Mary Tyler Moore’s Widower: ‘Everything Mary Did, She Was Authentic’

Published: August 21, 2023

Mary Tyler Moore’s Widower: ‘Everything Mary Did, She Was Authentic’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Mary Tyler Moore’s widower Dr. Robert Levine is opening up about life with the late television star.

“Everything Mary did, she was authentic,” he explained of her time on and off screen. “She was being herself. She wasn’t going to vacuum the house in heels and a frock.”

Fans can get a glimpse of Moore’s personal life in the HBO documentary BEING MARY TYLER MOORE, where Levine served as an executive producer. He and Moore wed in 1983 and were together until her death in 2017.

“She really was very reserved,” Levine said of their life together. “On the one hand, the smile was there, and it was essential Mary, and it was truthful and honest and genuine. But there was also that part of her that really wanted to go be alone and sit and read and explore [and] be curious about the world.”

One of the most memorable parts of the documentary is a clip of Moore sharing the moment she fell in love with Levine–when he made her a sandwich.

“He got up at 2 in the morning to make a tuna fish sandwich, not for him, but for me,” Moore shared, adding that it was “the most loving thing anyone has done for me in my life.”

Levine marveled, “And when I saw [that video], I said, ‘My goodness, a simple act of kindness that changed both of our lives.’”

Producers Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani were also moved by what they learned about Moore during the documentary’s production.

“I was able to discover how incredible Mary Tyler Moore was as a person, and her strength and her creativity and everything she brought to the screen, but also how massively impactful and influential she was,” Rajani said of the process.

Waithe was also clear about what she wanted viewers to take away from BEING MARY TYLER MOORE.

“I wanted people to walk away and understand why she is one of the pillars of great comedy and television,” she explained. “But I also wanted people to understand the woman, the person, the human who became a giant because of her smile and because of her effervescent energy.”