Gavin MacLeod, known for his roles on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Love Boat,” died Saturday, his nephew Mark See told Variety. He was 90 years old.
MacLeod’s birth name was Allan See, but in his memoir, “This is Your Captain Speaking,” he wrote that he considered his last name to be “too confusing” and changed it to honor an acting teacher. MacLeod wrote he also had to deal with premature hair loss, going bald while still in college. After a busy career of bit parts in television and film, MacLeod first achieved fame as part of the ensemble of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” a breakthrough sitcom in which he played news writer Murray Slaughter. Murray often served as a confidante to Moore’s character, rolled his eyes at the cluelessness of WJM anchor Ted Baxter and absorbed the fierce temper of WJM news director Lou Grant.
