Farewell to Bea Arthur. A real Broadway "Bosom Buddy"

Beatrice (Bea) Arthur, star of stage and screen, passed away Saturday, April 25 at the age of 86. Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. Watt said she had cancer, but declined to say anything more.

Born Beatrice Frankel in New York on May 13, 1922, Arthur began performing in college and appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway roles.

Bea Arthur made her Broadway debut in 1954 in The Three Penny Opera as Lucy, and in 1964 originated the role of Yente the Matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof. In 1966, Bea was given the role of Vera Charles, playing opposite Angela Lansbury in the Jerry Herman Broadway musical Mame which is one of my personal favorite roles of hers. Her work on the musical brought her a Tony award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and she went on to play the role in the film version with Lucille Ball as Mame. 2002 marked her last appearance on the stage in her solo show, Bea Arthur on Broadway.

Bea Arthur really gained her fame when she portrayed the character Maude on the popular TV show All In The Family, which later spun off to her own sitcom Maude, which ran from 1972 to 1978. Of course Arthur is most famous for her role as Dorothy on NBC's The Golden Girls. The hit show ran from 1985-1992. Over the course of her career, Arthur received 10 Emmy Award nominations, with 2 wins; 1977 and 1988's Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

She is known for her acute comic timing and brilliant deadpan delivery that we can luckily view again and again in her films and television shows.

Thanks, Bea for creating some great memories for me and many generations before...and to come.

The Broadway Musical Nut

www.broadwaymusicalnut.com


I love this song from Mame. She and Angela really nailed it, even years later. Enjoy.