Claim: Mary Tyler Moore played a character on a sitcom.
Evidence: Mary Tyler Moore -LRB- December 29 , 1936 -- January 25 , 2017 -RRB- was an American actress , known for her roles in the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show -LRB- 1970 -- 1977 -RRB- , in which she starred as Mary Richards , a single woman working as a local news producer in Minneapolis , and The Dick Van Dyke Show -LRB- 1961 -- 1966 -RRB- , in which she played Laura Petrie , a former dancer turned Westchester homemaker , wife and mother.