Biography for
Rue McClanahan More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

21 February 1934, Healdton, Oklahoma, USA

Date of Death

3 June 2010, New York, New York, USA (stroke)

Birth Name

Eddi-Rue McClanahan

Nickname

Ruesy

Height

5' 3" (1.60 m)

Mini Biography

A New York stage actress in the 1950s, McClanahan was plucked from the stage by Norman Lear for roles on "All in the Family" (1968) and later "Maude" (1972). For two years (1982 - 1984), she played "Aunt Fran" on "Mama's Family" (1983) until her character was killed off and she joined the cast of Golden Girls. She hit her comedic stride as a sharp tongued oversexed Southern belle on "The Golden Girls" (1985).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Ray Hamel

Mini Biography

A veteran television actress and Broadway star of the 50s, Rue McClanahan was an actress noticed by television executive, Norman Lear. Lear cast her in a number of television shows, including "All in the Family" (1968) with Carroll O'Connor and "Maude" (1972) with Bea Arthur. McClanahan next co-starred with Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry, Betty White and Carol Burnett in "Mama's Family" (1983) for three years, and, after it was canceled by NBC, McClanahan was probably best known for her role as the saucy, sharp southern belle, "Blanche Devereaux", in "The Golden Girls" (1985). She once again worked with Bea Arthur and Betty White, and with relative newcomer Estelle Getty. All four of the women won Emmy Awards for their roles. After Bea Arthur left the show after seven seasons, McClanahan, White and Getty returned for a brief spin-off in "The Golden Palace" (1992). In the mid-nineties, McClanahan was diagnosed with cancer, but was able to fight it successfully. In addition to lending her talents to a number of made for TV films, McClanahan has also appeared on the big screen in recent years co-starring with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the comedy Out to Sea (1997) and with Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers (1997). McClanahan also spends her time joining and helping organizations against cancer, AIDS, and cruelty against animals.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Morrow Wilson	(25 December 1997 - 3 June 2010) (her death)
Tom Keel	(1985 - 1986) (divorced)
Gus Fisher	(6 November 1976 - 4 August 1981) (divorced)
Peter DeMaio	(1964 - 1971) (divorced)
Norman Hartweg	(1959 - 1961) (divorced)
Tom Bish	(1958 - 1959) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Mother of Mark Bish.

Aunt of actress Amelia Kinkade.

In 1997, Rue was diagnosed with cancer. She had a lumpectomy and five months of chemotherapy. She did lectures entitled "Aging Gracefully" for breast-cancer support groups.

She graduated cum laude in the University of Tulsa with a degree in German and theatre arts. She was also the only female member of the school's science club.

Became a sister of Kappa Alpha Theta at the University of Tulsa.

Played the same character, Blanche Devereaux, on four different TV series: "The Golden Palace" (1992), "The Golden Girls" (1985), "Nurses" (1991), and "Empty Nest" (1988).

Was of Scot-Irish and Choctaw Indian ancestry.

After her second marriage broke up, she went to New York, and started doing films. She thought her They Might Be Giants (1971) part was her best movie part.

When it came to stage performances she had "jitters" for opening nights, about rehearsals and worrying about not having enough time to prepare perfectly.

Betty White was originally considered for the role of the sexpot, Blanche, on "The Golden Girls" (1985). However, Betty had already been the aggressive Sue Ann Nivens on "Mary Tyler Moore" (1970) and Rue had played the introverted Vivian on "Maude" (1972). It was thought best not to typecast these two actresses by having them portray similar characters. Therefore, Betty got the part of naive Rose Nylund and Rue played the oversexed Blanche.

Was a vegan and dedicated animal rights activist.

She was an Honorary Director for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Suffered a minor stroke while recovering from heart bypass surgery, which she had in November 2009 [January 14, 2010].

After moving to New York City, she worked as a file clerk before finding success in the theater.

Was estranged (in 2009) from her sixth husband, Morrow Wilson at the time of her death.

Upon her death, she was cremated.

She was a lifelong liberal Democrat. In 2003 she wrote a letter to presidential nominee John Kerry telling him that he lost both her vote and respect due to pheasant hunting. She endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election.

She modeled her accent for Blanche Deveraux after Rosalynn Carter.

She kept every outfit she wore while on "The Golden Girls" and used a majority of them for her everyday wear away from the show.

Personal Quotes

Compassion is the foundation of everything positive, everything good. If you carry the power of compassion to the marketplace and the dinner table, you can make your life really count.

People always ask me if I'm like Blanche. And I say, "Well, Blanche was an oversexed, self-involved, man-crazy, vain Southern belle from Atlanta -- and I'm not from Atlanta!"

[on her religion when asked about it] Yes, I am a Methodist. I have been affiliated with the Methodist church since I was a child and I must say that I simply love it! There are three things in this world that I love; animals, my Golden Girls and being a Methodist. I can't fathom being a member in any other religion than the Methodist church. It is so relaxed and welcoming and you can just be yourself while worshiping with no strings attached. I am very proud to be a member in the Methodist church!

Salary

"The Golden Girls" (1985)

$100,000 (last season)

Where Are They Now

(May 2003) Spoke at a press conference at Saratoga Springs, New York protesting the use of diving horses at Magic Forest Theme Park, Lake George, New York.

(June 2005) Portraying Madame Morrible in Broadway's Wicked.