Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines madeher a TV star in the hit shows "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" and who won a Tony Award for themusical "Mame," died Saturday. She was 86.
Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesmanDan Watt said. She had cancer, Watt said, declining to give further details.
"She was a brilliant and witty woman," said Watt, who was Arthur's personal assistant for sixyears. "Bea will always have a special place in my heart."
Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series "All in the Family" as EdithBunker's loudly outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. She proved a perfect foil for blue-collarbigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and their blistering exchanges were so entertaining thatproducer Norman Lear fashioned Arthur's own series.
In a 2008 interview with The Associated Press, Arthur said she was lucky to be discovered byTV 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,"' Arthur said.
"Maude" scored with television viewers immediately on its CBS debut in September 1972, andArthur won an Emmy Award for the role in 1977.
The comedy flowed from Maude's efforts to cast off the traditional restraints that womenfaced, 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 standardbearer for the growing feminist movement in America.
The ratings of "Maude" in the early years approached those of its parent, "All in theFamily," but by 1977 the audience started to dwindle. A major format change was planned, but inearly 1978 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 sixyears, and I think it's time to leave."
"Golden Girls" (1985-1992) was another groundbreaking comedy, finding surprising success in atelevision market increasingly skewed toward a younger, product-buying audience.
The series concerned three retirees - Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan - and the motherof Arthur's character, Estelle Getty, who lived together in a Miami apartment. In contrast to theviolent "Miami Vice," the comedy was nicknamed "Miami Nice."
As Dorothy Zbornak, Arthur seemed as caustic and domineering as Maude. She was unconcernedabout the similarity of the two roles. "Look - I'm 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a waywith a line," she told an interviewer. "What can I do about it? I can't stay home waiting forsomething different. I think it's a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting."
The interplay among the four women and their relations with men fueled the comedy, and theshow amassed a big audience and 10 Emmys, including two as best comedy series and individual awardsfor 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.
