6. Bea Arthur Was a WWII US Marine
Beatrice “Bea” Arthur (1922 – 2009), the comedian, actress, and singer, had a rich career in entertainment that spanned seven decades. She became famous for her signature sitcom roles as Maude Findley in All in the Family and its spinoff Maude, and as Dorothy Zbornak in The Golden Girls. Before that, however, she had been a WWII US Marine – something she downplayed, often denying that she had served, and steering questioners away by pointing out that others had done far more during the war.
However, records show that in 1943, aged 21, she had enlisted in the United States Marine Corps under her birth name, Bernice Frankel. Working as a typist and truck driver, she moved up the ranks from private to staff sergeant, before her honorable discharge in 1945. It was while serving in the Marines that she met and married her husband, Robert Arthur. The marriage was short lived, but she kept the name and became Beatrice “Bea” Arthur. In hindsight, admirers of her no-nonsense characters would probably agree how apt it is that Maud or Dorothy Zbornak had been a Marine sergeant.
