The most noticeable aspect of Valerie Harper may be her voice. She really does sound like her characters -- a charming mix between Rhoda Morgenstern and Valerie Hogan.

When she answers the telephone, one expects to be greeted with her trademark, "Hi, Mare."

She is friendly, dotting her conversation with "darling" and "honey." Sounding firmly polite yet approachable, she is honest, talkative and highly intelligent.

A whole group of people will have the chance to hear her voice when she speaks at 8 p.m. today in Schwab Auditorium. Sponsored by Colloquy and the Department of Integrative Arts, Harper will be discussing a wide range of topics -- her early career, her years on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda," and future projects.

She will also address sexism in Hollywood, including the circumstances surrounding her dismissal from "Valerie," later known as "The Hogan Family."

Harper also plans to speak about her interest in ending world hunger, among other personal beliefs and concerns. Instead of simply lecturing, Harper said she would like the evening to be more conversational with plenty of audience participation. This, she thinks, will be more entertaining for both herself and the audience.

"After all," she said, "we're one in the same."

With more than 20 years in show business, Harper has enough to tell the audience. Harper began her career as a dancer, with a focus on classical ballet. She found herself on Broadway at age 18.

"A Chorus Line was sort of my early theatrical life," she said.

Her weekly salary paid for acting lessons and soon she was in Chicago, working with the famed Second City comedy troupe.

In 1970, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" premiered and Harper, along with her character Rhoda Morgenstern, earned a permanent place in the pantheon of popular television characters.

"There was no way to know," Harper said, referring to the show's success. "I just was so happy to have a job. It was just the greatest work situation." Harper credits the writers and a phenomenal cast for the show's now-legendary status.

After four years on the show, popular demand led to a starring role in her own series, "Rhoda."

"(Fred) Silverman, who was then head of programming at CBS, kept saying, 'Valerie, we're going to spin you off'," she recalled. "I said, 'What does that mean?' "

Harper played Rhoda for nine years in two different series, earning her four Emmy awards.

"What I had really wanted out of show business was not necessarily to be a star but to get in a long run of some theatrical production. What I got was a long run of a series," Harper said.

"Valerie," premiered in 1986, after several made-for-television movies and another series attempt. A feud with the producers of "Valerie" led to her dismissal from the show, a lawsuit and a spate of bad press that portrayed her as "difficult."

"The media wasn't terrible to me," she said. "It would have been terrible if I was a young actress starting out."