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Bea Arthur

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Birthdate

1922-05-13

Day of Death

2009-04-25

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

Bea Arthur

Biography

Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving worldwide recognition for her work on television beginning in the 1970s as Maude Findlay in the popular sitcoms All in the Family (1971–1972) and Maude (1972–1978) and later in the 1980s and 1990s as Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls (1985–1992). She won several accolades throughout her career, beginning with the 1966 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Vera Charles in Mame. She won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1977 for Maude and 1988 for The Golden Girls. Arthur has received the third most nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series with nine; only Julia Louis-Dreyfus (11) and Mary Tyler Moore (10) have more. She was inducted into the academy's Television Hall of Fame in 2008. Her film appearances include Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) and the film version of Mame (1974). In 2002, she starred in the one-woman show Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. An obituary described Arthur as "the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star." She served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve in World War II.

Filmography (39)

⭐ 9.0 Role: Self / Dorothy Zbornak (archive footage)

The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship

2025
⭐ 7.0 Role: Maude (archival footage)

Henry Fonda for President

2025
⭐ 5.7 Role: Self (archive footage)

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed

2023
⭐ 10.0 Role: Dorothy Zbornak

Forever Golden! A Celebration of the Golden Girls

2021
⭐ 0 Role: Self

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age

2021
⭐ 10.0 Role: Self (archive footage)

The Golden Girls: Ageless

2021
⭐ 7.4 Role: Self (archive Footage)

Betty White: First Lady of Television

2018
⭐ 8.4 Role: Self (archive footage)

O.J.: Made in America

2016
⭐ 6.6 Role: Self

Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson

2005
⭐ 8.2 Role: Vera Charles (segment "Mame")

Broadway's Lost Treasures II

2004
⭐ 6.8 Role: Self / Dorothy Zbornak

The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments

2003
⭐ 7.0 Role: Self

Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There

2003
⭐ 9.4 Role: Dorothy Zbornak (archive footage)

The Golden Girls: Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series

2003
⭐ 6.0 Role: Paul's Mother

Enemies of Laughter

2000
⭐ 5.6 Role: Self

The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Jerry Stiller

1999