- Robert Levine opened up about his 34-year marriage to Moore in a new interview
- He said he had no idea of the actress’ fame when they met by chance in 1983
- Levine is executive producing the new documentary, which will be released on Max on Friday
Mary Tyler Moore’s widowed husband has opened up about their three-decade marriage and said he didn’t know she was a star actress when they first met, while preparing for the release of a new documentary about her life prepared.
“She is with me every day.” “The pain of her loss is unrelenting, but I feel her love all around me,” said Dr. Robert Levine of the Today Show on Wednesday, on Moore, who died in 2017 at the age of 80.
Moore was best known for her breakthrough comedic roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but Levine says he remembers her as “someone who had a big heart and great grace” and was “extraordinarily generous and was friendly. ‘
Divorced twice, marrying Levine in 1983, Moore struggled with an alcohol addiction, which she later openly described in her memoir, recounting how she got clean in rehab at the Betty Ford Center a year after their wedding.
Levine, a cardiologist, recalled meeting the star by chance when her mother, Marjorie Hackett Moore, was ill and needed to see a doctor.
dr Robert Levine opened up about his three-decade marriage to Mary Tyler Moore as he prepares to release a new documentary about their life. Mary Tyler Moore and Robert Levine are seen together in 1993. She had been divorced twice before marrying Levine in 1983. but later described him as her first true love
“As I was about to leave, I said what you would expect a doctor to say: ‘Mary, if you have any concerns or additional questions, just give me a call,’ he told Today.
“And she turns to me and says, ‘Is acute loneliness reason enough to call?’ said the doctor.
“And I said, ‘I can’t think of a better reason to call at 3am,'” he added, saying he was “absolutely shocked” when she called him at 3am a few days later.
Levine said that due to his busy schedule at college and medical school, he hardly ever watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which aired from 1970 to 1977, and that he didn’t recognize the starlet when they first met .
Levine is executive producing a new documentary, titled Being Mary Tyler Moore, which is due out Friday on HBO and streaming service Max.
The documentary features never-before-seen images and archival footage found in Moore’s own basement, showing intimate moments from her life away from the spotlight.
“I suggested we call the movie Being Mary Tyler Moore,” Levine told Today. “What was special about being Mary was that everything Mary did was authentic. ‘She was herself.’
The Mary Tyler Moore Show was ranked seventh on TV Guide’s 2013 list of the greatest television shows of all time. The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966, was also very popular in its day
Moore’s show of the same name and The Dick Van Dyke Show were both among the most popular sitcoms of their time, with the former peaking at number seven and the latter at number 20 on TV Guide’s 2013 list of the greatest television shows of all time.
But off the screen, Moore’s life has been filled with challenges and heartaches.
Moore was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in her early 30s and has suffered from health problems for much of her life.
With her husband, she founded the charity Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative to find better cures for complications of diabetes.
In 1980, her son from her first marriage, Richie Meeker, who was struggling with drugs and alcohol, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that was officially classified as an accident.
And Moore was open about her struggles with alcohol after their second divorce in 1980, writing in her memoir, “At the end of the day, I drugged myself.”
Levine, a cardiologist, recalled meeting the star by accident when her mother was ill and needed to see a doctor. They are seen above together in 1991
In 1984, shortly after her marriage to Levine, she spent five weeks in rehab at the Betty Ford Center, where she later wrote that she had “grown up a bit.”
“If you look at her for physical, health, but also emotional reasons, she’s never shied away,” Levine told Today.
He said he hopes the new documentary will inspire a new generation to be inspired by Moore’s life and the challenges she has overcome.
“I wanted to reflect on Maria’s life, remind people of her importance and influence and encourage them to be Maria too.” shy away.”