Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 â€" August 30, 2019) was an
American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making
her debut in the musical Take Me Along in 1959. Harper is best
remembered for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore
Show (1970â€"1977) and its spin-off Rhoda (1974â€"1978). For her work
on Mary Tyler Moore, she thrice received the Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and later received
the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work
on Rhoda.From 1986 to 1987, Harper appeared as Valerie Hogan on the
sitcom Valerie. Her film appearances include roles in Freebie and the
Bean (1974) and Chapter Two (1979), both of which garnered her Golden
Globe Award nominations. Harper returned to stage work in her later
career, appearing in several Broadway productions. In 2010, she was
nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her
performance as Tallulah Bankhead in the play Looped.Harper was born on
August 22, 1939, in Suffern, New York, the daughter of Iva Mildred
(née McConnell; 1910â€"1988) and Howard Donald Harper (1907â€"1981).
Her father was a lighting salesman; her mother was born (and raised)
in Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, before becoming a teacher and later trained
as a nurse. Her parents married in Alberta before her mother
immigrated to the United States. Valerie was the middle child of three
siblings, between her sister Leanne (b. 1937) and her brother Merrill
(b. 1942, who later took the name "Don"). After her parents' divorce
in 1957, she also had a half-sister, Virginia,[citation needed] from
her father's second marriage to Angela Posillico (1933â€"1996).
American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making
her debut in the musical Take Me Along in 1959. Harper is best
remembered for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore
Show (1970â€"1977) and its spin-off Rhoda (1974â€"1978). For her work
on Mary Tyler Moore, she thrice received the Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and later received
the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work
on Rhoda.From 1986 to 1987, Harper appeared as Valerie Hogan on the
sitcom Valerie. Her film appearances include roles in Freebie and the
Bean (1974) and Chapter Two (1979), both of which garnered her Golden
Globe Award nominations. Harper returned to stage work in her later
career, appearing in several Broadway productions. In 2010, she was
nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her
performance as Tallulah Bankhead in the play Looped.Harper was born on
August 22, 1939, in Suffern, New York, the daughter of Iva Mildred
(née McConnell; 1910â€"1988) and Howard Donald Harper (1907â€"1981).
Her father was a lighting salesman; her mother was born (and raised)
in Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, before becoming a teacher and later trained
as a nurse. Her parents married in Alberta before her mother
immigrated to the United States. Valerie was the middle child of three
siblings, between her sister Leanne (b. 1937) and her brother Merrill
(b. 1942, who later took the name "Don"). After her parents' divorce
in 1957, she also had a half-sister, Virginia,[citation needed] from
her father's second marriage to Angela Posillico (1933â€"1996).
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