As early as 1985, Doris Roberts was a known commodity. People may not have recognized her name, but they certainly recognized her face. She was, and would continue to be, one of Hollywood's most consistent character actresses, with memorable roles in shows like St. Elsewhere, Barney Miller, and The Love Boat. Roberts was known for playing a secretary on NBC's Remington Steele, but even more folks may have seen her in a series of Glade air-freshener commercials from Glade.

While Doris Roberts was already well-known by millions of TV viewers, far fewer knew the personal tragedy that nearly kept her from enjoying the success. In August 1983, Roberts' husband of 22 years, William Goyen, died. He was a much-respected writer from Texas whose literature fascinated readers all over the world. And suddenly, he was gone. 

"I was not in good shape," Roberts told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "One man said, 'Doris the light has gone out.'"

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Indeed, by her own estimation, her acting work suffered. In a craft so dependent on centeredness, Roberts' personal devastation was a distraction in any job she took for a while.

"I was just walking through [every part I played]. When that man said to me, 'the light has gone out,' I thought 'That's not what Bill would want,' and what would I gane from that? I began to turn it around. The gift of life is so precious... I think it's a shame not to use it fully."

While it wasn't an immediate "light switch" moment, Roberts gradually found her footing again, not just in her work, but also in her life. She recognized that, in her husband's absence, she faced a choice: "Roll over and die, or begin life again."

Fortunately for TV viewers everywhere, Roberts chose the latter.

"There's always an emptiness, but I'm able to fill that emptiness by talking about William Goyen," she said.