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Some actors and actresses are content to live a life that includes standing in front of the camera, saying their lines, looking pretty, and basking in the wealth and privileges that come with fame. Aside from that, they don’t care about the people around them. It is a culture that has caused ordinary people to regard Hollywood stars as out of touch.
Among the multitude of people whose wealth and fame have driven them away from the issues confronting the common man, there are a few whose life work and legacy have transcended the boundaries of film to affect real-life issues. Bea Arthur, an award-winning actress whose talent was evident both on and off the screen, was one such standout.
What is the net worth of Was Bea Arthur?
Was Bea Arthur’s net worth is $8 million, thanks to a successful and inspiring career.
Her successful and iconic shows, such as Maude and The Golden Girls, were huge commercial successes that had a significant impact on the monetary value of Bea’s work.
Bea, a long-time fierce and vocal advocate for LGBT rights, left behind a legacy that continues to give.
She included a $300,000 donation to the Ali Forney Center in New York, a shelter for homeless LGBT youth.
Her dreams of doing anything to give homeless youth a place to call home were finally realized in 2017. In her honor, the Center constructed the Bea Arthur Residence, an 18-bed shelter.
Bea Arthur: Birth, Parents & Education
Was Bea Arthur was a legendary stage and screen actress. She created two of the most endearing battle-axes in TV history with her signature husky voice, wit, commanding stature, and flair for the comic jab.
The first was Maude Findlay, a strong-willed, fiercely independent character in the CBS sitcom Maude, and the second was Dorothy Zbornak, a no-nonsense, sharp-tongued character in The Golden Girls.
On May 13, 1922, she was born as ‘Bernice Frankel’ in New York to the middle-class family of Rebecca and Phillip Frankel. Though she was known as Bea, she was billed in theaters and on television as Beatrice, a name she made up.
Bea was born to Jewish parents and raised alongside her sisters, Gertrude and Marian, during a time when Jews were openly discriminated against. It’s possible that Bea’s adult activism stemmed from her childhood experiences.
Her parents’ entrepreneurial spirit led them to Cambridge, Maryland. She entertained friends with Mae West impersonations while there, nursing a dream of becoming a chanteuse (a female singer of popular songs) or an actress.
World War II began when Bea Arthur was a young adult who had completed her basic education. She joined the army in 1942, not wanting to sit back and watch others fight battles she should be fighting for herself. She served as a truck driver and typist. She served in the United States Marine Corps, retiring as a Staff Sergeant in 1944.
When she returned home, she was confronted with the decision of what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
Bea Arthur studied as a medical technician after attending Blackstone College, a two-year school in Virginia. She initially wanted to be a doctor, but she changed her mind and pursued her childhood dream of acting instead.
Bea Arthur: Professional Career
Was Bea Arthur chose to be an actor and quickly began her training, enrolling at the New School for Social Research’s Dramatic Workshop in New York. She joined a theatre group that produced off-Broadway plays at the Cherry Lane Theatre while she was studying.
Prior to her role in the musical Mame, which earned her acclaim in the theatre and film worlds, she appeared in a few plays, including a Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.
Her performance as Vera Charles in Mame earned her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, capping off a brief but fruitful stage career.
Was Bea Arthur’s acting career shone brightest on television, where she made history. It all started with a cameo on All in the Family.
Her character, Maude, who played an outspoken liberal feminist, was well received by both studio executives and viewers, and she was quickly given her own show despite only appearing in one episode.
She went on to star as the lead in the show Maude (which aired from 1972 to 1978). Maude used the show to address social and political issues of the time, including the Vietnam War, alcoholism, infidelity, women’s liberation, racism, abortion, addiction, and gay rights.
The show was an instant hit, with a reported 65 million viewers tuning in for the Thanksgiving Special. In 1977, she won an Emmy for her performance in Maude.
Beatrice appeared in a few other shows after Maude before joining NBC’s The Golden Girls (1985 to 1992).
The show, like Maude, addresses contentious issues such as aging, gun control, gay rights, and domestic violence. Beatrice won her second major acting award for The Golden Girls, an Emmy in 1988.
Beatrice did not appear in many feature films, despite her fame, in spite of her fame.
Her few notable appearances include a reprise of her role as Vera Charles in the film adaptation of Mame and a role in the 1995 film For Better or Worse.
She was an activist for animal and LGBT rights as a woman who was never satisfied with just being a Hollywood princess.
Was Bea Arthur: Relationship Status
Was Bea Arthur had a long-term personal relationship with her Maude co-star Adrienne Barbeau, which, along with her outspoken support for gay rights, fueled rumors that she was gay/homosexual.
Bea Arthur, on the other hand, was as straightforward as they come. In her lifetime, she was married twice, both times to men.
Her first marriage was to a fellow marine, Robert Alan Aurthur, whom she married while still in the service.
Despite the fact that the two later divorced, Bea continued to use his surname – albeit in a slightly different spelling. Robert went on to work in the entertainment industry as a screenwriter, director, and film producer.
In 1950, she married Gene Saks, an American director. Together, the couple adopted two sons, Matthew and Daniel. After nearly three decades together, they divorced in 1978.
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Was Bea Arthur: Death
Bea Arthur, the stage and screen diva, and star of two TV comedies died on Saturday, April 25th, 2009, at her Brentwood home in Los Angeles, after a long and successful life.
She was only three weeks away from turning 87. Lung cancer was determined to be the cause of her death.
Her body was cremated after her death, and her ashes were dispersed throughout Miami in accordance with her wishes.
She left her fans and the entertainment industry with many happy memories and a lot of laughter.
Bea Arthur leaves behind two sons, two granddaughters, and a legacy of using her celebrity and influence to help people all over the world.