Beatrice Arthur

Infobox actor
name = Beatrice Arthur


imagesize = 180px
caption = the 1987 Emmy Awards
birthname = Bernice Frankel
birthdate = birth date and age|1922|5|13
birthplace = New York City, New York, USA
occupation = Actress
spouse = Robert Alan Aurthur
Gene Saks (1950-1978)
yearsactive = 1947-present
emmyawards = Outstanding Lead Actress - Comedy Series
1977 "Maude"
1988 "The Golden Girls"
tonyawards = Best Featured Actress in a Musical
1966 "Mame"

Beatrice “Bea” Arthur (born May 13 1922) is an American comedienne, actress and singer. In an ongoing career spanning six decades, Arthur is perhaps best remembered for her trademark role as the title character, Maude Findlay, on the 1970s sitcom "Maude", and also for playing Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom "The Golden Girls".

Biography

Early life

Arthur was born Bernice Frankel to Philip and Rebecca Frankel in New York City on May 13, where she was active in drama productions.

Theater

Arthur began her acting career as a member of an off Broadway theater group at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City in the late 1940s. On stage, her roles included "Lucy Brown" in the 1954 off-broadway premiere of Kurt Weill's "Threepenny Opera", "Yente the Matchmaker" in the 1964 premiere of "Fiddler on the Roof" on Broadway, and a 1966 Tony Award-winning portrayal of "Vera Charles" to Angela Lansbury's "Mame". She reprised the role in the 1974 film version opposite Lucille Ball. In 1981, she appeared in Woody Allen's "The Floating Lightbulb". [cite news | author= | title=Celebrity Buzz: Who's Who - Bea Arthur | url=http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/whoswho/biography/11264.html | work=Playbill | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-07-12]

Television

In 1972, Arthur was cast as the title character in the television series "Maude". She played Maude Findlay, an outspoken liberal living in the affluent community of Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York, with her husband, Walter (Bill Macy) and divorced daughter Carol (Adrienne Barbeau). The show was a spin-off from "All in the Family", on which Arthur had appeared a couple of times in the same role, playing Edith Bunker's (Jean Stapleton)'s cousin, a feminist, and antithesis to the bigoted, conservative Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), who described Maude as a "New Deal fanatic." Her role garnered several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, including her Emmy win in 1977 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

In 1978, she costarred in the much derided the Star Wars Holiday Special, in which she had a song and dance routine, where the Star Wars character Greedo was her dance partner.

After appearing in the short-lived 1983 sitcom "Amanda's" (an unsuccessful US version of the British hit series "Fawlty Towers"), Arthur was cast in the hit sitcom "The Golden Girls" in 1985, in which she played Dorothy Zbornak, a divorced substitute teacher living in a Miami, Florida house owned by Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan). Her other roommates included widow Rose Nylund (Betty White) and Dorothy's Sicilian mother, Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). Getty was actually a year younger than Arthur in real life, and was heavily made up to look significantly older. Dorothy had an caustic sense of humor and was prone to making witty and sarcastic wisecracks. The series was a huge hit, remaining a top ten ratings fixture for six seasons. Her performance led to several Emmy nominations over the course of the series and an Emmy win in 1988. Arthur decided to leave the show after seven years and in 1992, the show was moved from NBC to CBS and retooled as "The Golden Palace" in which the other three actresses reprised their roles. Arthur made a guest appearance in a two-part episode, but the show only lasted for one season before it was cancelled.

Later life

After Arthur left "The Golden Girls", she made several guest appearances on television shows and even organized and toured with her one-woman show. She made a guest appearance on American cartoon "Futurama", in the Emmy-nominated episode "Amazon Women in the Mood" as the voice of the Femputer who ruled the giant Amazonian women. She appeared in an episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" as Dewey's babysitter who possessed an unfortunate harmony with Dewey's likes and dislikes. She was nominated for a guest-star Emmy for her performance. She also showed up unexpectedly as Larry David's mother on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". In 2005, she participated in the Comedy Central roast of Pamela Anderson, delivering an unforgettable deadpan, highly cynical reading of excerpts from Pamela's book "Star: The Novel," most notably the part that describes receiving sodomy-related advice.

In 2002, she made a triumphant return to Broadway starring in "Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends", a collection of stories and songs (with musician Billy Goldenberg) and based on her life and long career. The show was nominated for a Tony award for Best Special Theatrical Event, but lost to "Elaine Stritch At Liberty".

