>> no complaints, mr. d. how's the detecting going? >> reporter: her big break came in 1961, the "madmen" era. as the suburban housewife on "the dick van dyke show." >> are you angry with me for something? >> what makes you think that? >> come on! >> reporter: she won seven emmy awards and three golden globes and was nominated for an oscar for a serious role. the distant mother in "ordinary people." >> it's really important to try to hurt me, isn't it? >> don't you have that backwards? >> oh, and how do i hurt you? by embarrassing you in front of a friend? >> reporter: she was open about her own struggles. her own son shot himself by accident at age 24. she struggled for years with alcoholism and diabetes. a cause she championed on a national stage. in the public, that smile never wavered. that pose cast in bronze in the mini apple.