Her first big break cam when one of Merv Griffin’s staffers saw her and signed her up for Griffin’s popular talk show. She was invited back again and again - 75 times in all to relate funny stories based on her own experiences.

When the show moved to Los Angeles, so did Wallace, but she found jobs were tougher to get. One day when Wallace was at the point of giving up her career, she received a call from TV producer Grant Tinker, who offered her a role on Newhart’s new show, based on a recommendation from Bill Paley, founder of CBS.

Wallace didn’t have to audition, and the part was written especially for her.

She is proud that Carol Dester was smart, capable and independent. In her book, Wallace describes the character as a nice person, loyal, an optimist, and really good at her job - traits Wallace also finds ideal.

When she was 43, Wallace became a first-time bride, marrying Dennis Hawley, a handsome hotelier. The two were wed May 18, 1986, in a Buddhist ceremony in Cucamonga, Calif., with many entertainers - and Iowans - as guests.

Wanting to become adoptive parents, the couple enlisted a birth mother and doted on Michel Wallace Hawley - “Mikey” - when he was born.

Wallace enjoyed six years of bliss before her husband was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He died in June 1992.

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