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2000 Old Ranch
Road
Los Angeles, CA
90049
USA
tested:
sent:
03-02-2009
rcvd:
03-30-2009
Comment:
received signed 8/10 photo |
Born: 13. May 1922, USA
Died:
25 April 2009 (aged 86)
Comment:
Nominated for 9
Golden Globes. Another 8 wins & 10 nominations
Bea Arthur, whose
acerbic wit and dry delivery delighted national TV audiences on such
long-running shows as "Maude" and "The Golden Girls," died Saturday at
age 86.
She died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side,
family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, he added, declining to
give details.
Arthur won two Primetime Emmys for lead actress in a comedy series, for
"Maude" in 1977 and "Golden Girls" in 1988. In all, she received 11 Emmy
nominations and nine Golden Globe noms.
With her dry, husky voice and domineering height, Arthur's deadpan style
led her to national prominence as a guest star on "All in the Family,"
playing Archie Bunker's liberal cousin and political nemesis. Her acidic
exchanges with Archie were so popular that producer Norman Lear spun the
character off into her own show, "Maude." The politically charged sitcom
ran for six years beginning in 1972, satirizing and addressing many
political and social issues of that era.
In 1966, Arthur won a Tony for her Broadway portrayal of Vera Charles in
"Mame," directed by her then-husband Gene Saks.
Arthur was born Bernice Frankel on May 13, 1922, in New York but was
raised in Maryland. During her struggling-actress days, she paid the
rent as a chanteuse, singing in nightclubs including New York's Blue
Angel. A talented singer, she also made TV appearances on "The Perry
Como Show" and, with comedians Wayne and Shuster, "The Ed Sullivan
Show."
Arthur, along with Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, defied
conventional TV wisdom: They won high ratings with a series centered on
four older women in Miami. "Golden Girls" was a long-running hit and a
syndication success. A tribute to the power of Arthur's contributions,
"Maude" and "Golden Girls" were canceled when she withdrew from both
shows. |
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