Valerie Kathryn Harper was born on 22 August 1939, in Suffern, New York State USA, of Scottish, Welsh, English, Irish and French descent. Valerie is an actress, perhaps still best known for being a part of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” as the character Rhoda Morgenstein; she also played the character in a spin-off series entitled “Rhoda”. Valerie has won four Primetime Emmy Awards throughout her career. All her efforts have helped put her net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Valerie Harper? As of mid-2016, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $12 million, mostly earned through a successful career as an actress. Aside from television, she’s also appeared in various stage productions, establishing herself in Broadway, and appeared in numerous films, and all of these activities have ensured the position of her wealth.
Valerie Harper Net Worth $12 Million Dollars
Her family moved a lot because of her father’s work as a salesman, and she lived in various places such as Pasadena, Monroe, Ashland and Jersey City. She stayed in New York to study ballet and then attended Lincoln High School, followed by the Young Professional School where she had classmates who would also become performers.
Valerie started her career on Broadway in various productions, such as “Wildcat”, “Subways Are for Sleeping” and “Take Me Along”. She also appeared in film versions of some of the productions she was a part of, including “Li’l Abner”. She then got her first chance at television in the soap opera entitled “The Doctors”, but her television career would really take-off in 1970 when she successfully auditioned for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, which lasted for four years, and the spin-off “Rhoda” continued for another four years, showing her character returning to New York. Her net worth was certainly now well established.
During this period, she won numerous awards, and then became a part of “Freebie and The Bean”, and “The Muppet Show” during its first season. In 1986, she returned to sitcoms when becoming the titular character once again in “Valerie”. She was, however, removed from the series due to a salary dispute which resulted in court case that awarded her $1.4 million plus 12.5 percent of the profits from the show. The show was then re-named as “The Hogan Family” and it finished airing in 1990.
Valerie then continued doing television movies, appearing in “The Shadow Box”, and more television shows such as “Sex and the City”, and “Melrose Place”.
Later in her career, she tried to run for president of the Screen Actors Guild but lost in the election. She then portrayed Golda Meir for “Golda’s Balcony”, and subsequently returned to stage in a production of “Looped”. She continued with stage performances, and then appeared on television once more in “Desperate Housewives”. One of her latest appearances has been in “Dancing with the Stars”, partnered with Tristan MacManus, which didn’t last very long.
Aside from acting, Harper has been very active in terms of charity and various causes. She became part of the Women’s Liberation Movement and advocated the Equal Rights Amendment. She also founded “L.I.F.E.” which aimed to feed the hungry in Los Angeles.
For her personal life, Valerie married actor Richard Schaal in 1964 but they divorced 14 years later. She then married Tony Cacclotti in 1987 and they adopted a daughter. In 2009, she was diagnosed with a rare strain of lung cancer which was fortunately treated by chemotherapy. She has been known to visit hospitals regularly since treatment.
