Harpist was innate around Future York State, however raised around Oregin, & began retired as a dancer/chorus girl on Broadway within the late 1950s and early Sixties in such shows like Take Me Along, Wildcat, and Subways Come for Dormant. She besides appeared inside minor role within many films like Li'l Abner (1959). However, inside a period of the late 1960s, she barely worked, except for appearing in Carl Reiner's play Something Different in 1968 and writing an episode of Love, American Style with her then-spouse, actor/writer Richard Schaal, whose girl, Wendy (world health organization voices "Francine Smith" in American Dad), was her stepdaughter.

Items changed once Harpist had a role of the caring-cracking eventually vulnerable uber-Jewish Future Yorker, Rhoda Morgenstern, in deuce CBS TV sitcoms of the 1970s: The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off Rhoda, in which she played a name part. Harper won 4 Emmy awards and the Golden Globe for her work when Rhoda Morgenstern in two series. She as well picked higher the Golden World for Future Star of the Season for her role around 1974's Freebie and The Bean.

She too played personal matriarch Valerie Hogan on the 1986 sitcom Valerie. It was renamed ''Valerie's Personal inside 1987 and finally The Hogan Family in June, 1988 after Harper dead left a series (resulting a dispute by owning the producers) & was replaced by Sandy Duncan.

Harpist has worked nigh alone inside televisiin, & has besides experienced roles within mass produced-for-TV-movies & guest spots on the total of series, including Sex and the City. In the 1990s, she advocated hormone replacement therapy for the Eli Lilly company.

Harpist occurs as member of the Screen Actors Guild, and run President in the 2001 election, being beaten within the bitingly election feud by Melissa Gilbert.

TV Work
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (cast member from 1970-1974) Columbo: The Most Crucial Game (1972) Thursday's Game (1974) Rhoda (1974-1978) Night Terror (1977) Fun and Games (1980) The Shadow Box (1980) The Day the Loving Stopped (1981) Farrell for the People (1982) Don't Go to Sleep (1982) An Invasion of Privacy (1983) The Execution (1985) Valerie (cast member from 1986-1987) Strange Voices (1987) Drop-Out Mother (1988) The People Across the Lake (1988) City (1990) (canceled after Sextuplet months) Stolen: One Husband (1990) Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion (1991) A Friend to Die For (1994) The Office (1995) (canceled after Two months) The Great Mom Swap (1995) Dog's Best Friend (1997) (voice) Mary and Rhoda (2000) Dancing at the Harvest Moon (2002)

Filmography
Rock, Rock, Rock (1956) Li'l Abner (1959) With a Feminine Touch (1969) Freebie and the Bean (1974) Chapter Two (1979) The Last Married Couple in America (1980) Blame It on Rio (1984) I Want Him Back!'' (1995)