Bea Arthur

Bea Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress known for her deep voice and sharp delivery of comedic lines who gained fame acting on Broadway, in television, and in films throughout her long career. One highlight of her career, Maude, was a sitcom of her own which ran for six successful seasons.

In 1978, Arthur was invited to appear on The Star Wars Holiday Special, a holiday-themed variety show set in the Star Wars universe that was attempting to capitalize off of the success of the wildly popular film of the previous year, Star Wars. Arthur portrayed Ackmena, a gruff bartender at the Mos Eisley Cantina whose rowdy patrons refused to obey a planet-wide curfew imposed by the Galactic Empire. Ackmena resorted to singing the song "Goodnight, But Not Goodbye," which caused them to waltz out the door.

Text and facts from the “Bea Arthur” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.