Actress Rue McClanahan was best known for her role as lusty Southern belle Blanche Devereaux on the television sitcom The Golden Girls. She had a successful career on stage, film and television for over fifty years.
She was born Eddi-Rue McClanahan in Healdton, Oklahoma on February 21, 1934. She studied theater at the University of Tulsa and made her professional stage debut at the Erie Playhouse in Pennsylvania in 1957. Soon after, she was performing in off-Broadway plays in New York.
McClanahan began acting in films in the early 1960s, appearing in the low-budget thriller Five Minutes to Live (aka Door-to-Door Maniac) (1961) starring Johnny Cash. She continued her career in such features as the Sherlock Holmsian fantasy They Might Be Giants (1971) with George C. Scott, and the western slasher film Blade (1973).
She starred as Vivian Cavender Harmon, Bea Arthur’s title character’s best friend, in the sitcom Maude from 1972 to 1978. She starred...
She was born Eddi-Rue McClanahan in Healdton, Oklahoma on February 21, 1934. She studied theater at the University of Tulsa and made her professional stage debut at the Erie Playhouse in Pennsylvania in 1957. Soon after, she was performing in off-Broadway plays in New York.
McClanahan began acting in films in the early 1960s, appearing in the low-budget thriller Five Minutes to Live (aka Door-to-Door Maniac) (1961) starring Johnny Cash. She continued her career in such features as the Sherlock Holmsian fantasy They Might Be Giants (1971) with George C. Scott, and the western slasher film Blade (1973).
She starred as Vivian Cavender Harmon, Bea Arthur’s title character’s best friend, in the sitcom Maude from 1972 to 1978. She starred...
- 6/22/2010
- by Harris Lentz
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Rue McClanahan, who died Thursday, won the Emmy Award in 1987 for starring as the vivacious Blanche Deveraux on the classic sitcom "The Golden Girls." As the man-eating Southern vixen, McClanahan found the leading role of a lifetime after decades as a supporting player.
As McClanahan discusses in the TV academy archive interview below, she was approached to play the naive Rose, but she and Betty White swapped parts before the first table read. McClanahan was instrumental in convincing her pal Bea Arthur to play the tart-tongued Dorothy while stage vet Estelle Getty was cast as Dorothy's diminutive but domineering mother, Sophia.
"The Golden Girls" was an instant hit when it debuted on NBC in fall 1985 and won best comedy series at the Emmy Awards in 1986. That night nominees Arthur and McClanahan watched as White won the lead actress Emmy. McClanahan would be the victorious one among the three the...
As McClanahan discusses in the TV academy archive interview below, she was approached to play the naive Rose, but she and Betty White swapped parts before the first table read. McClanahan was instrumental in convincing her pal Bea Arthur to play the tart-tongued Dorothy while stage vet Estelle Getty was cast as Dorothy's diminutive but domineering mother, Sophia.
"The Golden Girls" was an instant hit when it debuted on NBC in fall 1985 and won best comedy series at the Emmy Awards in 1986. That night nominees Arthur and McClanahan watched as White won the lead actress Emmy. McClanahan would be the victorious one among the three the...
- 6/3/2010
- by tomoneil
- Gold Derby
Rue McClanahan, the veteran actress who won an Emmy for playing the saucy Southern belle Blanche Devereaux on "The Golden Girls," died early Thursday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital of a stroke. She was 76.
She had undergone treatment for breast cancer in 1997 and later lectured to cancer support groups on "aging gracefully." She had heart bypass surgery last year.
"Golden Girls" ran from 1985-92 on NBC and was a hit from the beginning, starting off at No. 1 in the Nielsens. The foursome -- which also included Bea Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty -- delighted audiences.
McClanahan earned four Emmy noms for "Golden Girls," winning in 1987. She also was nominated for three Golden Globes for her performance as the sex-crazed Blanche.
She also played Blanche in three other series: one episode each of "Nurses" and "Empty Nest" -- both of which preceded "Golden Girls" -- and as a regular on "The Golden Palace,...
She had undergone treatment for breast cancer in 1997 and later lectured to cancer support groups on "aging gracefully." She had heart bypass surgery last year.
"Golden Girls" ran from 1985-92 on NBC and was a hit from the beginning, starting off at No. 1 in the Nielsens. The foursome -- which also included Bea Arthur, Betty White and Estelle Getty -- delighted audiences.
McClanahan earned four Emmy noms for "Golden Girls," winning in 1987. She also was nominated for three Golden Globes for her performance as the sex-crazed Blanche.
She also played Blanche in three other series: one episode each of "Nurses" and "Empty Nest" -- both of which preceded "Golden Girls" -- and as a regular on "The Golden Palace,...
- 6/3/2010
- by By Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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