Richard Carleton Meeker is widely known as the former husband of actress, producer, and social advocate, Mary Tyler Moore. Mary was highly recognized for her roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977). She was one of the best in the entertainment industry and was active from 1957 until 2013.
Richard Carleton Meeker: Bio Summary
| Name | Richard Carleton Meeker |
| Famous as | Mary Tyler Moore’s ex-husband |
| Date of birth | 7 March 1927 |
| Died | 8 July 2013 (86) |
| Parents | Carleton Ludlow Meeker and Lillian Ross |
| Spouse/Ex | Mary Tyler Moore Jeanette Stein Meeker |
| Children | Richard Carleton Meeker Jr |
| Occupation | Sales Manager |
Who Is Richard Carleton Meeker?
Richard Carleton Meeker was born on 7 March 1927, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States. His parents are Carleton Ludlow Meeker and Lillian Ross. He was a salesman, working as a cranberry sauce sales manager. He rose to fame when he got associated with Mary Tyler Moore.
Richard Carleton Meeker and Mary Tyler Moore got married on 25 August 1955, in California, United States. Richard was at the age of 28 years while Mary was 18 years old at the time they got married. Mary got married soon after she graduated from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, California.
Richard and Mary were next-door neighbors. They gave birth to a son and named him Richard Carleton Meeker Jr. Richard Jr was born on 3 July 1956, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA. Unfortunately, Richard Jr passed away on 14 October 1980.
Richard Jr died at the age of 24, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officially ruled accidental. He was attending the University of Southern California at the time of his death. He is said to have been working at CBS as well.
Richard Carleton Meeker and Mary Tyler Moore were married for seven years. They divorced in 1962. Neither Mary Tyler Moore nor Richard Carleton Meeker ever had another child. Richard remarried Jeanette Stein Meeker.
ALSO, READ: Richie Meeker: How Did Mary Tyler Moore’s Son Die?
Richard Carleton Meeker’s Ex-wife
Richard Carleton Meeker’s former wife is Mary Tyler Moore. She was born on December 29, 1936, in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Her parents are Marjorie (née Hackett) and George Tyler Moore. She was the oldest of three children. Her siblings are John and Elizabeth Moore.
Elizabeth died at age 21 from a combination of painkillers and alcohol. John died at the age of 47 from kidney cancer. Mary attended St. Rose of Lima Parochial School in Brooklyn until the third grade. She attended Saint Ambrose School and Immaculate Heart High School in the Los Feliz neighborhood of the city.
Mary Tyler Moore’s television career began with a job as “Happy Hotpoint”, a tiny elf dancing on Hotpoint appliances in TV commercials during the 1950s series Ozzie and Harriet. Her first regular television role was as a mysterious and glamorous telephone receptionist in Richard Diamond, Private Detective.
Mary Tyler Moore made her film debut in a bit as a nurse in the Jack Lemmon comedy Operation Mad Ball (1957). She appeared in several Broadway plays. She is best known for her roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), which “helped define a new vision of American womanhood” and “appealed to an audience facing the new trials of modern-day existence”.
Mary Tyler Moore is also known for her supporting role in the musical film Thoroughly Modern Millie. She was an advocate for animal rights, vegetarianism, and diabetes prevention. She wrote two memoirs, first was, After All, published in 1995, she acknowledged being a recovering alcoholic.
Also Read: Dr. Robert Levine: Inside The Life Of Mary Tyler Moore’s Husband
The second was Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes (2009), she focuses on living with type 1 diabetes. She was the International Chairperson of JDRF (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
Where Is Richard Carleton Meeker Now?
Richard Carleton Meeker died peacefully on 8 July 2013, in Sacramento, Sacramento, California, United States, at the age of 86, and was buried in Dixon, Solano, California, United States. His ex-wife, Mary Tyler Moore died at the age of 80 on January 25, 2017.
Mary Tyler Moore died at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut, from cardiopulmonary arrest complicated by pneumonia after having been placed on a ventilator the week before. She was interred in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut in a private ceremony.
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