Editing Ted Knight

{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Other people}}
{{Short description|American actor (1923–1986)}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Ted Knight
| image         = Ted Knight 1972.JPG
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = Knight in 1972
| birth_name    = Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1923|12|07}}
| birth_place   = [[Terryville, Connecticut]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1986|08|26|1923|12|07}}
| death_place   = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]], [[Glendale, California]], U.S.
| awards        = [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
| occupation    = Actor
| years_active  = 1950–1986
| spouse        = {{Marriage|Dorothy Smith Knight|1948}}<!-- End of marriage coincided with death, therefore year is omitted per instructions of Template:Marriage -->
| children      = 3
}}
'''Ted Knight''' (born '''Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka'''; December 7, 1923{{spaced ndash}}August 26, 1986) was an American actor known for playing the [[Comedy|comedic]] roles of [[Ted Baxter]] in ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', Henry Rush in ''[[Too Close for Comfort]]'' and Judge Elihu Smails in ''[[Caddyshack]]''.

== Early life ==
Knight was born in the [[Terryville, Connecticut|Terryville]] section of Plymouth in [[Litchfield County, Connecticut]] to [[Polish Americans|Polish-American]] parents Sophia (née Kavaleski) and Charles Walter Konopka, a bartender.<ref>{{Cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mFmAAAAMAAJ| title=Newsmakers| first=Peter M.| last=Gareffa| date=January 1, 1987| publisher=Gale Research| via=Google Books| isbn=978-0810322035}}</ref> He withdrew from high school to enlist in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]] and was a member of Company A, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, earning five [[Service star|campaign stars]] while serving in the [[European Theater of Operations, United States Army|European Theater of Operations]].<ref name="battlestars">{{Cite web| url=http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/hisdeath/bp_860827_we.html| title=Terryville Recalls Favorite Son Fondly| last=Paradis| first=John| newspaper=The Bristol Press| date=August 27, 1986| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204134424/http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/hisdeath/bp_860827_we.html| archive-date=December 4, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| title=Remembering Connecticut's Ted Knight of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'| url=https://patch.com/connecticut/durham/remembering-connecticut-s-ted-knight-of-the-mary-tyled724924d50| first=Philip R.| last=Devlin| journal=Durham Patch| date=December 14, 2011}}</ref>

== Career ==
{{Excessive examples|date=January 2024|section}}

===Early roles===
During the postwar years, Knight studied acting in [[Hartford, Connecticut]]. He became proficient with puppets and ventriloquism, which led to steady work as a television children's show host at [[WJAR|WJAR-TV]] in [[Providence, Rhode Island]] from 1950 to 1955.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.pbn.com/WJAR-TV-marks-60th-birthday-tonight,43515| title=WJAR Turns 60| last=Nesi| first=Ted| newspaper=[[American City Business Journals|Providence Business News]]| date=July 10, 2009| access-date= September 14, 2018|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/misc/pj_550223_we.html |title=WJAR's Ted Knight |newspaper=[[The Providence Journal]]| date=February 23, 1955 |access-date=September 14, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205113512/http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/misc/pj_550223_we.html |archive-date=February 5, 2007}}</ref> In 1955, he left Providence for [[Albany, New York]], where he landed a job at station WROW-TV (now [[WTEN]]), hosting ''The Early Show,'' featuring MGM movies, and a children's variety show, playing a [[George "Gabby" Hayes|Gabby Hayes]]-type character named "Windy Knight".<ref>{{Cite web| title=WTEN| url=http://www.ted-knight.com/wten/| website=Ted Knight: Actor, war hero, and friend to my family| access-date=September 17, 2018}}</ref> He was also a radio announcer for sister station [[WROW]] radio and briefly for WFNS in [[Burlington, North Carolina]]. He left the station in 1957 after receiving advice from station manager (and future [[Capital Cities/ABC Inc.|Capital Cities]] chairman) [[Thomas Murphy (broadcasting)|Thomas Murphy]] that he should take his talents to [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]].

