Some stars stay in our hearts long after they leave the spotlight. When a legendary actress was photographed quietly passing through Los Angeles International Airport, fans felt a wave of warmth and nostalgia.
The woman in the photos was Mary Tyler Moore. She was 76 at the time, and two years earlier she had undergone surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. She looked delicate as she was gently guided through the busy terminal.
Long before that day, Mary won the hearts of America in the 1960s as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Her comic timing, her bright smile and her famous capri pants made her a household name.
In 1970 she changed television again with The Mary Tyler Moore Show. As Mary Richards, a single woman building a career in a Minneapolis newsroom, she showed a new kind of independent female character on TV.
She was also a powerful businesswoman. She co founded MTM Enterprises, the company behind famous series such as Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere.
Her talent went far beyond comedy. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her dramatic role in the 1980 film Ordinary People, directed by Robert Redford, and she even starred opposite Elvis Presley in the 1969 film Change of Habit.
Throughout her long career, she moved through Hollywood with intelligence, strength and grace, and she inspired generations of women on and off the screen.
Seeing her on an ordinary day at the airport was a touching reminder of everything she gave to television, and of the iconic smile that millions of viewers still remember.
