An award-winning actress known for her towering physique, caustic wit and sonorous baritone voice, Bea Arthur was a respected veteran of both stage and screen. In the 1980s, Arthur starred as Dorothy Zbornak in the hit comedy series “The Golden Girls” (NBC, 1985-1992) – but her most famous role remained Maude Findlay, the acerbic title character of the groundbreaking 1970’s sitcom “Maude” (CBS, 1972-78).Born Beatrice Frankel on May 13, 1922, in New York City, she grew up in Maryland. During World War II, Arthur was one of the first women to enlist in the United States Marine Corps., where she
