Rue McClanahan

Rue McClanahan
McClanahan at a book signing for her book My First Five Husbands, May 17, 2007
Born	Eddi-Rue McClanahan (1934-02-21)February 21, 1934 Healdton, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	June 3, 2010(2010-06-03) (aged 76) Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Cause of death	Cerebral hemorrhage
Education	Ardmore High School
Alma mater	University of Tulsa
Occupation	Actress, Comedian, Author, Fashion Designer
Years active	1957–2010
Television	Maude, Mama's Family, The Golden Girls, The Golden Palace
Spouse(s)	Tom Bish (m. 1958; div. 1959) Norman Hartweg (m. 1959; div. 1961) Peter DeMaio (m. 1964; div. 1971) Gus Fisher (m. 1976; div. 1979) Tom Keel (m. 1984; div. 1985) Morrow Wilson (m. 1997; d. 2010)

Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress and comedian best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on Maude (1972–78), "Aunt Fran" Fran Crowley on Mama's Family (1983–84), and Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls (1985–92), for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1987.

McClanahan was born in Healdton, Oklahoma, on February 21, 1934. She was the daughter of Dreda Rheua-Nell (née Medaris), a beautician, and William Edwin "Bill" McClanahan (July 4, 1908 – February 20, 1999) a building contractor.

She was raised Methodist and was of Irish and Choctaw ancestry. Her Choctaw great-grandfather was named Running Hawk according to her autobiography My First Five Husbands... and the Ones Who Got Away (2007). She grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma; she graduated from Ardmore High School. A National Honor Society member, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, at the University of Tulsa, where she majored in German and Theater, and joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

A life member of the Actors Studio, McClanahan made her professional stage début at Pennsylvania's Erie Playhouse in 1957, in the play Inherit the Wind. She began acting off-Broadway in New York City in 1957, but did not make her Broadway début until 1969, when she portrayed Sally Weber in the original production of John Sebastian and Murray Schisgal's musical, Jimmy Shine, with Dustin Hoffman in the title role.