 A
prolific songwriter and child prodigy, Anka was one of the major
teen-idols of the 50s. He burst onto the scene in 1957 with the self
written "Diana", an intense ballad describing the frustration and
unrequited love of a young teenager for a slightly older female.
Actress-comedienne famous for her acid wit. The majority of her work
has been on the stage and in television, but she has made some films.
She was a regular on Sid Caesar's show "Caesar's Hour" for one season
in the 1950's. She first gained attention onstage while starring in the
play "The Threepenny Operas" with Tallulah Bankhead. Then, in 1964, she
truly became famous when she appeared in the original Broadway
production of "Fiddler on the Roof" as Yente the Matchmaker. In this
supporting role, she stole the show night after night. In1966, she went
to work on a new Broadway musical, "Mame", directed by her second
husband, Gene Saks. For the featured role of Vera Charles in "Mame" she
won a Tony. The star of the show, Angela Lansbury, also won a Tony. In
1971, Bea appeared on the hit sitcom "All in the Family" as Maude
Findlay, Edith Bunker's cousin, who was forever driving Archie Bunker
crazy with her liberal politics. This guest appearence led to her own
series, entitled "Maude" in 1972. The show was a hit, and ran for six
years, during which time many controversial topics, including abortion,
were tackled. Bea also won an Emmy for her work on "Maude." During the
show's run, Bea repeated the role of Vera Charles in the film version
of Mame (1974), again directed by Gene Saks, and she was one of the few
bright spots in a rather abysmal film. She also appeared on none other
than The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978). In 1983, she started work on
a new sitcom, "Amanda's, " which was patterned after "Fawlty Towers,".
but it didn't last long.
In 1985, however, she got sweet compensation when her new sitcom, "The
Golden Girls, " hit the air. Costarring Betty White, Rue McClanahan,
and Estelle Getty, it was a show about four middle-aged women living in
Miami. It was an immediate hit, and ran for seven seasons. All of the
cast members, including Bea, won Emmys during the show's run. It should
be worth noting that both "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" had to be
canceled when Bea announced she was leaving each of them. In both
cases, she left when she thought each show was at its peak, and in both
cases, the producers of the shows realized the shows just wouldn't be
the same without her. Since "Golden Girls" was canceled in1992, Bea had
kept a low profile, appearing in only one movie, For Better or Worse
(1996). She has made another movie, however, Enemies of Laughter
(2000), that is in postproduction as of this writing and will be
released in 2000. In 1999, she made a very successful and welcome
appearance at the Friars' Club Roast of Jerry Stiller. She lives on a
ranch in California.
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