A New York stage actress in the 1950s, McClanahan was plucked from the
stage by Norman Lear for roles on
Es bleibt in der Familie (1971)
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 (1985), in which she
hit her comedic stride as a sharp tongued oversexed Southern belle.
