caption resting_place death_date death_place birth_name birth_place years_active imagesize other_names party birth_date alma_mater spouse image article_title name occupation death_cause
bea arthur as '' maude '' -lrb- 1973 -rrb- cremated 25 april 2009 los angeles , california , united states bernice frankel new york , new york , united states 1947 -- 2008 220px beatrice arthur democratic 13 may 1922 linden hall school for girls robert -rrb- gene saks -lrb- m. 1950 -- 1980 ; divorced alan -rrb- ; 2 children aurthur -lrb- 1947 -- 1950 ; divorced beatrice arthur - 1973.jpg bea arthur
 beatrice arthur actress , comedian , singer cancer
bea arthur

beatrice `` bea '' arthur -lrb- born bernice frankel , may 13 , 1922 -- april 25 , 2009 -rrb- was an american actress , comedian , and singer whose career spanned seven decades .
arthur achieved fame as the character maude findlay on the 1970s sitcoms `` all in the family '' -lrb- 1971 -- 72 -rrb- and `` maude '' -lrb- 1972 -- 78 -rrb- , and as dorothy zbornak on the 1980s sitcom `` the golden girls '' -lrb- 1985 -- 92 -rrb- , winning emmy awards for both roles .
a stage actress both before and after her television success , she won the tony award for best featured actress in a musical for her performance as vera charles in the original cast of `` mame '' -lrb- 1966 -rrb- .
