Bea Arthur, ‘Golden Girls’ Star, Dead

Bea Arthur, an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress best known for starring “Mame” on Broadway and in the TV hits ‘Maude‘ and ‘The Golden Girls,’ died Saturday at her Los Angeles home. Family spokesman Dan Watt said the 86-year-old actress with the razor-sharp wit and baritone voice had been battling cancer. No other details about her illness were given. She passed away peacefully with her family at her side.

“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.”

Likewise those with whom she worked.  “Bea was such an important part of a very happy time in my life and I have dearly loved her for a very long time. I’m grateful that she received her much deserved ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ when she did, so she could enjoy it,” Betty White told ‘Access Hollywood‘ in a statement on Saturday. “How lucky I was to know her.”

Her ‘Golden Girls’ co-star Rue McClanahan agreed. “Thirty seven years ago, she showed me how to be very brave in playing comedy,” McClanahan said in a statement. “I’ll miss that courage. And I’ll miss that voice.”

No an overnight success, Arthur had enjoyed a long and varied stage career before joining ‘All in the Family’ as Edith Bunker’s liberal cousin, Maude Finley. After her loud, colorful arguments with Archie Bunker took off, producer Norman Lear rewarded Arthur with her own series, ‘Maude,’ which earned her an Emmy in 1977.

”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,”’ she told the Associated Press in 2008.

Arthur left ‘Maude’ after six years, saying “it was time to leave.” But she had nothing but good feelings for the show. In a 2001 interview with the Academy of Television (watch it below) she said, “I look at it now and I think damnit, we were good. We did good work.”

From 1985 to 1992, she starred in another popular sitcom, ‘The Golden Girls.’ Along with Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, the show collected 10 Emmys, including one for each of the four stars. Following her departure from that series, Arthur joked, “After being in the business for such a long time, I’ve done everything but rodeo and porno.

Arthur had a simple approach to comedy. It “was just being honest, and playing it for real,” she once said.

Read more about Arhtur’s background here.

Born Beatrice Frankel on May 13, 1922, in New York City, she grew up in Maryland. During World War II, Arthur was one of the first women to enlist in the United States Marine Corps., where she served as a medical technician. In the early 1950s, Arthur discovered acting and became a noted stage actress.

Over the next two decades, she won rave reviews for her performances in such productions as Kurt Weill’s “Three Penny Opera” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” In the latter, Arthur originated the role of Yente the Matchmaker opposite the great Zero Mostel. In 1966, the actress won a coveted Tony award for her portrayal of Vera Charles in the Broadway production of “Mame” – a role she would later reprise in the 1974 film version.

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Despite her early stage success, Arthur’s most celebrated roles, would ultimately be on television. In 1971, Arthur was tapped by producer Norman Lear for a guest starring role on his hit sitcom, “All in the Family” (CBS, 1971-79). Cast as Edith Bunker’s cousin, Maude Findlay, whose ultra-liberal politics and feisty ‘70s “I am woman” independence made her a natural foil for Archie Bunker, the character proved so popular that a year later, she was subsequently spun off into her own series, “Maude” (CBS, 1972-78).

An immediate hit, “Maude” ran for six seasons and won Arthur her first Emmy in 1977 for- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Much like the show that spawned it, “Maude” took on a number of controversial topics of the day, such as abortion, menopause, depression and domestic violence. However, the politics were always secondary to the comedy.

Though ratings for “Maude” remained strong until the very end, the show ended in 1978 because Arthur wanted to move on. Arthur’s next television project, “Amanda’s” (ABC, 1983-84), was a short-lived sitcom based on the classic British comedy series, “Fawlty Towers” (BBC, 1975-79). Though Arthur was well-suited for her role as crabby hotelier, Amanda Cartwright, the show’s anemic scripts doomed it to an early checkout.

Fortunately, Arthur had far better luck with her next project, “The Golden Girls” (NBC, 1985-1992). This comedy about four older women sharing a house in Miami starred Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, a middle-aged divorcee, along with comedy veterans Rue McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty.

An immediate ratings hit, “The Golden Girls” ran for seven seasons and won Arthur her second Emmy. At the end of the 1992 season, Arthur decided she had had enough twilight time with the girls and announced she would leave the show. Rather than go on without its central, most grounded character, “The Golden Girls” was canceled and retooled.

A year later, the show returned to the airwaves without Arthur; this time, on a different network and with a new title, “The Golden Palace” (CBS, 1992-1993). White, McClanahan, and Getty came back to reprise their characters, but the show tanked after one season.

Since the cancellation of “The Golden Girls,” Arthur maintained a relatively low profile on television, but continued acting. In 2002, she made a triumphant return to Broadway with her one-woman show, the Tony-nominated “Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends,” a collection of stories and songs based on her life and career. More recently, she appeared on episodes of ‘Malcom in the Middle’ and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

In 2008, Arthur was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame. “I don’t know about timing,” she said. “I don’t know what that means. But I am fearless.”

Arthur is survived by her sons and two granddaughters. No funeral services are planned.

More on These Topics: Bea Arthur | Maude | The Golden Girls