Rue McClanahan

In Memoriam
 February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010

About Rue McClanahan
Passionate. Spirited. Optimistic. No other words can better describe Rue McClanahan, the lovely and energetic star of television and theatre. Best known for her captivating performance as Blanche on the long running hit television sitcom, The Golden Girls, McClanahan is an actress of unusual talents. She had appeared on numerous television shows and movies as well as in major motion pictures. A trained stage actress, McClanahan also had decades of theatre experience, both on and off Broadway, where she had won the critics' and the audiences' hearts over and over again.  

More Biographical Info about Rue

Rue McClanahan, nominated for an Emmy four times as best actress in a comedy series for her role as Blanche on "The Golden Girls," won the award in 1987. She was also nominated for four Golden Globes and received a Golden Apple. 

Aside from "The Golden Girls," McClanahan is also known for her television role as Vivian Harmon in the award-winning series "Maude," which ran from 1972-1978. She starred in her own series, "Apple Pie," in 1978, and from 1982-1984, she played Aunt Fran on the series "Mama’s Family." Her latest television role was as Betsy on the series "Safe Harbor" in 1999. McClanahan also starred in a season finale of "Touched by An Angel." 

She had starred in numerous films, including "Out To Sea," "Starship Troopers," "Dear God," and "They Might Be Giants." She had starred in over twenty television movies including, "To My Daughter," "The Dreamer of Oz," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Moving of Sophia Myles." 

McClanahan's Broadway credits include "Jimmy Shine," starring Dustin Hoffman, and leading roles in "California Suite" and "Sticks and Bones." Some of her off-Broadway credits include "Who’s Happy Now?," for which she won the Obie Award, as well as "MacBird!," "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "Afterplay," and the acclaimed "Vagina Monologues" in New York and Los Angeles. Overseas she starred in "Lettice and Lovage" at Vienna’s English Theatre and "Harvey" at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. Her Shakespeare credits include Kate in "The Taming of the Shrew," the Nurse in "Romeo & Juliet," Maria in "Twelfth Night" and Lady Macbeth. 

McClanahan was chosen to record the audio book of "Leading With My Heart," the autobiography of President Clinton’s mother, Virginia Kelley. An avid animal advocate, she had released two home videos on the care of pets. She also created "A Touch of Rue," and award-winning clothing line for women. As a writer, she had completed a stage musical, several short stories and a screenplay. Her musical farce, "Oedipus, Shmedipus, As Long As You Love Your Mother," played at the Globe Theatre in Burbank, California, to sold-out houses over the summer of 1991. 

McClanahan was born in Healdton, Oklahoma, raised a Southern Baptist and graduated cum laude in Theatre from The University of Tulsa. She studied with Uta Hagen, Harold Clurman, and Bobby Lewis. She was awarded a one-of-a-kind third-year scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, where she was later honored as Alumna of the Year. She is a member of The Actor’s Studio. 

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