Bea Arthur dies at 86

MushroomPrime · Apr 25, 2009

The Associated Press: `Golden Girls' star Bea Arthur dies at 86

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star in the hit shows "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" and who won a Tony Award for the musical "Mame," died Saturday. She was 86.

Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, Watt said, declining to give further details.

"She was a brilliant and witty woman," said Watt, who was Arthur's personal assistant for six years. "Bea will always have a special place in my heart."

Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series "All in the Family" as Edith Bunker's loudly outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. She proved a perfect foil for blue-collar bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and their blistering exchanges were so entertaining that producer Norman Lear fashioned Arthur's own series.

In a 2008 interview with The Associated Press, Arthur said she was lucky to be discovered by TV after a long stage career, recalling with bemusement CBS executives asking about the new "girl."

"I was already 50 years old. I had done so much off-Broadway, on Broadway, but they said, `Who is that girl? Let's give her her own series,'" Arthur said.

"Maude" scored with television viewers immediately on its CBS debut in September 1972, and Arthur won an Emmy Award for the role in 1977.

The comedy flowed from Maude's efforts to cast off the traditional restraints that women faced, but the series often had a serious base. Her husband Walter (Bill Macy) became an alcoholic, and she underwent an abortion, which drew a torrent of viewer protests. Maude became a standard bearer for the growing feminist movement in America.

The ratings of "Maude" in the early years approached those of its parent, "All in the Family," but by 1977 the audience started to dwindle. A major format change was planned, but in early 1978 Arthur announced she was quitting the show.

"It's been absolutely glorious; I've loved every minute of it," she said. "But it's been six years, and I think it's time to leave."

"Golden Girls" (1985-1992) was another groundbreaking comedy, finding surprising success in a television market increasingly skewed toward a younger, product-buying audience.

The series concerned three retirees — Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan — and the mother of Arthur's character, Estelle Getty, who lived together in a Miami apartment. In contrast to the violent "Miami Vice," the comedy was nicknamed "Miami Nice."

As Dorothy Zbornak, Arthur seemed as caustic and domineering as Maude. She was unconcerned about the similarity of the two roles. "Look — I'm 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a way with a line," she told an interviewer. "What can I do about it? I can't stay home waiting for something different. I think it's a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting."

The interplay among the four women and their relations with men fueled the comedy, and the show amassed a big audience and 10 Emmys, including two as best comedy series and individual awards for each of the stars.

In 1992, Arthur announced she was leaving "Golden Girls." The three other stars returned in "The Golden Palace," but it lasted only one season.

Arthur was born Bernice Frankel in New York City in 1922. When she was 11, her family moved to Cambridge, Md., where her father opened a clothing store. At 12 she had grown to full height, and she dreamed of being a petite blond movie star like June Allyson. There was one advantage of being tall and deep-voiced: She was chosen for the male roles in school plays.

Bernice — she hated the name and adopted her mother's nickname of Bea — overcame shyness about her size by winning over her classmates with wisecracks. She was elected the wittiest girl in her class. After two years at a junior college in Virginia, she earned a degree as a medical lab technician, but she "loathed" doing lab work at a hospital.

Acting held more appeal, and she enrolled in a drama course at the New School of Social Research in New York City. To support herself, she sang in a night spot that required her to push drinks on customers.

During this time she had a brief marriage that provided her stage name of Beatrice Arthur. In 1950, she married again, to Broadway actor and future Tony-winning director Gene Saks.

After a few years in off-Broadway and stock company plays and television dramas, Arthur's career gathered momentum with her role as Lucy Brown in the 1955 production of "The Threepenny Opera."

In 2008, when Arthur was inducted in the TV Academy Hall of Fame, Arthur pointed to the role as the highlight of her long career.

"A lot of that had to do with the fact that I felt, `Ah, yes, I belong here,'" Arthur said.

More plays and musicals followed, and she also sang in nightclubs and played small roles in TV comedy shows.

Then, in 1964, Harold Prince cast her as Yente the Matchmaker in the original company of "Fiddler on the Roof."

Arthur's biggest Broadway triumph came in 1966 as Vera Charles, Angela Lansbury's acerbic friend in the musical "Mame," directed by Saks. Richard Watts of the New York Post called her performance "a portrait in acid of a savagely witty, cynical and serpent-tongued woman."

She won the Tony as best supporting actress and repeated the role in the unsuccessful film version that also was directed by Saks, starring Lucille Ball as Mame. Arthur would play a variation of Vera Charles in "Maude" and "The Golden Girls."

In 1983, Arthur attempted another series, "Amanda's," an Americanized version of John Cleese's hilarious "Fawlty Towers." She was cast as owner of a small seaside hotel with a staff of eccentrics. It lasted a mere nine episodes.

Between series, Arthur remained active in films and theater. Among the movies: "That Kind of Woman" (1959), "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970), Mel Brooks' "The History of the World: Part I" (1981), "For Better or Worse" (1995).

The plays included Woody Allen's "The Floating Light Bulb" and "The Bermuda Avenue Triangle," written by and costarring Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna. During 2001 and 2002 she toured the country in a one-woman show of songs and stories, "... And Then There's Bea."

