Bea Arthur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beatrice Arthur
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Arthur in 2005
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| Born |
Bernice Frankel
May 13, 1922 New York City
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| Died | April 25, 2009 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Cancer of unknown primary origin |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1947 – 2008 |
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Notable work
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Vera Charles, Mame Maude Findlay, Maude Dorothy Zbornak, The Golden Girls |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Alan Arthur (1948; divorced), Gene Saks (1950 – 1980; divorced) |
| Children | Adopted: Daniel Arthur Matthew Arthur |
| Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series 1977 Maude 1988 The Golden Girls Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical 1966 Mame |
Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was a famous American actress and comedian. She was born in Brooklyn, New York City. Beatrice Arthur started her acting career on stage in 1947. She became very well-known for her TV roles starting in the 1970s.
She played Maude Findlay in the popular TV shows All in the Family (1971–1972) and Maude (1972–1978). Later, in the 1980s and 1990s, she starred as Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls (1985–1992).
Beatrice Arthur won many awards during her career. She won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1966 for her role as Vera Charles in Mame. She also won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. These were for Maude in 1977 and for The Golden Girls in 1988. She was honored by being added to the Television Hall of Fame in 2008.
Her movies include Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) and the film version of Mame (1974). In 2002, she performed in her own show called Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. People remember her as a tall actress with a deep voice who was very good at delivering funny lines.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bernice Frankel was born on May 13, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York City. Her parents, Rebecca and Philip Frankel, were from Austria and Poland. Beatrice grew up in a Jewish home with her two sisters, Gertrude and Marian.
In 1933, her family moved to Cambridge, Maryland. There, her parents ran a women's clothing store. When she was 16, Bernice had a serious blood condition where her blood would not clot easily. Because of this, her parents sent her to Linden Hall, an all-girls' boarding school in Lititz, Pennsylvania. She finished her last two years of high school there. After that, she studied for a year at Blackstone College for Girls in Blackstone, Virginia.
Military Service During World War II
During World War II, Bernice Frankel joined the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve in 1943. She was one of the first women to join this group. After her basic training, she worked as a typist at the Marine headquarters in Washington, D.C..
In June 1943, she asked to transfer to the Motor Transport School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. She then worked as a truck driver and dispatcher in Cherry Point, North Carolina. She did this job between 1944 and 1945. She left the Marines in September 1945 with the rank of staff sergeant.
After her time in the Marines, Bernice studied at the Franklin School of Science and Arts in Philadelphia. She became a licensed medical technician. After working at a hospital for a summer, she decided she did not want to be a lab technician. In 1947, she moved to New York City to study acting at the School of Drama.
Personal Life
Beatrice Arthur was married two times. Her first marriage was in 1944 to Robert Alan Aurthur, who was also a Marine. He later became a writer and director. They divorced three years later, but she kept his last name, changing the spelling to Arthur.
In 1950, she married director Gene Saks. They adopted two sons together, Matthew and Daniel. Matthew became an actor, and Daniel became a set designer. Beatrice and Gene were married until 1978.
Death and Legacy
Beatrice Arthur passed away from lung cancer at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles on April 25, 2009. She was 86 years old.
On April 28, 2009, Broadway theaters in New York City honored Beatrice Arthur. They dimmed their marquees (the signs outside the theaters) for one minute at 8:00 p.m. This was a special way to remember her. On September 16, 2009, a public event was held at the Majestic Theatre in Manhattan. Friends and colleagues, including Angela Lansbury and Norman Lear, shared memories of the actress.
Beatrice Arthur left $300,000 in her will to the Ali Forney Center. This is an organization in New York City that helps young people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and do not have a home. The center was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but it has been rebuilt. In 2017, the Bea Arthur Residence opened. It is a home in Manhattan with 18 beds for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, run by the Ali Forney Center.
Images for kids
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Arthur as Maude, around 1973
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Beatrice Arthur's 1943 U.S. Marine Corps photo
See also
In Spanish: Bea Arthur para niños
