Who is Mary Hart married to? Former Entertainment tonight host returns to Dodgers World Series in family tradition

Mary Hart has long shared her life with Burton Roy Sugarman, the veteran television producer best remembered for The Midnight Special. Sugarman’s path in entertainment started back in the 1970s. As Mandatory noted, his earliest work included producing Dionne Warwick: Souled Out.

The 2025 World Series Game 3proved to be a memorable showdown. Dodger Stadium witnessed an 18-inning standoff that kept fans on edge for nearly seven hours. Mary Hart was seen in her usual front-row seat through the 17th inning, cheering along. But when Freddie Freeman came up to bat in the 18th, she was no longer there.

Freeman faced Brendon Little, the Blue Jays’ reliever, and hit a solo home run to center field. The home run ended the nearly seven-hour contest and sealed the Dodgers’ win. Mary Hart, however, had missed the deciding moment.

Hart remained in the stands through most of the game, leaving only near its end. A Dodgers supporter for more than 40 years, Mary Hart’s presence behind home plate has been a familiar sight during broadcasts. She has also performed the national anthem at Dodger Stadium multiple times.

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How Tommy Lasorda helped Mary Hart’s Dodgers dream take flight:

A report from International Business Times traced Mary Hart’s deep connection with the Dodgers back to 1979, a moment that began almost by chance. While working as a bat girl for the Hollywood Stars during an exhibition game, she crossed paths with Tommy Lasorda, then the Dodgers’ manager. When he asked about her goals, she admitted she wanted to sing the national anthem at a Dodgers game.

True to his reputation for generosity, Lasorda made it happen within a month. That single performance set the stage for her enduring relationship with the Dodgers. From that day on, her presence at Dodger Stadium became part of the game-day scenery, always in that familiar front-row seat behind home plate.

By the time the 2025 World Series returned to Los Angeles, Hart was still there — loyal, animated, and proud, cheering for the team that had been part of her life for nearly half a century. In a city known for fleeting fandom, to the team remained consistent. Speaking to KTLA ahead of the series, she expressed her admiration for the Dodgers’ performance:

“Last year, when Freddie Freeman hit that home run I never think that we could see anything better..... But last Friday when Shohei Ohtani hit that home run it was a collective 'Are you kidding me?’”

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Fame, fortune, and friendship: The real story behind Mary Hart’s remarkable journey

Mary Hart may have had fame and fortune, but those weren’t what made her feel truly rich. Her real wealth came from the friendships she built over the years. The former Entertainment Tonight host once shared that,

“I still have friends that I have known for decades, those friendships are invaluable. When you have relationships that go back 30 and 40 years, you can’t beat it. It makes your life rich.”

Born Mary Johanna Harum in Madison, South Dakota, Hart’s career dream seemed to have formed almost before she could remember.

“I have two dear friends who remember when we were about seven years old, swinging back and forth, talking about what we wanted to do in the future,” she said.

“I don’t remember this, but they both do. They said, ‘We remember that you said you wanted to be in show business!’ So, I must have known it very early on.” she added.

Her first step into the spotlight came through beauty pageants, where she represented her state as Miss South Dakota in the Miss America Pageant. She lost that year to Phyllis George, who later became a businesswoman, sportscaster, and Kentucky’s First Lady. Instead of using the pageant world as a stepping stone to acting, Hart decided to follow a different path, entertainment journalism.

“I loved being interviewed, but I realized I wanted to be on the other side of the microphone because I wanted to be able to tell stories, I find everybody has a different story,” she explained.

She began locally, hosting a small talk show called Danny’s Day. Before long, she was auditioning for Entertainment Tonight, the show that would define her career. Before television, Hart had spent three years teaching high school English.

“I still sounded like that schoolteacher, and I looked like it!” she shared.

“I just was very prim and very proper in the way I spoke. It was almost like I was talking to 12th grade Shakespeare students,” she explained.

She eventually landed the job, and what followed was a 29-year run that took her across the world, interviewing film stars, musicians, and world leaders alike.