The Super ’70s were a great time to watch television and laugh at the antics of our favorite sitcom stars. We couldn’t stop giggling at favorites like “Happy Days,” “Sanford & Son,” “The Brady Bunch,” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” In memory of beloved actors, we’re flipping through pictures of 1970s sitcom faves.
“Laverne & Shirley”
David Lander (1947–2020)
Lander and his comedy partner Michael McKean met and created their Lenny and Squiggy characters while they were acting students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “Laverne & Shirley” producer Garry Marshall hired them to bring their writing talents and their shtick to the show. Lander and McKean costarred throughout the show’s entire eight-year run on ABC.
Penny Marshall (1943–2018)
Marshall and Cindy Williams starred as the wisecracking brewery working friends in the hit sitcom “Laverne and Shirley.” The show was a spin off from her brother Garry’s smash hit “Happy Days.” Marshall became a renowned director of movies such as “Big.”
View Penny Marshall’s Obituary
“Happy Days”
Erin Moran (1960–2017)
The young actress charmed audiences for a decade as Joanie Cunningham on “Happy Days” and spinoff “Joanie Loves Chachi.”
Tom Bosley (1920–2004)
Bosley was a warm and comforting presence on TV sets in America and around the world as Mr. Cunningham on “Happy Days.”
Pat Morita (1932–2005)
Morita had a small but memorable role as the owner of Arnold’s Restaurant on “Happy Days.” He also had roles in ’70s hits “Sanford and Son” and “Laverne & Shirley.”
“Mork & Mindy”
Robin Williams (1951–2014)
Williams had his breakthrough as the alien Mork, first on “Happy Days,” then on his own spinoff “Mork & Mindy.”
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”
Mary Tyler Moore (1936–2017)
With five seasons of popularity under her belt upon the 1966 finale of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” it was no surprise that Moore would move on to her own show. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” debuted in 1970 and focused on Mary Richards, a young single woman working as an associate producer for a TV news program. Just that premise alone was groundbreaking — unmarried career women had rarely been seen on television, and never as a show’s lead character.
View Mary Tyler Moore’s Obituary
Ted Knight (1923–1986)
Ted Baxter was the blusteringly vain newsman we always loved to laugh at on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” And actor Ted Knight played him to perfection.
Nancy Walker (1922–1992)
Walker won awards as Ida Morgenstern on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Rhoda,” but she may be better remembered for her TV commercials touting “Bounty, the quicker picker upper.”
“Rhoda”
Valerie Harper (1939–2019)
The Emmy-winning actress first costarred in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” as Mary’s best friend, the colorful and spunky Rhoda Morgenstern, before landing her own popular spinoff “Rhoda.”
View Valerie Harper’s obituary
“All in the Family”
Jean Stapleton (1923–2013)
Though Stapleton appreciated the beloved character she played on “All in the Family,” she felt Edith was “submissive” and out of step with the changing times. So, after 10 years as Archie Bunker’s better half, Stapleton made the decision to move on.
Carroll O’Connor (1924–2001)
O’Connor played lovable, controversial bigot Archie Bunker in “All in the Family” and “Archie Bunker’s Place.” He was living in Italy when producer Norman Lear first asked him to star in the pilot. O’Connor didn’t expect it to be a success, and was sure he’d be able to move right back to Europe. Instead, the show became the highest-rated program for five consecutive seasons.
“The Jeffersons”
Sherman Hemsley (1938–2012)
For 13 television seasons, Hemsley played George Jefferson, first as an occasional visitor on “All in the Family” and later as the patriarch and star of “The Jeffersons.” Hemsley was initially reluctant to take the part, as he was enjoying a successful career on Broadway, starring in “Purlie,” a musical based on an Ossie Davis play. But producer Norman Lear said he was willing to wait, and Hemsley agreed to join the cast when “Purlie” ended.
Read more about Sherman Hemsley
Isabel Sanford (1917–2004)
What began as a recurring role on “All in the Family” led to her greatest success. Starring as Louise Jefferson in “The Jeffersons,” Sanford broke one of the glass ceilings of show business when, in 1981, she became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for lead actress.
“One Day at a Time”
Bonnie Franklin (1944–2013)
Franklin played many roles throughout an acting career that lasted almost 60 years, but one stands out. It’s the role that made her famous and earned her a TV Land Innovator Award: divorced single mom Ann Romano on the TV sitcom “One Day at a Time.”
“Good Times”
Esther Rolle (1920–1998)
Rolle is known best as Florida Evans, a role she originated on “Maude” and continued on the sitcom “Good Times.” But the Florida native was also an accomplished film and theater actress. In a career spanning four decades, she worked with everyone from Orson Welles to Denzel Washington to Jimmy Walker, picking up a Golden Globe and an Emmy along the way.
