LOS ANGELES — Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star in the hit shows Maude and The Golden Girls” and who won a Tony Award for the musical Mame, died Saturday. She was 86.
Ms. Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, Mr. Watt said, declining to give further details.
“She was a brilliant and witty woman,” said Mr. Watt, who was Ms. Arthur's personal assistant for six years. “Bea will always have a special place in my heart.”
Ms. Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series All in the Family as Edith Bunker's loudly outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. She proved a perfect foil for blue-collar bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and their blistering exchanges were so entertaining that producer Norman Lear fashioned Arthur's own series.
This undated file photo shows cast members of the television series 'Golden Girls, ' posing for a photo, clockwise from left, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty. (AP)
In a 2008 interview with The Associated Press, Arthur said she was lucky to be discovered by TV after a long stage career, recalling with bemusement CBS executives asking about the new “girl.”
“I was already 50 years old. I had done so much off-Broadway, on Broadway, but they said, ‘Who is that girl? Let's give her her own series,' ” Ms. Arthur said.
Maude scored with television viewers immediately on its CBS debut in September 1972, and Ms. Arthur won an Emmy Award for the role in 1977.
The comedy flowed from Maude's efforts to cast off the traditional restraints that women faced, but the series often had a serious base. Her husband Walter (Bill Macy) became an alcoholic, and she underwent an abortion, which drew a torrent of viewer protests. Maude became a standard bearer for the growing feminist movement in America.
The ratings of Maude in the early years approached those of its parent, All in the Family, but by 1977 the audience started to dwindle. A major format change was planned, but in early 1978 Ms. Arthur announced she was quitting the show.
“It's been absolutely glorious; I've loved every minute of it,” she said. “But it's been six years, and I think it's time to leave.”
Golden Girls (1985-1992) was another groundbreaking comedy, finding surprising success in a television market increasingly skewed toward a younger, product-buying audience.
The series concerned three retirees — Ms. Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan — and the mother of Ms. Arthur's character, Estelle Getty, who lived together in a Miami apartment. In contrast to the violent Miami Vice, the comedy was nicknamed Miami Nice.
As Dorothy Zbornak, Ms. Arthur seemed as caustic and domineering as Maude. She was unconcerned about the similarity of the two roles. “Look — I'm 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a way with a line,” she told an interviewer. “What can I do about it? I can't stay home waiting for something different. I think it's a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting.”
The interplay among the four women and their relations with men fuelled the comedy, and the show amassed a big audience and 10 Emmys, including two as best comedy series and individual awards for each of the stars.
In 1992, Arthur announced she was leaving Golden Girls.” The three other stars returned in The Golden Palace, but it lasted only one season.
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