Mary Tyler Moore ( born December 29 1936 ) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress and comedian , famous for The Mary Tyler Moore Show ( 1970 â `` 1977 ) , where she played the role of Mary Richards , a single woman who worked as a news producer at WJM-TV in Minneapolis , and for her role as Laura Petrie , wife of television comedy writer Rob Petrie ( played by Dick Van Dyke ) on The Dick Van Dyke Show ( 1961 â `` 1966 ) . Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show ( 1970 â `` 77 ) , in which she starred as Mary Richards , a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis , and for her earlier role as Laura Petrie ( Dick Van Dyke 's wife ) on The Dick Van Dyke Show ( 1961 â `` 66 ) .