“The Brady Bunch”
Florence Henderson (1934–2016)
The actress was best-known for her role as Carol Brady, the patient, loving mother on “The Brady Bunch.” The sitcom, which ran from 1969 to 1974 and in reruns ever since, followed the adventures of a large blended family brought together by the marriage of Mike and Carol Brady.
View Florence Henderson’s Obituary
Robert Reed (1932–1992)
Reed’s turn as the patriarch of “The Brady Bunch” began in 1969 and lasted 117 episodes and five seasons. Reed would reprise his role as Mike Brady throughout the 1970s and ’80s.
Ann B. Davis (1926–2014)
The Emmy-winning actress became everyone’s favorite housekeeper as the devoted Alice Nelson of “The Brady Bunch.”
“The Partridge Family”
David Cassidy (1950–2017)
Cassidy rocketed to teen-idol status in the 1970s as the costar of the musical TV sitcom “The Partridge Family.”
Dave Madden (1931–2014)
The comedian and actor was known best for his role as Reuben Kinkaid, manager of the family band on “The Partridge Family.”
“Barney Miller”
Ron Glass (1945–2016)
Glass played the intellectual Detective Ron Harris on the sitcom “Barney Miller” from 1975 to 1982. The show was hailed by critics and police officers for its realistic depiction of police work while also delivering consistent laughs. Much of the humor for his character stemmed from his dapper fashion sense and dreams of becoming a writer. He was nominated for an Emmy for best supporting actor in 1982.
Abe Vigoda (1921–2016)
Vigoda played the lovably grumpy Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on “Barney Miller” for three seasons before getting his own spinoff with the 1977 series “Fish.”
“The Bob Newhart Show”
Suzanne Pleshette (1937–2008)
The beautiful, husky-voiced film and theater star was known best for her role as Bob Newhart’s sardonic wife on television’s long-running “The Bob Newhart Show.”
Read more about Suzanne Pleshette
Tom Poston
Poston had a recurring role on “The Bob Newhart Show” as Peeper, an old college buddy of Bob’s who would sometimes visit from Vermont and try to one-up Bob with practical jokes. Poston would later costar with Newhart in the Vermont-set sitcom “Newhart.” In 2001, he married former costar Suzanne Pleshette.
“Welcome Back, Kotter”
Marcia Strassman (1948–2014)
Strassman played Julie Kotter in the sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter” and later starred in the movie “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and its sequels.
View Marcia Strassman’s obituary
Ron Palillo (1949–2012)
Palillo was known best as the nerdy high-school student Arnold Horshack on “Welcome Back, Kotter.”
“What’s Happening!!”
Fred Berry (1951–2003)
Berry’s portrayal of Rerun continued long after the three-year run of “What’s Happening!!” Fans of the 1970s sitcom loved the dim student who was a genius on the dance floor. From his trademark red beret and rainbow suspenders to his tendency to get into sticky situations, he was an icon of ’70s TV.
Shirley Hemphill (1947–1999)
Hemphill played namesake Shirley on “What’s Happening!!” from 1976 to 1979, before moving on to her own short-lived show, “One in a Million,” and the revival show “What’s Happening Now!! ”
What’s Happening, Shirley Hemphill
“Sanford & Son”
Redd Foxx (1922–1991)
As the star of “Sanford & Son,” Foxx became the face of one of the most racially groundbreaking shows in the history of television. The trailblazing series — one of the first successful sitcoms with a primarily Black cast — set the stage for many popular shows to come, from “Good Times” to “The Cosby Show” to “Bernie Mac” and beyond.
“Chico and the Man”
Freddie Prinze (1954–1977)
The comedian and actor starred in TV’s “Chico and the Man.” Prinze struggled with depression, and as the third season was drawing to a close, he died by suicide at 22.
“Taxi”
Jeff Conaway (1950–2011)
Conaway spent three seasons on the hit show “Taxi” and earned two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actor for his portrayal of struggling actor Bobby Wheeler. His Wheeler exhibited both brashness and vulnerability.
Jeff Conaway’s Greased Lightning
Andy Kaufman (1949–1984)
Kaufman was a familiar face on TV: a regular on the sitcom “Taxi” who also appeared several times on “Saturday Night Live.” But his career was hardly mainstream. He told jokes without punch lines, performed acts without jokes, and elicited anger and boredom from audiences as often as laughter. He got on stage and read from “The Great Gatsby,” launched a professional wrestling career, and took an entire audience out for milk and cookies.
“The Odd Couple”
Jack Klugman (1922–2012) and Tony Randall (1920–2004)
Jack Klugman and Tony Randall played oddball roommates in “The Odd Couple,” a small screen adaptation of the hit play and movie by Neil Simon.
