Ted Knight (December 7, 1923-August 26, 1986) was an American actor best known for playing Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Henry Rush on Too Close for Comfort. Ted Knight has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to Television, at 6673 Hollywood Boulevard.
Ted Knight was a controversial local politician in England in the 1980s. He was leader of Lambeth London Borough Council and known as one of the "loony left".
During the local government finance and rates capping crisis of the mid-1980s, 30 left-wing Labour councils initially refused to comply with the Rates Act 1984, which required them to limit the amount of tax they levied to homeowners and businesses. All the councils eventually backed down except for Liverpool and Lambeth.
As a result, in 1986, he was found to be acting ultra vires and was forced to resign by the district auditor. He and 30 colleagues were later surcharged a total of £100,000 plus costs of £80,000 and banned from office for ten years. Neil Kinnock blamed leaders like Knight and Linda Bellos from Lambeth, for bringing the Labour Party into disrepute.
Knight's real significance was the influence he exerted on Ken Livingstone, later Leader of the Greater London Council and Mayor of London. Knight had been expelled from the Labour Party in 1954 for extremism but re-joined the Norwood branch in 1970 where he met Livingstone. The two formed an alliance and purged the Norwood wards of right wingers for the council elections in 1974. After that they jostled for the leadership of the left within the Labour Group on Lambeth Council but Livingstone later moved to another area of London.
He had some links with the Workers Revolutionary Party. At one point he only narrowly missed being selected as the Labour candidate for Coventry North East.
Knight retired into political obscurity after being expelled from office, pursued various business interests, and remained treasurer of the town hall social club until it closed in 1994. He is, however, still active within Unite, the trade union.
He still lives in Norwood on Gipsy Hill in a house with a brass plate reading 'Edward Knight.'
Knight currently serves on and was elected to the National Committee of the Labour Representation Committee (2004) at their AGM on the 17th of November, 2007.
Short lived (six weeks) show about Roger Dennis running an escort service in New York City. Roger and Burt Dennis own Dennis Escorts, a high-class escort agency. Dottie was the receptionist, Winston Dennis was Roger's 20-something son and Hobart Nalven, the mailman. Written by J.E. McKillop
Was a minor villain on TV and film drama for the longest time before the role of Ted Baxter on "Mary Tyler Moore" (1970) aggressively tapped into his comedy talents.
His well-modulated voice, ideal for radio broadcasting and announcing, helped keep him afloat during the dismal 60s providing narration and voices for a number of cartoon series -- including "Batman/Superman Hour, The" (1968) and "Star Trek" (1973).
Three children: Ted Knight Jr., Elyse Knight and Eric Knight (V).
Bore an uncanny resemblence to Barry Goldwater. In an episode of "Too Close for Comfort" (1980) when someone paints a portrait of Knight's character, the running gag becomes "Wow, look at that great picture of Barry Goldwater".
Has a bit role at the very end of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) as a cell guard who opens the cell door for another officer who gives Norman Bates a blanket.
A hero in WWII, he was decorated five times for bravery.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 491-493. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.
In the 1970s he was the spokesperson for Southgate USA and appeared in numerous commercials that aired on Cleveland area TV and radio stations. (Southgate USA is a Shopping Center in Maple Heights, Ohio).
