Bea Arthur: Talk snarky, be defiant, win awards
Bea Arthur not only had some of the most fun roles in showbiz — usually barking the tough, snarky stuff we all think but rarely say — she won lots of awards in the process. Prior to her death on Saturday of cancer at age 86, Arthur nabbed one Emmy Award as the sassy women's libber of "Maude" (best comedy actress, 1977), another Emmy as a sarcastic senior on "The Golden Girls" (best comedy actress, 1988), and a Tony Award as the vicious, quip-swapping diva in "Mame" (best featured actress, 1966).
Curiously, Arthur never won a Golden Globe, though she was nominated nine times (four for "The Golden Girls," four for "Maude," one for the film version of "Mame"), making her one of the biggest multi-losers in that kudo's history. At the 1988 Emmys, Arthur beat out two "Golden Girls" costars: Rue McClanahan and Betty White. She thanked producer Norman Lear "for starting me off in this crazy, wonderful, delicious medium." When she prevailed in 1977 for her caustic role in "Maude," she pulled off a huge upset over Mary Tyler Moore, who had been considered the sentimental fave to win for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in its final season.
At the Tony Awards, she triumphed over Helen Gallagher ("Sweet Charity"), Patricia Marand ("Superman") and Charlotte Rae ("Pickwick").
Photo: Reed Saxon / Associated Press
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Note: An earlier version of the blog item identified five of Bea Arthur's Golden Globe losses being for "Maude." In fact, she lost four times for "Maude," once for the film "Mame." The correction has been made.
Bea was amazing...now 2 of our Golden Girls are gone...thank god for reruns. Life can really suck and I can go home and watch those 4 ladies and laugh and I would just forget about everything else. Bea, thank you for being a friend...
Posted by: bobby b | April 27, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Good catch! Ryan. You're right. Correction has been made and duly noted.
Posted by: Tom O'Neil | April 26, 2009 at 02:39 PM
Sorry, but I think your facts are messed up about how many times bea was nominated because I seem to remember that she was nominated in the film category of the globes for Best Supporting Actress losing out to Karen Black for Great Gatsby.
Posted by: ryan cole | April 26, 2009 at 12:29 PM