash Program (Short)...Wife (voice, uncredited)
1963 The Doctors (TV Series)...Mrs. Steiner
- Zip Guns Can Kill (1963) ... Mrs. Steiner
1959 Li'l Abner...Luke's Wife (uncredited)
1956 Rock Rock Rock!...Dancer at Prom (uncredited)
To see Then & Now pictures of Valerie Harper, visit: Celebrity Nooz
--Answers to DEAD OR ALIVE--
Andrew Sachs - DEAD
Born: 04/07/1930 Died: 11/23/2016
Roger Corman - ALIVE
Born: 04/05/1926
Cathryn Damon - DEAD (Cancer)
Born: 09/11/1930 Died: 05/04/1987
WHO PASSED ON THIS WEEK...
9/4
Pál Berendi, 86, Hungarian footballer (Vasas SC, national team).
LaShawn Daniels, 41, American songwriter.
Peter Ellis, 61, New Zealand convicted child sex-offender, bladder cancer.
9/3
Halvard Hanevold, 49, Norwegian biathlete, Olympic champion (1998, 2002, 2010).
Peter Lindbergh, 74, German photographer.
Ferdy Murphy, 70, Irish racehorse trainer, cancer.
Pierre Nadeau [fr], 82, Canadian broadcaster (Radio-Canada) and journalist, Parkinson's disease.
José de Jesús Pimiento Rodríguez, 100, Colombian Roman Catholic cardinal, Bishop of Montería (1959-1964) and Garzón (1964-1975), Archbishop of Manizales (1975-1996), heart failure.
Zinaida Slavina [ru], 79, Russian actress (Sofiya Perovskaya, Hail, Mary!, The Youth of Peter the Great), People's Artist of the RSFSR (1986).
9/2
Ryszard Czerniawski, 67, Polish lawyer and economist, vice-chairman of the board of Warsaw Stock Exchange (1994-2006) and vice-ombudsman (2012-2015).
Atli Eðvaldsson, 62, Icelandic football player (Borussia Dortmund, Fortuna Düsseldorf, national team) and manager, cancer.
Carlo Fonseka, 86, Sri Lankan physician, President of the Medical Council (2012-2017).
Dorothea Benton Frank, 67, American author, myelodysplastic syndrome.
Andrea Gemma, 88, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Isernia-Venafro (1990-2006).
Sergey Kirpichenko [ru], 68, Russian diplomat, Ambassador to Egypt (since 2011).
Gyoji Matsumoto, 85, Japanese footballer (national team), heart disease.
Lee Salem, 73, American editor (Andrews McMeel Universal).
Laurent Sinclair [fr], 58, French keyboardist and composer (Taxi Girl).
Joan Antoni Solans Huguet, 77, Spanish urban planner, traffic collision.
Mieczyslaw Tracz, 56, Polish Olympic wrestler (1988).
Tom Zickler [de], 55, German film producer (Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Guardians, Head Full of Honey).
9/1
Kenneth Baugh, 78, Jamaican politician, MP and Leader of the Opposition (2005).
Charles W. Daniels, 76, American judge, justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court (2007-2018).
Jacob Gelt Dekker, 71, Dutch businessman, writer and philanthropist.
Radomil Eliska, 88, Czech conductor.
Alberto Goldman, 81, Brazilian politician, MP (1979-2006), Minister of Transport (1992-1993) and Governor of São Paulo (2010-2011), cancer.
Adiss Harmandian, 74, Lebanese-Armenian pop singer.
Gagik Hovunts, 89, Armenian composer.
William J. Larkin Jr., 91, American politician, member of the New York State Assembly (1979-1990) and Senate (1991-2018).
Kari Lehtola, 80, Finnish lawyer, head of the Safety Investigation Authority (1996-2001).
Ciaran McKeown, 76, Northern Irish peace activist.
Barbara Probst Solomon, 90, American author.
Boris Rychkov [ru], 81, Russian film documentary director and screenwriter (O Sport, You Are Peace!).
Joana Sainz García, 30, Spanish dancer and choreographer, injuries sustained in pyrotechnic explosion.
Mamadou Tew, 59, Senegalese footballer (Club Brugge, Charleroi, national team).
