Ted Knight (December 7, 1923 - August 26, 1986)

Ted Knight was a brilliant performer. No one could bring a character like Ted Baxter to life and not be brilliant. But before he put on that familiar blue blazer he was one of television's busiest character actors. His long list of credits include "Lassie", "The Donna Reed Show", "Peter Gunn", "The Twilight Zone", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Pete and Gladys", "Dr. Kildare", "General Electric Theater", "The New Loretta Young Show", "The Untouchables", "The Virginian", "McHale's Navy", "Gunsmoke", "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.", "The F.B.I.", "The Fugitive", "The Wild Wild West", "Bonanza", "The Love Boat", "The Mike Douglas Show", "The Flip Wilson Show", "The Dean Martin Show", "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", "Cher", "Dinah!" and "Saturday Night Live." Knight also had very minor uncredited roles in both Psycho and MASH. In the late 1960's and early 1970's he lent his distinctive voice to animated programs such as "The New Adventures of Superman", "The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventures", "Aquaman", "The Batman/Superman Hour", "Star Trek" and "Super Friends." From 1970 until 1977 he entertained the world as Ted Baxter, WJM's bumbling anchorman on "Mary Tyler Moore." Opposite Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod and Betty White, Knight helped to created some of the most memorable moments in television history. A year after the show ended Knight starred in "The Ted Knight Show" but it only lasted one season. In 1980 he found a place with another generation of fans when he co-starred in the film Caddyshack opposite Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield. That same year he found his second best loved television role when he began playing Henry Rush on the sitcom "Too Close for Comfort." With Nancy Dussault as his wife and Audrey Meadows as his mother-in-law the show was a hit and lasted until Knight's cancer diagnosis in 1986. Less than four months after the series ended, Knight passed away. Even though he has been gone for more than twenty years now both Teds...Knight and Baxter will always be part of our television heritage.

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