Valerie Kathryn Harper was born in Suffern, New York

Harper is known for her roles as Rhoda Morgenstern in the CBS television
series The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) and its spin-off, Rhoda 
(1974-1978), and later as Valerie Hogan in Valerie (NBC/CBS, 1986-1981).

In 2009, Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer and announced in 2013
that tests had revealed she had a rare condition in which the cancer cells
had spread into the membranes surrounding the brain. She is currently
undergoing chemotherapy to slow its progress. As of April of this year,
Valerie is reportedly responding well to the treatment.