From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, known for her roles in the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), in which she starred as Mary Richards , a thirty-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis , and The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966), in which she played Laura Petrie , a former dancer turned Westchester homemaker, wife and mother. Her notable film work includes 1967's Thoroughly Modern Millie and 1980's Ordinary People , in which she played a role that was very different from the television characters she had portrayed, and for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress . Moore was active in charity work and various political causes, particularly the issues of animal rights and diabetes . She was diagnosed with type 1 ...