[[File:Ted and georgette Mary Tyler Moore Show.JPG|thumb|left|Ted Knight and [[Georgia Engel]] on ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'']]
Knight spent most of the 1950s and 1960s creating commercial voiceovers and playing minor television and film roles. He had a small part playing a police officer guarding the room where Norman Bates sat wrapped in a blanket at the end of [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kehr |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Kehr |date=December 1, 2008 |title=Movies: About Ted Knight |work=[[The New York Times]] |department=Movies & TV Dept. |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/38822/Ted-Knight/biography |url-status=dead |access-date=May 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201162121/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/38822/Ted-Knight/biography |archive-date=December 1, 2008}}</ref> He played Phil Buckley on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] soap opera ''[[The Young Marrieds]]'' in the early 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book| title='TV Guide' Guide to TV| year=2004| publisher=Barnes and Noble| isbn=978-0760756348| page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/716 716]| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/716}}</ref> He also made guest appearances in numerous series, including ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series)|How to Marry a Millionaire]]'', ''[[Highway Patrol (U.S. TV series)|Highway Patrol]]'', ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'', ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'', ''[[Peter Gunn]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (in the episode "[[The Lonely (The Twilight Zone)|The Lonely]]"), ''[[Bourbon Street Beat]]'', ''[[Death Valley Days]]'', ''[[The Man and the Challenge]]'', ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', ''[[Mr. Lucky (TV series)|Mr. Lucky]]'', ''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond|One Step Beyond]]'', ''[[Pete and Gladys]]'', ''[[Surfside 6]]'', ''[[Sea Hunt]]'', ''[[The Asphalt Jungle (TV series)|The Asphalt Jungle]]'', ''[[Dr. Kildare (TV series)|Dr. Kildare]]'', ''[[General Electric Theatre]]'', ''[[Manhunt (1959 TV series)|Manhunt]]'', ''[[Cain's Hundred]]'', ''[[The New Loretta Young Show]]'', ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', ''[[Sam Benedict]]'', ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'', ''[[Arrest and Trial]]'', ''[[Ripcord (TV series)|Ripcord]]'', ''[[The Lieutenant]]'', ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'' (in the episode "[[The Invisible Enemy (The Outer Limits)|The Invisible Enemy]]"), ''[[McHale's Navy]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke]],'' ''[[Kraft Suspense Theatre]]'', ''[[Run for Your Life (TV series)|Run for Your Life]]'', ''[[12 O'Clock High (TV series)|12 O'Clock High]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.]]'', ''[[Combat!]]'', ''[[T.H.E. Cat]]'',  ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'', ''[[Get Smart]]'', ''[[The Invaders]]'', ''[[Judd, for the Defense]]'', ''[[Garrison's Gorillas]]'', ''[[The Wild Wild West]]'', ''[[The Outsider (1968 TV series)|The Outsider]]'' and ''[[The Immortal (1970 TV series)|The Immortal]]''.

Knight's speaking voice also brought him work as a voice artist for various animated series produced by [[Filmation]] and [[Hanna-Barbera]], including ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'', ''[[The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure]]'', ''[[The Batman/Superman Hour]]'', ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth (TV series)|Journey to the Center of the Earth]]'', ''[[Fantastic Voyage (TV series)|Fantastic Voyage]]'', ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]'', ''[[Super Friends]]'' and ''[[Lassie's Rescue Rangers]]''.

=== ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' ===
[[File:Mary Tyler Moore Show Ted and Georgette's Baby 1976.jpg|thumb|right|From L-R: [[Ed Asner]], [[Georgia Engel]], Ted Knight and [[Mary Tyler Moore]] from [[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]] (1976)]]
Knight's role as the vain and untalented WJM newscaster [[Ted Baxter]] on ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'' brought widespread recognition and his greatest success. He received six [[Emmy Award]] nominations for the role, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy in 1973 and 1976.

=== Post-''MTM'' appearances ===
In 1975, Knight recorded an album of mostly novelty songs, ''Hi Guys'', on the Ranwood label.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.discogs.com/Ted-Knight-Hi-Guys/master/757961| title=Ted Knight&nbsp;— Hi Guys| website=[[Discogs]]| date=1975}}</ref> The title track, in which Knight tries to extract himself from various embarrassing situations by using his signature "Hi, guys!" line, received some play on the [[Dr. Demento]] show.

Knight was the special guest star on the first episode of ''[[The Bobby Vinton Show]]'' in September 1975. Vinton highlighted Knight's Polish heritage and the two sang a duet of Vinton's hit "[[My Melody of Love]]" in Polish. Knight was also featured in a production number based on one of the songs from the ''Hi Guys'' album, "I'm in Love with Barbara Walters".

Knight used a variation of the Ted Baxter character for regional commercials. In the Cleveland area during the early to late 1970s, a newsman simply known as "Ted" would provide news of the events at a local shopping center known as Southgate USA, often finishing the 60-second spot with a comedic flair, including wearing a jacket that resembled Baxter's blue WJM blazer. Knight also returned to Albany to film promo spots for his former employer WTEN.

Knight guest-starred in "Mr. Dennis Steps Out", the October 26, 1977, episode of the situation comedy ''[[Busting Loose (TV series)|Busting Loose]]'', as Roger Dennis, the owner of an [[Escort agency|escort service]] in New York City. This appearance launched a new show, ''[[The Ted Knight Show (1978 TV series)|The Ted Knight Show]]'', Knight's first starring role. ''The Ted Knight Show'' lasted for only six episodes in the spring of 1978.

