“My stepmother Angela is an Italian from New York City. I based Rhoda on her and a Jewish friend named Penny Ann Green. People often said that Rhoda seemed to be Italian. That was the Angela seeping through.”

American actress

Valerie Harper was an American actress, best known for her television work in the 1970s. She was active first as a Broadway dancer, making her debut as a replacement in Li'l Abner. She became widely known for playing Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later on its spin-off, Rhoda. For The Mary Tyler Moore Show, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series three times, and she later won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Rhoda.