Theodore C. Konopka “Ted Knight” was born December 7, 1923, in Terryville, Connecticut. Knight dropped out of high school an enlisted to serve in World War II. He joined the A Company of the 296^th Engineer Combat Battalion. He earned five battle stars during the war.

In 1948, he married Dorothy Smith. They had three children: Ted Knight, Jr., Elyse, and Eric. After the war, Knight studied acting in Hartford, Connecticut, and began performing with puppets and ventriloquist dummies. This led to a small kids’ show on TV. In 1955, Knight and his family moved to Albany, New York, where he starred as the host of The Early Show. Two years later he left for Hollywood on the advice of the station manger.

Up until 1960 Knight did a variety of commercials and voice-overs.

In 1960, He was the guard holding Norman Bates at the end of Psycho. From 1962 to 1963 Knight appeared on the short-lived The New Loretta Young show. He appeared frequently in guest spots on shows such as The Eleventh Hour, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, and The Wild Wild West. His voice landed him the role as the narrator on Super Friends. You might remember him saying, “Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice”.

In the 1970s, Knight got his break playing Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. This character brought him fame and recognition. He received six Emmy nominations and won twice, in 1973 and 1976. His role as the vain and untalented WJM newscaster got him work in regional commercials and some movies.

After the show ended Knight appeared in one episode of The Love Boat opposite ex-cast member Gavin Macleod. In 1980, Knight took the lead role in Too Close For Comfort. The show was canceled after three seasons.

A few months after The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended, in 1977, he was diagnosed with cancer. He received a variety of treatments. In 1985, Knight discovered he had colon cancer. He tried more treatments but, it soon spread to his bladder and gastrointestinal tract. On August 26, 1986, Ted Knight died from complications of surgery. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Glendale, California, under the name Theodore C. Konopka. Ted’s star on the Walk-of-Fame is located at 6673 Hollywood Boulevard.