Georgia Engel, ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ Star, Dies at 70

Actress also co-starred on the short-lived “Betty White Show” in 1977

Georgia Engel
Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images

Georgia Engel, who starred as Georgette Franklin on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” between 1972 and 1977, has died at the age of 70, according to the New York Times.

She died late last week in Princeton, New Jersey. A cause of death had not been determined; the actress was a Christian Scientist and didn’t see a doctor, Engel’s friend John Quilty told the Times.

After beginning her career in theater in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Engel made her name on television co-starring on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1972. As the flighty girlfriend of Ted Knight’s news anchor character, Ted Baxter, Engel earned two Emmy nominations for supporting actress in a comedy.

She would later go on to star on the short-lived comedies “The Betty White Show” and NBC’s “Jennifer Slept Here,” in addition to later recurring roles on “Coach,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Hot in Cleveland.”

Engel’s stage credits included the Broadway musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” in 2006, followed by its national tour, as well as “Half Time,” “John” and “Hello, Dolly!”

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