Georgia Engel, the actress who played the soft-spoken Georgette on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the 1970s died last Friday at the age of 70 in Princeton, New Jersey. The cause of her death is not known as Engel was a devout Christan Scientist and did not seek the care of physicians.
Engel was born on July 28, 1948, in Washington, D.C. and moved to New York City to begin her professional acting career in 1969, where Mary Tyler Moore noticed her in an off-Broadway play in 1971. In 1972, Engel began her role as Georgette Franklin Baxter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
Georgia Engel was a five-time Emmy nominee.
Her role as Georgette earned her two Emmy nominations. She would go on to be nominated three more times for her role on “Everybody Loves Raymond” where she had a recurring role playing Robert Barone’s mother-in-law.
Engel’s career spanned five decades and included roles on “Fantasy Island, “The Love Boat,” “Mork and Mindy,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Coach,” and a reunion with her “Mary Tyler Moore Show” co-star Betty White on “Hot in Cleveland.”
Betty White and Engel stayed close friends after “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” ended in 1977. In an interview together for the classic television channel TV Land, White and Engel spoke about how they would talk on the phone regularly to span the distance between Betty, who was based in Los Angeles, and Georgia, who stayed in the New York City area.
Friends remember Georgia Engel.
In a statement following news of Engel’s death, Betty White released a short but sweet statement about her longtime friend.
“Georgia was one of a kind – the absolute best,” White said.
Other’s who worked with Engel over the years also expressed their sadness over hearing about her passing.
“I am in shock,” Patricia Heaton tweeted. “Georgia was an absolute angel – so dear, so sweet, so talented. God bless you Georgia!”
Engel’s last credit was in 2018 on the Netflix show “One Day at a Time.”
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