Celebrity Info
Georgia Engel was a wide-eyed blonde with a permanently cheerful demeanor, a babyish voice, and a charmingly ditzy yet endearing personality. She is best remembered for her role as Georgette Baxter on CBS’ The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which aired from 1972 to 1977. In this beloved sitcom, Georgia portrayed the sweet and loyal girlfriend—and later wife—of the comically inept anchorman Ted Baxter. Though Engel continued to work steadily in television and theater after the show ended, she never quite reached the same level of success as she did with Georgette. Often, she was cast in similar roles—portraying characters who were a bit airheaded but deeply principled and kind.
Born to the daughter of a US Coast Guard admiral, Georgia moved frequently during her childhood, living in various cities across the United States. After graduating from the University of Hawaii, she moved to New York City, where she quickly found work in the Off-Broadway revival of the musical revue Lend an Ear in 1969. The following year, she played Minnie Fay in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! starring the legendary Ethel Merman. Georgia then returned to Off-Broadway in 1971 for the original production of John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves. This role caught the attention of television producers, and soon she landed a guest spot on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, playing a sweet and bubbly co-worker of Rhoda.
The character was a hit, and before long, Georgette evolved from a temporary character into a central figure on the show—transitioning from Rhoda’s friend to Mary’s confidante, and eventually becoming the girlfriend, then wife, of Ted Baxter. When The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended, Georgia followed her co-star Betty White to her short-lived sitcom, also titled The Betty White Show, which aired on CBS in 1977. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
She later appeared in Good Time Girls (ABC, 1980), a World War II-era series set in Washington, DC, alongside Annie Potts. However, like her previous post-Mary Tyler Moore projects, this show also failed to find an audience. She faced similar challenges with Jennifer Slept Here (NBC, 1983–84), where she played the mother in a family haunted by the ghost of Ann Jillian’s character. From 1991 to 1997, Georgia enjoyed a recurring role on the ABC sitcom Coach, playing Shirley Burleigh, the jealous wife of a school administrator.
Throughout her career, Georgia Engel also made occasional appearances in films. She voiced a giraffe in the Eddie Murphy comedy Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) and played a kindly boutique owner in The Sweetest Thing (2001), starring Cameron Diaz. But her next truly memorable sitcom role came when she joined the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond as Pat McDougal, the shy and somewhat meek mother-in-law of Robert Barone. She appeared regularly in this role from 2003 until the show’s conclusion in 2005.
Georgia also appeared in a number of TV movies and feature films over the years. She played Claire Ruth, the wife of baseball legend Lou Gehrig, in the NBC biopic Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978). Her film career began in 1971 with a supporting role in Milos Forman’s Taking Off, his first American film. She also provided the voice of Love-a-Lot in The Care Bears Movie (1985) and appeared in supporting roles in Papa Was a Preacher (1987) and Signs of Life (1989). She even traveled to France to play a small part as “a woman” in Un Homme est Mort (1973).
As a talented singer and dancer, Georgia Engel occasionally got the chance to showcase her musical abilities on television. She performed a memorable rendition of “Steam Heat” on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and appeared in several Dean Martin variety specials. She also returned to Broadway, taking over the role of a singing and dancing mechanic in My One and Only, succeeding Denny Dillon.
Georgia Engel passed away in Princeton, New Jersey, in April 2019, at the age of 70. Her legacy lives on through her unforgettable portrayal of Georgette Baxter and the many other sweet, quirky characters she brought to life over a career that spanned decades.
When it comes to Georgia Engel’s career highlights, one film really stands out as her highest rated performance—Taking Off from 1971. It’s clear that this early work made a strong impression and remains a notable point in Georgia Engel’s filmography. On the other hand, not every project reached the same level of acclaim. In fact, Georgia Engel was also part of Grown Ups 2, released in 2013, which ended up being her lowest rated movie. While Georgia Engel brought her talent to a variety of roles over the years, these two films represent the high and low points in terms of critical reception. Georgia Engel truly showcased her range, even when the material varied in quality.
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