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Valerie Harper

Valerie Harper TV Listings

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LIFEWed, Jul 15, 9:30 AMLess Than PerfectBuy

Valerie Harper Biography

Valerie Harper
  • Birth Place: Suffern, NY
  • Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 08/22/1940, Leo
  • Profession: Actor; dancer
Valerie Harper Fast Facts:
  • Began ballet lessons at age 6 and was dancing in the Radio City Music Hall corps de ballet by age 16.
  • Appeared in several Broadway musicals, including Michael Kidd's Li'l Abner (1958) and Wildcat (1960); used her earnings to finance acting classes.
  • Moved with then-husband Richard Schaal from New York to Chicago in the mid 1960s so he could join the famed Second City comedy troupe; she later auditioned and was also accepted, beginning a five-year run with the company.
  • Was Linda Lavin's understudy in 1968's Something Different and their stage careers have intertwined ever since: Lavin replaced Harper in Story Theatre, and Harper replaced Lavin in 1995's Death Defying Acts and in 2001's The Tale of the Allergist's Wife.
  • Landed the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, the Bronx-born, no-nonsense comic sidekick in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in 1970; earned a spin-off series, Rhoda, four years later.
  • Had first substantial movie role as Consuelo in 1974's Freebie and the Bean; made TV-movie debut that same year in Thursday's Game.
  • Cast as the matriarch in Valerie in 1986; title was changed to Valerie's Family and then to The Hogan Family after Harper left the series in 1987 due to a contract dispute (she was replaced by Sandy Duncan).
  • Co-wrote and starred in All Under Heaven, a one-woman show about author Pearl S. Buck that debuted in 1998.
  • Penned a memoir (with writer Catherine Whitney and illustrator Rick Tulka) in 2001 entitled Today I Am a Ma'am: And Other Musings on Life, Beauty and Growing Older. 
  • Portrayed Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of Israel, in both the touring production and the film version of Golda's Balcony.
    Valerie Harper Relationships:
  • Cristina Cacciotti - Daughter
  • Dominic - Brother
  • Howard Harper - Father
  • Iva McConnell Harper - Mother
  • Lea - Sister
  • Richard Schaal - Ex-husband
  • Tony Cacciotti - Husband

    • Valerie Harper Awards:
  • 1971 Emmy: Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Winner
  • 1973 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
  • 1980 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
  • 1974 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
  • 1975 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Winner
  • 1976 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
  • 1974 Emmy: Best Supporting Actress in Comedy - Nominee
  • 1975 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Winner
  • 1976 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 1977 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 1978 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 1972 Emmy: Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Winner
  • 1973 Emmy: Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Winner
  • 1975 Golden Globe: New Star of the Year - Actress - Nominee

  • College:
  • Attended Hunter College, New York, NY; attended New School for Social Research, New York, NY
Valerie Harper Biography, TV Listings and More from TVGuide.com
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