After Ordinary People, Mary Tyler Moore really wasn't in any other major motion picture. She went back to television and could not find another successful television series.

Did Hollywood see her as a TV actress and not a movie actress, and that Ordinary People was just a case of interesting casting and little else? She got a lot of acclaim for that role. Or was it that she was over 40? There are a lot of actresses over 40 who gets roles now, and MTM looked really good in Ordinary People.

After the MTM Show and Ordinary People, her career sort of dropped like a rock. Why?

After Ordinary People, Mary Tyler Moore really wasn't in any other major motion picture. She went back to television and could not find another successful television series.

Did Hollywood see her as a TV actress and not a movie actress, and that Ordinary People was just a case of interesting casting and little else? She got a lot of acclaim for that role. Or was it that she was over 40? There are a lot of actresses over 40 who gets roles now, and MTM looked really good in Ordinary People.

After the MTM Show and Ordinary People, her career sort of dropped like a rock. Why?


That's an excellent question. I wish I had an answer for because I have no idea myself. If I am not mistaken, Mary was also nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in that movie. Usually once you get such a high recognition like that, movie roles pour in.

Perhaps roles did pour in, but maybe they just weren't right for her personally. I would love to know the answer to this myself.

my guess is type casting and maybe she wanted to take the time to raise her kids?

By this time that we are talking about, Mary's only child was sadly deceased.
He would have been an adult anyway.

Mary did several TV movies in the 80s,I guess she just never followed the success of "Ordinary People",but went back to sitcoms that didn't really work out.

Mary does seem to work steadily on TV movies and guest appearances on shows like "Hot In Cleveland".