Bea Arthur Still Embarrassed By Fame

[Zoneboy]

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HOLLYWOOD -- Bea Arthur called a few days ago and was very apologetic. She had not had a chance to speak with me at the Television Academy Hall of Fame ceremony a day earlier but had some time now.

The star of "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" -- one of the six inductees -- had no need to be sorry. The dinner was about to start, and she was the center of attention, constantly surrounded by well-wishers.

"It was fabulous," she said of the evening. "I mean, I was really very, very, very touched. I'm not good at those evenings, though. I feel I can act ... but standing there and accepting accolades is something else. I was embarrassed."

Television elevated the 86-year-old Arthur to an entirely different level of stardom back in 1971. It was a far different ride than her previous 30 years as an acclaimed theater actress who had won the Tony Award for "Mame" and appeared in such Broadway productions as "Threepenny Opera" and "Fiddler on the Roof."

"Suddenly, the whole country knew me. It was very odd and different," she said. "Originally, I used to find myself running away from people and dodging them at restaurants. But I since have found that people do come up and tell you they enjoy you and your performance. It's really very sweet."

She then shared a funny story about Rue McClanahan, with whom she starred in "Golden Girls" and "Maude."

"We started `Golden Girls' and Rue, my darling Rue, suddenly found herself a so-called TV star. I remember she couldn't believe that I did my own grocery shopping! But I did -- and would usually meet Angela (Lansbury) in produce."

I had seen Arthur's terrific one-woman show, "Just Between Friends," at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood several years ago and wondered if she ever planned to do the Tony-nominated production again.

"Maybe a couple of times for charity, but no more touring! We did fabulous business in New York, but we continued touring and that got to be a bore: endless plane rides and endless terrible meals and bad hotels. When we finished, I said, `That's it!"'

OK then, how about another television role? In recent years, she played Larry David's mother on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and got an Emmy nod for her guest part as a baby-sitter on "Malcolm in the Middle."

"I enjoy that, doing a one-shot," she said. "But I'm too old, and I'm too tired to attempt another series. It would be just my luck that it would be a hit!"

[Jonathan]

Great article! Sounds just like Bea.

[80sTrivia]

Bea is always so self-deprecating and honest in interviews. No wonder she is so beloved by her fans and held in such high-esteem by her fellow acting community. Truly a living legend!!!

[catlover79]

^ I've always been impressed that Bea is so HUMBLE. She is a legend in every sense of the word!!