by Carol Natoli

Created on: May 18, 2009   Last Updated: June 14, 2009

Beatrice "Bea" Arthur (May 13, 1922 April 25, 2009) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. In a career spanning seven decades, Arthur achieved success as the title character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcom Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls; she won Emmys for both roles. Also a stage actress, she won the Tony Award for her performance as Vera Charles in the original cast of

Mame (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Arthur).

Looking back, she was born with the name, Bernice Frankel, born born in New York, moved to Maryland, and in later years, went to school in Pennsylvania. In the late 1940's, she went to an acting school in the city, and later was invited to appear as a guest-star, after many off-Broadway shows, in television sitcoms. At that time, in shows such as "All in the Family", she became involved in the women's liberation movement. No, she did not give speeches in Washington, or lecture at well-known universities about social issues, but brought a new perspective through television media. Topics, often taboo, were spoken in such a show as the aforementioned, and she gave light to many socio-political viewpoints. Such an example, is when she starred in the show "Maude", and decided to have an abortion, as she talked to her television husband, seriously, but was really looking through his character as the love of his life. Sometimes character decisions and acting, looks so real, because it is a real issue that is going on in the actress' life.

She was humorous and it was Sid Caesar that taught her so much about that making the ridiculous, believable, and some of his quirks, came off via her fine acting ability, in a show called "The Golden Girls". in that show, her socio-political views continued from the previous sitcom, as Women's Liberation continued. She was a strong woman, who knew how she felt about various topics, so in that regard, she didn't have to act.

Some call it luck, when a person such as Norman Lear, invited her to first appear as Edith Bunker's cousin, with Archie (Carroll O'Connor), as her career took off, but one knew anything about her, they would know that she had worked her way up to that point. It was because of her fine outstanding acting, did Norman Lear, even know of her.

She was a dynamic woman with a dynamic and influential personality. It will be Bea Arthur, the actress, that we will miss, and also, Bea Arthur, the human being, as well. She touched a lot of lives, got them thinking and talking as she shared a new perspective of the world. she helped change. Along with Carroll O'Connor, (Archie Bunker), Bea not only altered how one looked at changing social views, but also, television, as it once was, making history while she was doing it!

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