Actress and comedienne Bea Arthur passed away from cancer on April 25th. Arthur was born Bernice Frankel in New York City. She began on the stage until she was in Sid Caesar’s “Caesar Hour” in the fifties. From there she split time between stage and TV, notably playing Yente the Matchmaker in the original Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Her TV breakthrough came in 1971 when she starred as Maude Findlay, Edith Bunker’s cousin, in “All in the Family.” Viewers were so crazy about her character that in 1972 “Maude” had her own series. In 1985 Arthur, along with Estelle Getty, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan, was part of the hit NBC series, “The Golden Girls,” which ran for seven seasons. Afterwards Arthur retired to her California ranch occasionally appearing on TV or film over the next 17 years. Bea Arthur was 86 years of age.
Thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends
For more information, check out her IMDB page at:
Chas Andrews' Movie Blog 
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