Arthur was inducted into Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2008. [cite press release | title= Television Academy Hall of Fame Reveals Six Honorees for 2008 | url=http://www.emmys.tv/media/releases/2008/rel-hof2008.php | publisher=The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences | date=17 April 2008 | accessdate=2008-07-12] On June 8, 2008, "The Golden Girls" was awarded the 'Pop Culture' award at the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards. Bea accepted the award with co-stars Rue McClanahan and Betty White. [cite news | author=Julie Keller | title= TV Land Awards Party Like It's 1979 | url=http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/b11229_tv_land_awards_party_like_its_1979.html | work=E! Online | date=8 June 2008 | accessdate=2008-07-12]

Personal life

Arthur was married twice, first to Robert Alan Aurthur , an author, whose surname she took and kept though with a modified spelling, and second to director Gene Saks from 1950-1978 with whom she adopted two sons, Matthew (born 14 July 1961), an actor and Daniel (born 8 May 1964), a set designer.

She primarily lives in the Greater Los Angeles Area and has sublet her apartment on Central Park West in New York City and her country home in Bedford, New York. She has one living sister who lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Television credits

*"Kraft Television Theatre" (1951-1958)
*"Studio One" (1951-1953)
*"Max Liebman Presents: Kaleidoscope" (1955)
*"Caesar's Hour" (regular performer 1954–1956)
*"The Seven Lively Arts" (1958)
*"Omnibus" (1958)
*"Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1958)
*"The George Gobel Show" (1959)
*"The Perry Como Show" (1961)
*"All in The Family" (1971 & 1972)
*"Maude" (1972–1978)
*"The 45th Annual Academy Awards" (1973)
*"The Mike Douglas Show" (1974 & 1980)
*"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1974-1975-1976-1977-1980-1985-1986-1990)
*"Dinah" (1975 & 1976)
*"Saturday Night Live" (1976 & 1979)
*"Cos" (1976)
*"Laugh-In" (1977)
*"CBS: On the Air" (1978)
*"The Star Wars Holiday Special" (1978)
*"The Mary Tyler Moore Hour" (1979)
*"The Beatrice Arthur Special" (1980)
*"Soap" (1980)
*"History of the World Part I (1981)
*"Omnibus" (1981)
*"Nights of 100 Stars" (1982)
*"Broadway Plays Washington on Kennedy Center Tonight" (1982)
*"Amanda's" (1983) (canceled after 4 months)
*"a.k.a. Pablo" (1984)
*"P.O.P." (1984)
*"The Golden Girls" (1985–1992)
*"Circus of the Stars #10" (1985)
*"NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration" (1986)
*"Walt Disney World's 15th Birthday Celebration" (1986)
*"Late Night with David Letterman" (1986)
*"The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts" (1986)
*"The 13th Annual People's Choice Awards" (1987)
*"This is Your Life" (1987)
*"The 41st Annual Tony Awards" (1987)
*"Comic Relief '87" (1987)
*"Family Comedy Hour" (1987)
*"Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration" (1988)
*"Circus of the Stars #13" (1988)
*"Empty Nest" (1989)
*"Aspel & Company" (1990)
*"Night of 100 Stars III" (1990)
*"The 42nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards" (1990)
*"Dame Edna's Hollywood" (1991)
*"The Howard Stern Show" (1992)
*"Guest Night" (1992)
*"6th Annual Americam Comedy Awards" (1992)
*"The Golden Palace" (1992)
*"This Joint Is Jumpin"' (1993)
*"The 47th Annual Tony Awards" (1993)
*"Boulevard Bio" (1993)
*"Sean's Show" (1993)
*"Jerry Herman's Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl" (1994)
*"Bob Hope: Happy 91st Birthday, Bob" (1994)
*"50 Years of Funny Females" (1995)
*"The 50th Annual Tony Awards" (1996)
*"Dave's World" (cast member 1996 & 1997)
*"The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (1997)
*"The RuPaul Show" (1998)
*"Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute Part 1" (1998)
*"The 53rd Annual Tony Awards" (1999)
*"Beggars and Choosers" (1999)
*"The Martin Short Show" (1999)
*"So Graham Norton" (2000)
*"Intimate Portrait: Rue McClanahan" (2000)
*"Malcolm in the Middle" Dewey's babysitter in the season one finale (2000)
*"E! True Hollywood Story: All in the Family" (2000)
*"Intimate Portrait: Estelle Getty" (2001)
*"Futurama" as "Femputer" in "Amazon Women in the Mood" (2001)
*"Today" (2001)
*"The View" (2002)
*"CBS News Sunday Morning" (2002)
*"The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (2002)
*"Good Morning America" (2002)
*"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (2002)
*"The Big O! True West Hollywood Story" (2002)
*"TV Most Censored Moments" (2002)
*"TV Tales: The Golden Girls" (2002)
*"Open Mike with Mike Bullard" (2002)
*"Because I Said So" (2002)
*"Inside TV Land: Taboo Tv" (2002)
*"Intimate Portrait: Bea Arthur" (2003)
*"TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV" (2003)
*"Rove Live" (2003)
*"Through The Keyhole" (2003)
*"Broadway: The Golden Age by the Legends Who Were There" (2003)
*"The Golden Girls Their Greatest Moments" (2003)
*"Today with Des and Mel" (2003)*"Richard and Judy" (2003)
*"The Terry and Gaby Show" (2003)
*"The Second Annual TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV" (2004)
*"The Best of So Graham Norton" (2004)
*"Inside TV Land: Primetime Politics" (2004)
*"TV's Greatest Sidekicks" (2004)
*"Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson" (2005)
*"TV Land Confidential" (2005)
*"Curb Your Enthusiasm" as Larry David's mother on the season five finale (2005)
*"Entertainment Tonight" (2006)
*"Biography: Bea Arthur" (2006)
*"The View" (2007)
*"TV Land Confidential" (2007)
*"Entertainment Tonight" (2007)
*"Back to the Grind" (2007)