Arthur and Saks divorced in 1978 after 28 years. They had two sons, Matthew and Daniel. In his long career, Saks won Tonys for "I Love My Wife," "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues." One of his Tony nominations was for "Mame."

In 1999, Arthur told an interviewer of the three influences in her career: "Sid Caesar taught me the outrageous; (method acting guru) Lee Strasberg taught me what I call reality; and ('Threepenny Opera' star) Lotte Lenya, whom I adored, taught me economy."

In recent years, Arthur made guest appearances on shows including "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Malcolm in the Middle." She was chairwoman of the Art Attack Foundation, a non-profit performing arts scholarship organization.

Arthur is survived by her sons and two granddaughters. No funeral services are planned.
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Brawlastator · Apr 25, 2009

D: What?

Hobbes-timus Prime · Apr 25, 2009

This sucks. I love Golden Girls.

Don't judge me.

One · Apr 25, 2009

That sucks.

R.I.P

Ravenxl7 · Apr 25, 2009

That's sad , though at least she died surrounded by her family. I wouldn't call myself a "fan" of the Golden Girls, but I have seen it (my mother and sister are big fans), and I have to admit, she was a good actress.

AnimatedFan · Apr 25, 2009

All the good talent is disappearing.

QmTablit · Apr 25, 2009

Shame. She lived a long, successful life though.

And The Golden Girls was indeed a fantastic show.

Wreckgar · Apr 25, 2009

That's sad to hear. She was indeed talented.

I wonder if Marvel will stop the Deadpool fixation. It might seem rather tasteless now.

comaface · Apr 25, 2009

And I never got to see naked pictures of her

MetalRyde · Apr 25, 2009

she was 86, her family was there. she had a good life. peaceful way to go. not too sad. she is in a better place.

better then this cesspool of a planet.

Hobbes-timus Prime · Apr 25, 2009

MetalRyde said: ↑

she was 86, her family was there. she had a good life. peaceful way to go. not too sad. she is in a better place.

better then this cesspool of a planet.
Click to expand...

So, how's your day been going?

MushroomPrime · Apr 25, 2009

Wreckgar said: ↑

That's sad to hear. She was indeed talented.

I wonder if Marvel will stop the Deadpool fixation. It might seem rather tasteless now.
Click to expand...

Hello Betty White?

chaddi_90 · Apr 25, 2009

R.I.P

Doug · Apr 25, 2009

I remember one episode she appeared in "All In The Family" and it was funny.

Every now and then I watch "The Golden Girls" on The Hallmark Channel when there is nothing else to watch.

Robogeek28 · Apr 25, 2009

RIP Bea.

Opticron Primal · Apr 25, 2009

Somewhere in the world, Wade Wilson is sheading a tear.

taterx · Apr 25, 2009

She was a good one,fare the well sweet lady.

MetalRyde · Apr 25, 2009

Hobbes-timus Prime said: ↑

So, how's your day been going?
Click to expand...

mid 70s, partly cloudy with a chance of RAAAAAAAGE!!!!

Harbinger · Apr 25, 2009

i loved her when she tried to stop being remembered for her work on Golden Girls. Lake Placid comes to mind. she was such a wonderful actress R.I.P.

Smokescreen · Apr 25, 2009

Only two Golden Girls left now. Bea. You will be missed.

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Bea Arthur dies at 86

MushroomPrime ******

Brawlastator Well-Known Member

Hobbes-timus Prime Well-Known Member

One Well-Known Member

Ravenxl7 W.A.F.F.L.E.O.

AnimatedFan Banned

QmTablit BotBot in the what, I said BotBot in the what

Wreckgar Anthony Stark Veteran

comaface Crush, kill, destroy

MetalRyde is an a-hole with a heart. RIP Spike and Mojo.

Hobbes-timus Prime Well-Known Member

MushroomPrime ******

chaddi_90 Prime

Doug Well-Known Member

Robogeek28 Proud grandpa

Opticron Primal Comin' up OOOs!

taterx Lurkin since Transfandom

MetalRyde is an a-hole with a heart. RIP Spike and Mojo.

Harbinger ecnayonnA

Smokescreen The Ultimate Gambler

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Bea Arthur dies at 86

MushroomPrime ******

Brawlastator Well-Known Member

Hobbes-timus Prime Well-Known Member

One Well-Known Member

Ravenxl7 W.A.F.F.L.E.O.

AnimatedFan Banned

QmTablit BotBot in the what, I said BotBot in the what

Wreckgar Anthony Stark Veteran

comaface Crush, kill, destroy

MetalRyde is an a-hole with a heart. RIP Spike and Mojo.

Hobbes-timus Prime Well-Known Member

MushroomPrime ******

chaddi_90 Prime

Doug Well-Known Member

Robogeek28 Proud grandpa

Opticron Primal Comin' up OOOs!

taterx Lurkin since Transfandom

MetalRyde is an a-hole with a heart. RIP Spike and Mojo.

Harbinger ecnayonnA

Smokescreen The Ultimate Gambler

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