Georgia Engel, who played Georgette Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died aged 70.
The actress passed away in Princeton, New Jersey on Friday, April 12, 2019.
John Quilty, her friend and executor, told The New York Times newspaper that the cause of death is unknown as Engel, who was a Christian Scientist, did not consult doctors.
Engel appeared in 56 episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and earned two Emmy nominations for the role. Georgette was the girlfriend and subsequent wife of Ted Baxter, the show’s vain and dim news anchor (think: a benign Kent Brockman).
She was also nominated for three Emmy Awards for playing Pat McDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond.
Her other acting credits included film appearances in Dr Dolittle 2, The Sweetest Thing and TV shows such as The Office and Two And A Half Men.
She was “the sweetest, kindest, dearest woman. And crazy talented. I will miss her,” Valerie Bertinelli, who starred in “Hot in Cleveland,” said in a Twitter post.
Georgia Bright Engel was born in July 1948 in Washington, D.C., to parents Benjamin, a Coast Guard officer, and Ruth Engel. She studied theater at the University of Hawaii.
Her prolific career included guest appearances on a variety of series, including “The Love Boat,” ”Fantasy Island,” ”Coach” and “Two and a Half Men.” Her “Hot in Cleveland” role reunited her with Betty White, her co-star in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1972-77) and “The Betty White Show” (1977-78).
Engel appeared on Broadway in plays and musicals including “Hello, Dolly!”, “The Boys from Syracuse” and, most recently, “The Drowsey Chaperone” in 2006-07. She starred in an off-Broadway production of “Uncle Vanya” in 2012.
Engel could be as upbeat as the fictional Georgette, as was demonstrated during a panel discussion last year promoting the 2018 PBS special, “Betty White: First Lady of Television.”
She recalled that a possible “Everybody Loves Raymond” spinoff set to include her and Fred Willard never come to fruition, which she called a great disappointment.
“But if that hadn’t happened,” she said, “I wouldn’t have been able to star” in writer-actor Bob Martin’s “Drowsey Chaperone,” which led to her custom-tailored role in Martin’s “Half Time.” The musical, about older adults who school themselves in hip hop to perform in half-time shows, was staged in New Jersey last year.