Jukka Virtanen, 86, Finnish director, actor and screenwriter (Levyraati, Pähkähullu Suomi, Noin seitsemän veljestä), cancer.
8/31
Jeff Blackshear, 50, American football player (Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs), pancreatic cancer.
Leslie H. Gelb, 82, American journalist (The New York Times) and government official, Assistant Secretary of State (1977-1979).
Alec Holowka, 35, Canadian video game developer (Aquaria, I'm O.K - A Murder Simulator, Night in the Woods), suicide.
Anthoine Hubert, 22, French racing driver, GP3 Series champion (2018), race crash.
Mary Ma, 66, Chinese business executive, CFO of Lenovo, pancreatic cancer.
Jane Mathews, 78, Australian judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales (1987-1994).
Hal Naragon, 90, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins) and coach (Detroit Tigers).
Agnar Sandmo, 81, Norwegian economist, cancer.
Immanuel Wallerstein, 88, American sociologist, developer of world-systems theory.
Wang Buxuan, 97, Chinese thermal physicist, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (since 1980).
8/30
Gordon Bressack, 68, American television writer (Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs, Bionic Six).
Franco Columbu, 78, Italian bodybuilder and actor (Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator), Mr. Olympia winner (1976, 1981), heart attack.
Elaine Darling, 83, Australian politician, MP (1980-1993).
Pamela Dowsett, 74, Australian violinist (WASO), cancer.
Dennis Fentie, 68, Canadian politician, Premier of Yukon (2002-2011) and MLA (1996-2011), cancer.
Lamberto Giorgis, 87, Italian football player (Taranto) and manager (Lecce, Sampdoria).
Valerie Harper, 80, American actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Valerie), Emmy Award winner (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975), leptomeningeal carcinomatosis.
Sergey Kovalskiy [ru], 71, Russian artist.
Jan Kulma [pl], 94, Polish stage director.
Michael Lindsay, 56, American voice actor (Naruto, Bleach, Digimon).
Park Taesun, 77, South Korean writer.
Hans Rausing, 93, Swedish businessman, Chairman of Tetra Pak (1985-1993).
Udo Schaefer, 92, German lawyer and Bahá'í author.
Quentin Wilson, 76, American engineer, one of the original Rocket Boys.
8/29
Don Aickin, 84, New Zealand obstetrician and gynaecologist (University of Otago, Christchurch).
Jean Barbeau [fr], 74, Canadian playwright.
Biba Caggiano, 82, Italian-born American restaurateur and cookbook author.
Aleksandr Chislov [ru], 54, Russian actor (100 Days Before the Command, Cloud-Paradise, Dreams).
Lila Cockrell, 97, American politician, Mayor of San Antonio (1975-1981, 1989-1991).
Terrance Dicks, 84, English screenwriter (Doctor Who, Crossroads, Space: 1999).
Nita Engle, 93, American watercolorist.
Richard Geist, 74, American politician, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1978-2013), heart attack.
Jean Guillou, 88, French Olympic gymnast (1952, 1956).
Janusz Hajnos, 51, Polish Olympic ice hockey player (1992).
Guy Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe, 64, British aristocrat.
Juhani Kärkinen, 83, Finnish ski jumper, world champion (1958).
Miklós Kocsár, 85, Hungarian composer.
Jim Langer, 71, American Hall of Fame football player (Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings), heart failure.
Jim Leavelle, 99, American homicide detective, police escort for Lee Harvey Oswald, heart attack.
Brad Linaweaver, 66, American science fiction writer, cancer.
Mihail Nazarov [ru], 92, Russian artist.
Vasile Parizescu [ro], 93, Romanian painter.
Maria Dolors Renau, 82, Spanish politician, Deputy (1982-1986, 1989-1993), MEP (1986-1987) and president of Socialist International Women (1999-2003).
Randy Romero, 61, American Hall of Fame jockey, stomach cancer.
Alfonso Sánchez Herrera [es], 73, Spanish politician, Mayor of Jaén (1989-1991, 1995-1999).
Achille Silvestrini, 95, Italian-born Vatican diplomat and Roman Catholic cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (1991-2000).
Vladimir Velickovic, 84, Serbian painter.
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