Born May 13, 1922, Golden Girl Bea Arthur would have been 87 today--many others share same birthday

Bea Arthur (March 13, 1922-April 25, 2009)

While best known for her work in television on Maude in the 1970s and The Golden Girls in the 80s, comedic actress Beatrice Arthur, born May 13, 1922, actually began acting on the New York stage in the late 1940s. By 1954 she starred in an Off-Broadway production of Threepenny Opera. Ten years later, she was part of the original Broadway cast of Fiddler on the Roofand in 1966, she won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Vera Charles, best friend to Angela Lansbury's Mame. In a bit of life imitates art, the two performed a musical number titled Bosom Buddies in the show, and off-stage the two struck a very close friendship, often being spotted together at various Hollywood soirees, even as recently as last year.

While she had focused her career on Broadway, she also made occasional television appearances in the 50s and 60s, but it was in 1971 that tv audiences got their first real taste of Bea's biting wit when she made what was to be a singular guest appearance on legendary producer Normal Lear's controversial sitcom, All In The Family during its first season. Bea was cast as a relative of Jean Stapleton's Edith Bunker character. The plot featured Bea as a very liberal Cousin Maude, who comes to the rescue when Archie, Edith, Mike and Gloria all come down with the flu. Audience loved the spark between ultra-conservative Archie and the equally strong-willed Maude so much so that the following year, Lear brought the Maude Findlay character back for a second time. The second appearance had Edith and Archie traveling to Tuckahoe, New York to attend the second wedding of Maude's daughter Carol. The episode was served as the pilot for Bea's own series, Maude. Maude was the complete antithesis of All In The Family, but astute viewers would see the similarities. Archie Bunker was strong-willed, conservative and all about family. His nemesis Maude was strong-willed, liberal and all about family. Maude dealt with controversial subject matter including infidelity, abortion, race and all the hot-button issues of the day, but with humor and love and from a very personal perspective, which enabled audiences to care for characters they may or may not agree with.

Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur reteamed for Bosom Buddies on the 1987 Tony Awards telecast

While on hiatus from Maude, Lucille Ball and the producers of the film version of Mame were insistent that Bea reprise her Tonywinning role of Vera Charles for the film version. During the run of Maude, Bea was nominated for several Golden Globe andEmmy Awards, she won the Emmy in 1977 for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.  At the stars urging, Maude ended its run in 1978. That year, Bea made what is arguably the most bizarre appearance in her career, when she was featured in the truly odd Christmas offering, The Star Wars Holiday Special where she played Akmena, a singer/dancer at the Mos Eisley Cantina. Hey, I said it was truly odd! Check out the link below for a clip of Bea in outer space action.

Bea took a bit of a break after Maude, making occasional guest appearances in things like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Soapand and uncredited brief role in Mel Brooke's History of the World: Part 1. In 1983 she starred for one season in Amanda's by the Sea, a funny, but ill-received American version of the British hit, Fawlty Towers. Two years later, tv audiences would once again be in for something special when Bea was cast alongside, her former Maude co-star Rue McClanahan, Rue's former Mama's Family co-star Betty White and another Tony winning actress, the then relatively unknown, Estelle Getty as Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia in NBC's The Golden Girls.

Golden Girls opening sequence

The first season of The Golden Girls was an immediate success, finishing its first year at number 8 in the ratings. Saturday night became a huge tv night with Golden Girls leading the pack. That first year also saw Golden Girls win the Emmy for Best Comedy and each of the Girls receive a nomination, Estelle for Supporting and Rue, Bea and Betty for Lead Actress in a Comedy--Betty White won the statuette and during her thank you speech, she congratulated all her co-stars for the win. Season two saw Golden Girls' popularity continue to grow as the show finished the year as the #5 top rated series, win another Emmyfor Best Comedy and Rue McClanahan take home the Emmy for Lead Actress. The following year was Bea's year, as she won her second Emmy of her career. In true mother-daughter fashion, Estelle Getty won Best Supporting Actress that same year.

During the course of its run, Golden Girls showcased Bea's comedic timing, classic double-takes and general brilliance most notably in scenes with her on-screen mom, Estelle. The show also featured a virtual who's who of classic tv and movie stars, including Bob Hope, Nannette Fabre, George Burns, Nancy Walker, Bill Dana, Eddie Albert, Sheree North, Steve Landesberg, Jack Gillford, Burt Reynolds, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Merve Griffin, Alex Trebek, and Debbie Reynolds. Two young actors who went on to fame and fortune also appeared with the Girls--George Clooney was featured as an undercover cop, and Mario Lopez played a student being tutored by substitute teacher, Dorothy. Another interesting bit of trivia took place behind the scenes.  A then unknown writer names Marc Cherry came on-board in 1990--he went on to create Desperate Housewives.  Over the years, Golden Girls also spawned other series, including Empty Nest, Nurses and The John Laroquette Show, but none enjoyed the success of the Girls.

As the 7th season drew to a close, Bea announced she wasn't interested in coming back for an eighth year. To accommodate her departure, Dorothy's character was introduced to Blanche's uncle, played by Nielsen, and quickly swept off her feet. Side Note: I was lucky enough to be visiting a friend who worked for Laser Pacific Video, the editing house used by the producers ofGolden Girls during that final year, and met and hung out and had dinner with all four of the Girls at a party for Rue! In the series finale, Dorothy married and moved out of the house she had shared with the Golden Girls for seven years--five of which were spent in the Top 10. The writers and producers of the show felt their remaining Girls had another good year or two in them. So, they switched from the Peacock to The Eye and from the stronghold of Saturday to Friday night the following season as the newly retooled and renamed Golden Palace debuted on CBS.  New cast members Don Cheadle and Cheech Marin were fun and entertaining as new sparring partners for the remaining Girls. Some of the stories were strong, most notably a particularly poignant story in which Rose befriends and elderly woman who suffers from alzheimer's, the show just didn't have that sameGolden feel. A two-part return visit from Bea herself didn't help, and the Golden Palace didn't make it beyond season one.  A bit of Golden Palace trivia: comedian Margaret Cho and funny man Jack Black each guested on the series years before they made it big.

The years following Golden Girls saw Bea capitalize on her crusty older woman persona with appearances on Dave's World, a hilarious turn as an evil babysitter on Malcolm in the Middle and a guest role on Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2002 she returned to Boradway in her one woman show, Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. The show featured stories and songs from her life and career and earned her a Tony nomination. An appearance during a skit on the TV Land Awards as an elderly version of Carrie Bradshaw in a parody of Sex and The City was brilliant, but nothing was as funny, or reminded audiences what a genius she was at deadpan delivery when she roasted fellow PETA supporter, Pamela Anderson on Comedy Central's Celebrity Roast. She roasted the Baywatch star seated in a high-back chair reading aloud a very sexually-charged passage from a novel penned by the buxom actress.

Bea Arthur reading an excerpt from Pamela Anderson novel on Comedy Central's Roast

When season two of The Golden Girls came out on dvd, Rue, Betty and Bea did a small press tour to promote the release. Estelle's health was on the decline and she was unable to join them.  Just last year Bea, Rue and Betty reunited one final time when TV Land paid special tribute to them at the annual awards ceremony.

Bea died just last month on Saturday, April 25, 2009  at her home after a recent, but never-made-public battle with cancer. She is survived by two sons and grandchildren. Her family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to PETA.