An American actor named Ted Knight became well-known for playing comic parts in shows. He didn’t finish high school, but he joined the US Army during World War II and was awarded five stars for his service. He also became interested in acting at the same time.
Around the age of 26, he started his career as the presenter of a children’s radio program after being released from the Army and receiving acting training.
He relocated to Los Angeles at the age of 33, where he originally made a career performing advertisements before landing small, mostly uncredited jobs in television and movies.
When he was selected to represent Ted Baxter in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” at the age of 46, he got his big break and became well-known.
Later, he had a hit in the roles of Judge Elihu Smails in “Caddyshack” and Henry Rush in “Too Close for Comfort.” He was 62 when he passed away from cancer.
Ted Knight’s Date of Birth and Parents
Ted Knight was born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka on December 7, 1923, in Terryville, Litchfield County, Connecticut, to Charles Walter Konopka and Sophie Konopka. His father worked at a bar. Henry Konopka is their brother of Ted.
Ted Knight’s Education
Ted Knight’s early life is unknown, other than the fact that he left high school to join the US Army during World War II. He eventually worked as a radio reconnaissance operator with the A Company of the 296th Combat Engineer Battalion.
Ted Knight’s Wife
Dorothy Clark Smith, who later served on the board of directors of the Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, wed Knight on September 14, 1948. Eric, Elyse, and Ted Jr. were the couple’s three offspring.
Knight was given a cancer diagnosis in 1977, and he underwent therapy. It came back as colon cancer in 1985 and ultimately spread to his bladder and lower digestive system.
He passed away on August 26, 1986, and was buried at Glendale, California’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
He received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6673 Hollywood Boulevard on January 30, 1985.
The Pequabuck River bridge on Canal Street in Terryville, where he was born and raised, has been named in his honor.
Ted Knight’s Career
He reached Berlin in 1945 with the first American forces, and for his wartime service, he was given five Bronze Stars. But at that time, he had become interested in acting and had made the decision to pursue it as a profession following his release.
He studied at Hartford, Connecticut’s Randall School of Dramatic Arts somewhere in the latter half of the 1940s, where he sharpened his puppet and ventriloquism skills. He appeared in plays including “Liliom,” “Grand Hotel,” “Antigone,” and “Time of Your Life” during this time.
Ted Knight relocated to Providence, Rhode Island, in 1950, when he started presenting a kids’ program on WJAR-TV. He worked there until 1955. He then relocated to Albany, New York, and started working for WROW-TV there (now WTEN).
He played “Windy Knight” on WROW-“The TV’s Early Program,” which included MGM films and a kids’ variety show. He simultaneously worked as a radio announcer for its sister station, WROW Radio, and attended “The American Theatre Wing” for more acting instruction.
He relocated to Los Angeles in 1957 and started working in commercials to support himself. In 1959, he was cast in small parts in television series including “The Twilight Zone” and “Bonanza.”
He made his cinematic debut in 1960, as the uncredited Professor Vasheen in “Man on a String.” He proceeded to make minor appearances in several films and TV shows throughout the 1960s.
His well-modulated voice enabled him to make a career during this difficult time, sometimes as an announcer and other times as a narrator or cartoon voice actor in animation projects like “Fantastic Voyage” (1968).
On “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” Knight was cast as the vain yet untalented newscaster Ted Baxter in 1970. He received two Emmy Awards for the seven-year run of the series—the first in 1973 and the second in 1976.
Despite the fact that the program gave him recognition, it also grouped him for the remainder of his life. Even though he made every effort to escape the reputation, he was forced to borrow elements of Ted Baxter’s techniques for his advertisements and TV spots during the 1970s.
On the Ranwood label, he issued an album of music in 1975 titled “Hi, Guys!” that was mostly composed of novelty tunes.
He played Andrew Mumford in the theatrical performance “Some of My Best Friends” in October 1977. He appeared in one episode of “Busting Lose” in the same month as well.
His role of Rodger Denis in “Busting Lose” spun out into “The Ted Knight Show” in April 1978, giving him his first leading part. Between April 8 and May 13, 1978, the show aired on CBS.
In the 1980s “Caddyshack,” his last movie, he played Judge Elihu Smails. He also starred in the three-season television series “Too Close for Comfort” that same year. It was reintroduced as “The Ted Knight Show” in first-run syndication in 1984.
Knight became well-known because of Ted Baxter of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” but he was also well-known for his part in “Too Close for Comfort.”
They became so well-liked that his followers from numerous schools and institutions often gave him the sweatshirts he wore during the performance.