Theatre performances

*"Lysistrata" (1947)
*"The Dog Beneath the Skin" (1947)
*"Yerma" (1947)
*"No Exit" (1948)
*"The Taming of the Shrew" (1948)
*"Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1948)
*"The Owl and the Pussycat" (1948)
*"Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" (1949)
*"Yes is for a Very Young Man" (1949)
*"The Creditors" (1949)
*"Heartbreak House" (1949)
*"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1951)
*"Personal Appearance" (1951)
*"Candle Light" (1951)
*"Love or Money" (1951)
*"The Voice of the Turtle" (1951)
*"The New Moon" (1953)
*"The Threepenny Opera" (1954)
*"What's the Rush?" (1955)
*"Shoestring Revue" (1955)
*"Plain and Fancy" (1955)
*"Seventh Heaven" (1955)
*"Mistress of the Inn" (1956)
*"The Ziegfeld Follies" (1956)
*"Nature's Way" (1957)
*"Ulysses in Nighttown" (1958)
*"The Gay Divorcee at the Cherry Lane" (1960)
*"A Matter of Position" (1962)
*"Fiddler on the Roof" (1964)
*"Mame" (1966)
*"The Floating Lightbulb" (1981)
*"La Fille du Regiment" (1994)
*"Bermuda Avenue Triangle" (1995-1996)
*"Angela Lansbury - A Celebration" (November 17, 1996) (benefit concert)
*"After Play" (1997-1998)
*"Strike Up The Band" (2000)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Westport, Connecticut (July 28-30, 2000)
*"And Then There's Bea" United States Tour (April 24, 2001 - January 13, 2002)
*"Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends" in New York, New York (January 29, 2002 - April 14, 2002)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Santa Fe, New Mexico (September 24, 2002)
*"And Then There's Bea" in Melbourne, Australia (October 15-27, 2002)
*"And Then There's Bea" in Sydney, Australia (October 29 - November 10, 2002)
*"Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends" in Toronto, Canada (November 20 - December 8, 2002)
*"And Then There's Bea" in Johannesburg, South Africa (August 12-24, 2003)
*"And Then There's Bea" in Cape Town, South Africa (August 26 - September 7, 2003)
*"Bea Arthur at The Savoy" in London, England (September 15 - October 18, 2003)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Los Angeles, California (January 31 - February 1, 2004)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Saugatuck, Michigan (May 22-23, 2004)
*"A Celebration of Life" in Washington, D.C. (May 26, 2004)
*"Bea Arthur at the El Portal" in North Hollywood, California (August 5-8, 2004)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Provincetown, Massachusetts (August 21, 2004)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Columbus, Georgia (October 30, 2004)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Nyack, New York (March 4-6, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Forth Wayne, Indiana (April 17, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Mount Pleasant, Michigan (April 19, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Atlantic City, New Jersey (June 3-4, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Holmdel, New Jersey (June 7, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Las Vegas, Nevada (August 27, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Hampton, Virginia (September 16-17, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Alexandria, Virginia (September 22, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Geneva, New York (September 24, 2005)
*"Bea Arthur Back on Broadway (at 95th Street)" in New York, New York (November 21, 2005)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in San Francisco, California (January 7, 2006)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Salem, Oregon (January 21, 2006)
*"Bea Arthur Back at the El Portal" in North Hollywood, California (February 16-19, 2006)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in Scottsdale, Arizona (February 24-25, 2006)
*"An Evening with Bea Arthur" in University Park, Illinois (March 19, 2006)

Filmography

*"That Kind of Woman" (1959)
*"Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970)
*"Mame" (1974)
*"" (1981) (cameo)
*"My First Love" (1988)
*"For Better or For Worse" (1996)
*"" (1997) (cameo)
*"Enemies of Laughter" (2000)
*"Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There" (2003) (documentary)
*"" (2008) (documentary)

References

External links

*ibdb|85438
*imdb|0037735
*tv.com person|4634
* [http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A22F23DD9B95F263 Bea Arthur Interview with Archive of American Televison] Dead link|date=August 2008

Persondata
NAME= Arthur, Beatrice
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Frankel, Bernice
SHORT DESCRIPTION=actress, singer, comedian
DATE OF BIRTH= May 13 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH= New York City
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=