Born in 1934 and raised in Oklahoma, McClanahan was a stage actress throughout the 1950s until Norman Lear selected her for a role on his show “All in the Family,” and later he gave her the role of Vivian Harmon (opposite Bea Arthur) on “Maude.” McClanahan is also well known for her roles as Aunt Fran on “Mama’s Family” and Caroline Johnson on “Another World.”
McClanahan won an Emmy award for her work on “The Golden Girls” and she reprised the role of Blanche Devereaux on “The Golden Palace,” “Empty Nest,” and “Nurses.” Some of her other television credits include “The Love Boat,” “Boy Meets World” and “Touched By An Angel.” McClanahan has appeared in films such as “The Fighting Temptations,” “Starship Troopers” and “Out To Sea” opposite Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
She has also appeared in numerous television movies, including “Home Again,” “A Holiday to Remember,” and “The Wickedest Witch.” McClanahan’s work on Broadway has included playing Countess de Lage in “The Women,” “The Vagina Monologues” in New York and Los Angeles, “Jimmy Shine” with Dustin Hoffman, “The Best Laid Plans,” “Sticks and Bones” and “California Suite.” Her Off-Broadway credits include “Who’s Happy Now,” “Macbird!,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” “Dylan,” “Dark of the Moon,” “Crystal and Fox,” “God Says There Is No Peter Ott,” and “Big Man.”