Knight appeared in several episodes of ''[[The Love Boat]]'', including one episode as a rival cruise captain.<ref>{{Cite journal| url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-love-boat-1982/episode-24-season-5/pride-of-the-pacific-the-vikings-son-separate-vacations-the-experiment-getting-to-know-you/100488| title=The Love Boat: Season 5, Episode 24 Pride of the Pacific; The Viking's Son; Separate Vacations; The Experiment; Getting to Know You| journal=[[TV Guide]]| date=March 6, 1982}}</ref>

Knight's final film role was in the 1980 golf comedy ''[[Caddyshack]]'', in which he played Judge Elihu Smails, a foil for [[Rodney Dangerfield]]'s character.

=== ''Too Close for Comfort'' ===

Knight was cast in the lead role as the curmudgeonly cartoonist Henry Rush in the series ''[[Too Close for Comfort]]'' in 1980. Throughout the series' run, Knight would wear [[Sweater|sweatshirts]] from colleges and universities sent to him by students who were fans of the show. [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] canceled the show after three seasons, but it was revived in first-run syndication in 1984. In 1986, the show was retitled ''The Ted Knight Show'' and saw Henry retire from cartooning and become part-owner of a weekly newspaper. A second season was planned until Knight's health became a factor.

== Personal life ==
In 1948, Knight married Dorothy Smith and the couple had three children: Ted Jr., Elyse and Eric.

In January 1985, Knight was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] for his contributions to the television industry. It is located at 6673 [[Hollywood Boulevard]].<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.walkoffame.com/ted-knight| title=Ted Knight| website=Hollywood Walk of Fame| date=January 30, 1985}}</ref>

== Death ==
A few months after the end of the ''Mary Tyler Moore Show'' in 1977, Knight was diagnosed with [[Colorectal cancer|colon cancer]], for which he received treatment. In 1985, the cancer returned and spread to his [[Urinary bladder|bladder]] and [[gastrointestinal tract]].<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/27/obituaries/ted-knight-winner-of-2-emmy-awards-for-television-series.html| last=Wilborn| first=Hampton| title=Ted Knight, Winner of 2 Emmy Awards For Television Series| newspaper=The New York Times| date=August 27, 1986| access-date=September 14, 2018|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
[[File:Ted Knight grave at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.JPG|thumb|Ted Knight's grave]]
Knight experienced complications from the surgery and was advised to not resume work on ''Too Close for Comfort'' until he recovered. His condition worsened and he died on August 26, 1986, at age 62.

Knight was interred at the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Glendale, California]]. His grave marker bears the name Theodore C. Konopka and the words "Bye Guy", a reference to his Ted Baxter [[catchphrase]] "Hi, guys!"<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8x00AAAAMAAJ&q=konopka+%22bye+guy%22 ''Final Curtain'']</ref>

His hometown of Terryville, Connecticut dedicated a bridge on Canal Street over the [[Pequabuck River]] in his memory. There is a bronze plaque bearing his likeness on the bridge.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Jean |last=Reid |title=Plymouth Dedicates Ted Knight Bridge |url=http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/hisdeath/wr_870409_th.html |newspaper=[[Republican-American|Waterbury Republican]] |date=April 9, 1987 |access-date=May 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730104930/http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/hisdeath/wr_870409_th.html |archive-date=July 30, 2013}}</ref>

==Television==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|1962–1966|| ''[[The New Adventures of Superman]]'' || Narrator, Perry White || 34 episodes
|-
|1966|| ''[[Get Smart]]'' ||Season 1, Episode 24 || 
|-
|1966–1968|| ''[[The Adventures of Superboy]]'' || Narrator, Jonathan Kent || 34 episodes
|-
|1967–1968|| ''[[The Superman/Aquaman Adventure Hour]]'' || Narrator, Imp, Tusky, Black Manta, Torpedo Man, Blue Bolt || 36 episodes
|-
|1967|| ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth (TV series)|Journey to the Center of the Earth]]'' || Professor Oliver Lindenbrook, Count Saknussemm, Atlantian King || 17 episodes
|-
|1968–1969|| ''[[The Adventures of Batman]]'' || Commissioner Gordon, The Penguin, The Riddler, Mr. Freeze, The Scarecrow, Doll-Man, Simon the Pieman, The Mad Hatter, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, The Judge, Narrator  || 17 episodes
|-
|1968–1969|| ''[[Fantastic Voyage (TV series)]]'' || Commander Jonathan Kidd, Professor Carter || 17 episodes
|-
| 1970–1977 || ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'' ||| Ted Baxter || 165 episodes
|-
|1972|| ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]''|| Ghost of Paul Revere, The Penguin, Troll  || 16 episodes
|-
|1972–1973 || ''[[Lassie's Rescue Rangers]]'' || Ben Turner, Aaron Lipton, Red Arrow || 16 episodes
|-
|1973|| ''[[Inch High, Private Eye]]''|| Voices  || 13 episodes
|-
|1974|| ''[[Super Friends]]''|| Narrator, the Flash in "Too Hot to Handle" Series 1, Episode 7 || 16 episodes
|-
|1978|| ''[[The Ted Knight Show (1978 TV series)|The Ted Knight Show]]''|| Roger Dennis  || 6 episodes
|-
|1979|| ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''|| Himself, Host. Musical Guest Desmond Child & Rouge  || 1 episode, December 22, 1979
|-
|1980–1983|| ''[[The Love Boat]]''|| Barney Gordon, Captain Gunner Nordquist, Tom McMann  || 8 episodes
|-
|1980–1985|| rowspan=2|''[[Too Close For Comfort]]'' || Henry Rush  || 129 episodes
|-
|1985–1987||  Henry Rush  || 22 episodes as "The Ted Knight Show"
|}

