Bea Arthur Dies

Golden Girl Bea Arthur has died aged 86.

Rue MccLanahan as Blanche with Bea as Dorothy in The Golden Girls.

The actress and comedian was, according to her personal assistant suffering from Cancer. Sitcom The Golden Girls has been a popular part of British television schedules since the late 1980s. Originally screened on Channel 4 the series has found a new generation of fans thanks to re-runs on Living TV.

In the comedy, revolving around four ‘elderly’ retired well-off women sharing a house, Arthur played dry-witted Dorothy Zbornak. Such was her importance in the programme that when she quit – the entire series was axed, although a short-lived spin-off The Golden Palace followed in which Arthur made a couple of guest appearances, its these shows which gave her her biggest UK audience..

Born Bernice Frankel in 1922 she started her early life in New York City in before her family moved to Cambridge in Maryland to open a clothing business. Her original career ambition was to be a ‘Blond bombshell’ movie star, however ended up – because of her tallness and deep voice – playing male parts in school productions.

Professionally she had a successful stage career before switching to television and movies in the 1970s. Teaming up with Lucille Ball she starred in the film version of musical Mame as Vera Charles – opposite Ball’s lead as Mame Dennis. Arthur had previously played the part on Broadway alongside Angela Landsbury.

Bea’s first big television role was in CBS’ All In The Family a sitcom which launched in January 1971 and ran until 1979.

In the comedy she starred as Edith Bunker’s cousin; Maude Finley who was liberal, opinionated and greatly outspoken. The character proved to be so successful she was given her own series, Maude, which launched on the CBS network in September of 1972 despite reservations by TV bosses who thought the actress was too ‘unknown’ to TV audiences to have her own show – her many years in theatre and Broadway seemingly un-noticed by executives. She recalled these bosses called her ‘the new girl’ despite by this point Arthur being in her 50s.

The programme proved a ratings winner, running until 1978. Bea’s next big hit was The Golden Girls which launched in 1985 and ran until 1992. The actress became a popular on-screen double act as Dorothy Zbornak alongside the late Estelle Getty – who starred as her on-screen mother, Sophia Petrillo.

Arthur won Emmy Awards for Mame, The Golden Girls and Maude.

Married twice, she kept her first husband’s surname despite it being a short-lived marriage. In 1950 she re-married – this time to director Gene Sakss to which she had two children, both boys – she divorced Gene in 1978. Dan Watt, her personal assistant for six years, announced her death saying she had died peacefully. “She was a brilliant and witty woman,” he commented.

The actress is survived by her sons and also two granddaughters. The Golden Girls is regularly repeated on Living TV.