1 | [[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bea_arthur_star_wars_holiday_special.jpeg]] |
2 | [[caption-width-right:275:Goodnight, but not goodbye.]] |
3 | |
4 | ->''"My dream was to become a very small blonde movie star like Creator/IdaLupino and those other women I saw up there on the screen during [[TheGreatDepression the Depression]]."'' |
5 | |
6 | Beatrice "Bea" Arthur (born Bernice Frankel;[[note]]According to Arthur she went by "Bea" her entire life, presumably switching her stage name from Bernice to Beatrice because "Bea" was a typical nickname for the latter but not the former; "Arthur" is a modified spelling of "Aurthur", the surname of her first husband.[[/note]] May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actor, comedian, and singer whose career spanned seven decades. Born in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, she was well-known for her amazingly droll, dry, [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan]] delivery, and a strong case could be made for her as the all-time Deadpan Queen. She's best remembered for her roles as the title character on ''Series/{{Maude}}'' (a SpinOff of ''Series/AllInTheFamily'', where she originated the role) and Dorothy on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', both of which earned her UsefulNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s. She even headlined her own [[https://youtu.be/Q63ZNcAyHHg hour-long variety special]] in 1980, and had numerous other roles during her career, from television to film to theater. |
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8 | Arthur was also the reigning champ of the ReactionShot and DeathGlare, with TV legend Creator/NormanLear reportedly saying that she [[FacialDialogue could get more laughs]] out of an audience by [[FascinatingEyebrow raising an eyebrow]] than most actors could with three pages of dialogue. |
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10 | She also appeared as Ackmena in ''Film/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial'', and was the only member of the cast who didn't [[OldShame regret her part in it]], though this may be due to the fact that she was not informed of the special's (loose) relation to the ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise at the time of filming; she was quite used to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofsLWjeBXN4 doing all sorts of variety shows]] in TheSeventies and [[TheEighties Early Eighties]]. To this day, her [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously performance]] is considered the high point of an otherwise disappointingly terrible special. |
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12 | Given Arthur's hugely varied career it's no surprise that she didn't like to stand still for too long; both ''Maude'' and ''The Golden Girls'' ended production because she wanted to move on (in the latter case they convinced her to stay on for a seventh season, and attempted a ReTool to carry on without her after she left). After leaving ''The Golden Girls'' in 1992 she would not commit to a regular role in any production -- stage or screen, big or small -- for the rest of her life. |
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14 | Fun fact: She had a very similar face to Jane Ross, who played the character Tamoon in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion". Even after Ross died in 1985, several sources mistakenly credited Arthur for the role and mistakenly said Ross was a pseudonym Arthur used. In 2001, Arthur set the record straight that she and Ross were different people and she had never appeared in ''Franchise/StarTrek''. |
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16 | She even made an appearance (as herself) on an episode of ''Series/JudgeJudy''. Oh, and she was also a truck-driving Marine during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. |
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18 | ---- |
19 | !!Bea Arthur on TV Tropes: |
20 | [[foldercontrol]] |
21 | [[folder:Television roles]] |
22 | * ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' (1971–72): Maude Findlay (2 episodes) |
23 | ** ''Series/{{Maude}}'' (1972–78): Maude Findlay (141 episodes)[[note]]Primetime UsefulNotes/EmmyAward for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1977)[[/note]] |
24 | * ''Film/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial'' (1978): Ackmena |
25 | * ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' (1979): [[AsHerself Herself]]/Host (1 episode) |
26 | * ''Series/{{Soap}}'' (1980): Angel (1 episode) |
27 | * ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' (1985–92): Dorothy Zbornak (180 episodes)[[note]]Primetime UsefulNotes/EmmyAward for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1988)[[/note]] |
28 | ** ''Series/EmptyNest'' (1989): Dorothy Zbornak (1 episode) |
29 | ** ''Series/GoldenPalace'' (1992): Dorothy Hollingsworth (2 episodes) |
30 | * ''Series/{{Ellen}}'' (1998): [[AsHerself Herself]] (1 episode) |
31 | * ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' (2000): Mrs. White (1 episode) |
32 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' (2001): Femputer (voice, 1 episode) |
33 | * ''Series/CurbYourEnthusiasm'' (2005): Larry's Mother (1 episode) |
34 | [[/folder]] |
35 | |
36 | [[folder:Film roles]] |
37 | * ''Film/{{Mame}}'' (1974): Vera Charles |
38 | * ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'' (1981): Dole Office Clerk |
39 | [[/folder]] |
40 | |
41 | [[folder:Theatre roles]] |
42 | * ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' (1948): Katherina |
43 | * ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera'' (1954): Lucy Brown |
44 | * ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' (1964): Yente the Matchmaker |
45 | * ''Theatre/{{Mame}}'' (1966): Vera Charles[[note]]Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (1966)[[/note]] |
46 | [[/folder]] |
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