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1960|| ''[[Man on a String]]'' || Professor Vasheen || Uncredited
|-
| 1960|| ''[[13 Fighting Men]]'' || Samuel ||
|-
| 1960|| ''[[Twelve Hours to Kill]]'' || Police Sergeant Denton ||
|-
| 1960|| ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' || Policeman in Hallway Opening Door || Uncredited
|-
| 1960|| ''[[Cage of Evil]]'' || Lieutenant Dan Ivers || Uncredited
|-
| 1960|| ''[[Key Witness (1960 film)|Key Witness]]'' || Cowboy's Lawyer || Uncredited
|-
| 1961|| ''[[Swingin' Along]]'' || Priest ||
|-
| 1961|| ''[[Cry for Happy]]'' || Lieutenant Glick ||
|-
| 1961|| ''[[The Great Impostor]]'' || Reporter || Uncredited
|-
| 1962|| ''[[13 West Street]]'' || Baldwin ||
|-
| 1962|| ''[[Hitler (1962 film)|Hitler]]'' || Major Buch ||
|-
| 1962|| ''[[The Pigeon That Took Rome]]'' || Steve || Uncredited
|-
| 1962|| ''[[The Interns (film)|The Interns]]'' || Photographer's Assistant at Fashion Shoot || Uncredited
|-
| 1964|| ''[[Nightmare in Chicago]]'' || Dan McVeay || 
|-
| 1964|| ''[[The Candidate (1964 film)|The Candidate]]'' || Frank Carlton ||
|-
| 1965|| ''[[Young Dillinger]]'' || Johnsyn ||
|-
| 1965|| ''[[Blindfold (1966 film)|Blindfold]]'' || Dr. Bob Berford || Uncredited
|-
| 1967|| ''[[Countdown (1968 film)|Countdown]]'' || Walter Larson ||
|-
| 1970|| ''[[M*A*S*H (film)|M*A*S*H]]'' || Offstage Dialog || Voice, uncredited
|-
| 1971|| ''[[Cold Turkey (1971 film)|Cold Turkey]]'' || Mr. Slick || Uncredited
|-
| 1975|| ''Emilio and His Magical Bull'' || ||
|-
| 1980|| ''[[Caddyshack]]'' || Judge Elihu Smails ||
|}

== Selected Television Appearances ==
* ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (1959) (Season 1, Episode 7: "The Lonely") as Adams
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1960) (Season 5, Episode 33: "Party Line") as Mr. Maynard
* ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (1964) (Season 10, Episode 16: "Run, Sheep, Run") as Rancher Bill Miller
* ''[[Combat!]]'' (1964) (Season 2, Episode 27: "Weep No More") as German Sergeant
* ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'' (1964) (Season 2, Episode 7, "[[The Invisible Enemy (The Outer Limits)|The Invisible Enemy]]")
* Highway Patrol as reporter Merle Hartman in 1958.

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|Biography|Connecticut|Rhode Island|California|Greater Los Angeles|Comedy|Film|Television}}
* {{IMDb name|nm0461095}}
{{Memory Alpha}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180809002354/http://www.shotgunreviews.com/bigq/lydiacornell.html Interview with Lydia Cornell by Michael Sutton]
* [http://www.thefutureandyou.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=85946 Interview with Lydia Cornell] on the podcast ''The Future and You'' (anecdotes about Ted Knight and ''Too Close For Comfort'')
{{EmmyAward ComedySupportingActor}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Ted}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)]]
[[Category:Comedians from Connecticut]]
[[Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer in California]]
[[Category:Filmation people]]
[[Category:Hanna-Barbera people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Connecticut]]
[[Category:Male actors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Connecticut]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Terryville, Connecticut]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]