Bea Arthur

Bea Arthur
Arthur as Maude Findlay in 1973
Born
Bernice Frankel

(1922-05-13)May 13, 1922
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 2009(2009-04-25) (aged 86)
Los Angeles, California
Other namesBeatrice Arthur
EducationFranklin Institute
The New School
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • singer
Years active1947–2008
Spouses
(m. 1944; div. 1950)
(m. 1950; div. 1978)
Children2
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service1943–1945
RankStaff sergeant
UnitU.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve

Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress, comedienne and singer. She began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving worldwide recognition for her work on television beginning in the 1970s as Maude Findlay in the popular sitcoms All in the Family (1971–1972) and Maude (1972–1978) and later in the 1980s and 1990s as Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls (1985–1992).

Arthur won several accolades throughout her career, beginning with the 1966 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Vera Charles in Mame. She won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1977 for Maude and 1988 for The Golden Girls. Arthur has received the third most nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series with nine; after Julia Louis-Dreyfus (11) and Mary Tyler Moore (10). Arthur was inducted into the academy's Television Hall of Fame in 2008.[1]

Arthur's film appearances include Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) and the film version of Mame (1974). In 2002, she starred in the one-woman show Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. An obituary described Arthur as "the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star."[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Lynn Elber, Beatrice Arthur, 86, deep-voiced star of 'Golden Girls,' 'Maude' Archived January 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, boston.com, April 26, 2009.