Who’s Still Alive From ‘Rhoda’?

Lauren Novak September 9, 2025

RHODA, clockwise from top left, David Groh, Ron Silver, Anne Meara, Valerie Harper, Julie Kavner, 1974-78 (1976 photo) — Everett Collection

When Rhoda premiered on September 9, 1974, fans saw the beloved character step out of Mary Richards’ Minneapolis apartment and into her own life in New York City. The The Mary Tyler Moore Show spin-off, which followed Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) as she reunited with her family, found love and navigated life as a single woman, was an immediate hit, even scoring one of television’s most-watched wedding episodes. Though it ran for just five seasons, Rhoda became a classic of 1970s television —but who from the main cast is still with us today? Let’s find out!

Julie Kavner (75)

Brenda Morgenstern

Dorothy Tanous/TV Guide/Everett Collection; Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Rhoda’s charmingly anxious yet quirky younger sister Brenda was played by Julie Kavner. Brenda’s romantic ups and downs often mirrored Rhoda’s own, and she quickly became a fan favorite. After Rhoda, Kavner appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show and in the film Hannah and Her Sisters, but she found lasting fame as the voice of Marge Simpson on The Simpsons, a role she has held since 1989. She is famously private and rarely gives interviews, but continues to voice Marge in all Simpsons projects.

Ray Buktenica (82)

Benny Goodwin

RHODA, Ray Buktenica, Julie Kavner, 1974-78

Everett Collection

Introduced in the later seasons, Buktenica played Benny Goodwin, Brenda’s boyfriend and eventual fiancé. Buktenica went on to guest star in shows like House Calls and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He is now retired from acting. He famously dated another ’70s star, Three’s Company‘s Joyce Dewitt, from 1973 to 1980.

In Memoriam

RHODA, (clockwise from top): Harold Gould, Nancy Walker, Julie Kavner, Valerie Harper, David Groh, 1974-78.

Everett Collection

Valerie Harper (Rhoda Morgenstern) died on August 30, 2019, at age 80, after a battle with cancer.

Nancy Walker (Ida Morgenstern) died from lung cancer on March 25, 1992, at age 69.

David Groh (Joe Gerard) died of kidney cancer on February 12, 2008, at age 68.

Harold Gould (Martin Morgenstern) died on September 11, 2010, at age 86 from prostate cancer.

Ron Silver (Gary Levy) died on March 15, 2009, at age 62, from esophageal cancer.

Kenneth McMillan (Jack Doyle) died on January 8, 1989, at age 56, from liver disease.

Why Did 'Rhoda' Get Divorced?

The wedding was ratings gold but the writers weren't sure if being happily married was very funny.

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