Bea Arthur on Golden Girls (front, center).
Bea Arthur, famous for roles in the award-winning sitcoms Maude and The Golden Girls, passed away Saturday at the age of 86. Arthur is said to have died peacefully with her family after succumbing to cancer.
On the Golden Girls, which aired from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s on NBC, Arthur portrayed Dorothy Zbornak alongside actresses Estelle Getty (who passed away last July), Betty White, and Rue McClanahan as a group of women in their older years with plenty of moxie. The show won several Emmys over its run, including at least one for each of its actresses.
On Maude, which ran on CBS from 1972 to 1978, Arthur played the title character, an outspoken liberal woman who was originally featured in All in the Family. She won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress for the role in 1977.
Prior to her television career, Arthur gained stature as a stage actress. She won a Tony Award in the 1970s for Mame.
Comments (38)
Her comedic timing was excellent, unmatched. Remember her funny voice acting in "Futurama"? She never took herself too seriously. Her sarcasm as Dorothy on GG and as Maude on "Maude" and on "All in the Family" will entertain the massses and redeem feminists forever. She was a very good actress of dramatic scenes too. Nobody can deny her talent. I'll miss her.
...absolutely loved 'The Golden Girls'. I have four of their boxed set DVDs and always watch when I need cheering up. Bea Arthur was fab as Dorothy, I can't think of anyone who could have acted the part as well as she did. Gonna miss you Zborny, but your humour and my DVDs of you will go on forever. X
Helluvan actor!!!!!!!!!! Very Good in Mel Brooks' "History of the World" eh
I am a big Bea Arthur fan, may she RIP
Wasn't she great? You bet, I'll miss her terribly.
Bea Arthur was a multi-talented actress, who will be missed by her family, friends, and fans. Fortunately, we have Golden Girls to keep her memory alive. My sympathies to her family.
She was funny and talented. But noone lives forever and she had a good life. We shouldn't be too sad. Be happy that she was a part of our lives.
My fav show of All time! I have all the DVDs and the Lifetime DVD. She will be missed.
i loved her!
damn shame
I think she was a good actor.
I'm only 18, but i've seen every episode of the Golden Girls and Dorothy was my favorite character. Bea will be very missed!
dorothy will beloved still, and we will miss her , God bless her and her family
dorothy was my favorite on the golden girls and it really hurts my heart that she is gone now. i used to stay up until the show came on which was 1 in the morning. i would stay up just for the golden girls never in my life have i loved a show that much. it didnt matter to me if i had seen the episode or not i still watched like it was the first time i had seen it.when lifetime canceled the show here recently i stopped watching lifetime. long story short,dorothy you will be missed god bless your family and may you rest in peace. we love you very much and thank you
I watched the reruns of the show whenever I can. It's hilarious still. And Bea Arthur was great. That was one talented woman. May she rest in peace. She'll be missed greatly.
RIP She will be missed.
In France, we know Bea Arthur for her role in "The Golden Girls" ("Les craquantes" in french). She was so funny in this series! She will be missed... Bea, vous nous manquerez...
I was shocked when I heard this! Dorothy was my favorite as well. The only two remaining are Betty and Rue now. That's really sad, I want to become a writer/actress, and she was on the list of people I dreamed of working with. I used to wathc Golden Girls when I was six, and to this day I still watch it. It still seems so strange. RIP Bea.
I was crushed to hear about Bea Arthur's demise today (thanks Jida for the SMS). What a funny talented lady she was. I first watched her as a kid when Golden Girls started airing in Malaysia in the late 80s (on channel TV3, those late Monday nights were worth it!). Dorothy was always my favorite!Rest in Peace, Bea. I will miss you with much bittersweetness and thank you for the laughs.
Bea Arthur is/was naturally funny. She could adlib with the best. I am quite sure that there are many viewers in the big studio in the sky
watching just as avidly as we do/did down here. Stay funny and enjoy your new plane.
Condolences to her family and friends. The entertainment world will miss her wit and sarcasm. I loved her "god'll get for that Walter!" and the so many witty and sarcastic statements in Golden Girls. Rest in Peace
rip - Bea Arthur, the Golden Girl, who was in Futurama, A loss to the world of entertainment
A brilliant, underrated talent. Truly one of a kind.Unfortunately, Bea will be remembered primarily for her work on the lowbrow, geriatric, saccharine Golden Girls, but it was with the character of Maude that she made her greatest impact with some of the most impressive performances in the history of the medium.
"Is she upset because of Arnie?" "No, Blanche. She's upset because they keep changing the taste of Coke!" Or "Get back here, you withered old Sicilian monkey!" Just a couple of the many, many classic lines of Dorothy Zpornak. I was extremely sad to hear that Bea Arthur passed away, only nine months after her on-screen mother Estelle Getty. Bea was a wonderful actress, and "The Golden Girls" will forever be one of my very favorite shows. While I loved all four of the main characters, I think Dorothy was my favorite, with her priceless facial expressions and quippy comebacks. The writing was excellent, yes, but the actress is to be commended for making the dialogue even funnier. I will miss her and will continue to watch Golden Girls for years to come.moreless
She will forever be missed in my household.
*Gasp* What will Deadpool do in his comics now that he can't talk about how much he loves Bea Arthur?! But seriously, it is very sad that she's passed on.
She will be sorely missed. I loved the golden girls rest in peace to a wonderful actress who could give the best dirty looks in the world xxx
I was extremely sad to hear this. We already lost Estelle Getty and now Bea Arthur. I always loved Golden Girls. She was an extremely funny woman.
She was a real one of a kind woman! There will be no one like her. Her talent is unsurpassable! She will truly be missed! You could see the effect she had on her co-stars just by listening to them talk about her in interviews. All we can say to Bea is thank you for being our friend!
This is incredibly sad. Incredibly sad. It's particularly sad if you look at that picture, with all of them looking so vibrant and happy, and then cover up Estelle and Bea... and you see that Rue and Betty are the only ones left.
A true TV legend! Thanks for the wonderful laughs you gave us! RIP.
She will be missed. Now she's with Estelle Getty. Thank good ness we will always have the golen girls in reruns on lifetime.
She will be missed!
Why?!Are all the Golden Girls dying one by one?!
Why?!Are all the Golden Girls dying one by one?!
"CONDOMS ROSE! CONDOMS! CONDOMS! CONDOMS!"
RIP ~Golden Girl~
Rest in Peace Maude we will miss you