Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke

Pilato, author of One Tough Dame, Connery, Sean Connery, and Twitch Upon a Star, chronicles Moore’s personal and professional challenges and triumphs before, during, and after her two historic sitcoms. “When you’re in the public eye of any arena,” he says, “… entertainment, politics, whatever, there is a tremendous responsibility to do and say the right thing. And Mary rose to the occasion, even in her darkest hours.”

Moore, who died on January 25, 2017, faced private struggles behind her bright public smile. Pilato writes about her alcoholism and diabetes; childhood sexual abuse and emotional and psychological abuse by her parents; her self-esteem and plastic surgery; and her advocacy for animals and people with diabetes. A gifted actress, dancer, and singer, she was a longtime spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation while managing the disease herself.

“She was as honest as she could be in public and in private,” Pilato says. “She did the best she could in communicating her truest thoughts. She had integrity, and she had flaws — several of them – but she combined those opposing aspects of herself and became a consummate performer, while advocating for various humanitarian and social causes in the process. And she was the first to admit her imperfections, which only added to her appeal and charm.” Pilato says he made every effort to explore every facet of her life and career in the book.

The biography also examines Moore’s first marriage to Richard Meeker; the deaths of her son, brother, and sister; her complex relationships with second husband and business partner Grant Tinker, co-stars Rose Marie and Valerie Harper, and playwright Neil Simon; and professional setbacks on Broadway, in film, and on television, including the 2000 TV movie Mary and Rhoda. It follows her devoted relationship with her third husband, Dr. Robert Levine, who was 15 years younger. “Mary adored him,” Pilato says, “…and he adored her. They were devoted to one another and, in the end, Mary finally found true, long-lasting love.”

The book draws on Pilato’s interviews with The Mary Tyler Moore Show actors Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod, and Joyce Bulifant; Larry Mathews of The Dick Van Dyke Show; Carol Channing, Moore’s co-star in Thoroughly Modern Millie; and Matthew Asner, who grew up on the set of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later worked on its DVD release and documentary. Television journalist Betty Rollin, whom Moore portrayed in the 1978 TV movie First You Cry, and writers and producers who worked with Moore also share recollections.

“No doubt she was a complicated person,” Pilato says. “And she certainly was no Mary Richards, the sweet-as-American-pie character Moore played on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Even she admitted that. But she was true to herself – and loyal to her devoted fans, no matter how bad a day she had, and she had many bad days.” For viewers who remember the sitcom’s premiere, she was also someone who could “turn the world on with her smile.”