A representative for Mary Tyler Moore says the veteran sitcom star is "recovering nicely" after surgery to remove a benign tumour on the lining of her brain.

Spokeswoman Erica Tarin says Moore will require no additional treatment after the four-hour procedure on Friday. Tarin would not specify when the surgery took place or where.

The procedure was to remove a meningioma, a slow-growing tumour in the membranes that cover the brain. Meningiomas usually occur in older adults and are mostly benign.

The 74-year-old Moore first won fame as housewife Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke show in the 1960s and then went on to even greater success starring in her own long-running sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

She was also Oscar-nominated for her performance in the 1980 movie Ordinary People.

"According to her surgeon, she tolerated the procedure without difficulty," said Tarin, who adds the tumour was entirely removed.