American actress Georgia Engel has died at the age of 70.
The US star, best known for her role as softly-spoken Georgette Franklin on sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died in New Jersey on Friday.
Her friend John Quilty told the New York Times that the cause was undetermined as Engel, a Christian scientist, opted not to consult doctors.
Jacqueline Stander, a representative for Engel, told the Standard Online: “I am sorry to say it is true, however an angel has just been returned to heaven. Georgia touched everyone that knew her personally as well as through her life on TV and stage or if you just met her on the street. Full of laughter, love and grace. I will miss my dear friend she was the most gracious talented client anyone could work with.”
Born in 1948, Engel enjoyed a career just shy of five decades. She most notably made her mark with her role in the 1970s show, for which she received two Emmy nominations.
Engel started out on-stage and went on to land herself the role of Minnie Fay in Hello Dolly! back in 1969.
She then bagged a guest role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show but after winning over the audience stayed on to play Ted Baxter’s (Ted Knight) love interest until it ended in 1977.
Engel later secured roles in Dr. Dolittle 2, Everybody Loves Raymond, for which she received a further three Emmy nominations, and Two and a Half Men.
Her final role came last year in Netflix’s One Day at a Time reboot.
In 2006 Engel opened up on how her prolific career took off while she was in Off-Broadway show, The House of Blue Leaves. She said the theatre had burnt down resulting in the show being taken to Los Angeles, which led to her chance meeting with Mary Tyler Moore, who died aged 80 in 2017.
Speaking to Playbill, Engel said: “Mary Tyler Moore was in the ballet class, but I didn't recognise her because she had no make-up on and her hair was in a ballet bun.
“She came up to me one morning and said, ‘My husband and I and a few friends saw you in your play last night, and we loved it so much.’ I was thrilled, but finished the run, put it out of my mind, and six months later I was collecting unemployment in New York and got asked to do a three-day role [on The Mary Tyler Moore Show].”
