Maureen Arthur

Maureen Arthur
Publicity Photo of Maureen Arthur
Born	Maureen Louise Arthur (1934-04-15)April 15, 1934 San Jose, California,U.S.
Died	June 15, 2022(2022-06-15)(aged 88) Beverly Hills, California,U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer
Years active	1957–2022
Spouses	George William Weidler ​ ​ (m.1957;div.1970)​ Aaron Ruben ​ ​ (m.1971; died 2010)​

Maureen Louise Arthur(April 15, 1934 – June 15, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actress.

Life and career

Arthur appeared in numerous movies and television programs from the late 1950s through the early 1990s as well as on Broadway. On television, she appeared inBourbon Street Beat,The Red Skelton Hour,Perry Mason,Branded,I Spy,Get Smart,The Monkees,The Flying Nun,Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,Love, American Style,The New Dick Van Dyke Show,Kolchak: The Night Stalker,Sanford and Son,Alice, Laverne & Shirley,Mork & Mindy,Murder, She Wrote,The Red Hand Gangas child-kidnapper Lola, andMatlock.

In 1967, in arguably her most prominent single movie role, she portrayed Hedy La Rue in the film version of the Broadway hitHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.In 1969, she co-starred withDon Knottsin the screwball comedyThe Love God?,and withBob Hope,Jackie GleasonandJane Wymanin the romantic comedyHow to Commit Marriage.

In the mid-1960s, she recorded a pop tune on theCarltonrecord label titled "Don't Make the Angels Cry" and "What Does He Do with Her". Another single titled "Don't Leave Me" was unreleased, though an acetate recording exists. In New York, she studied singing and also studied drama withWynn Handmanof theNeighborhood Playhouse.She made frequent appearances onThe Steve Allen Showand onThe Ed Sullivan Showbefore moving on to play the Rivera Hotel in Las Vegas with the Latin Quarter Review. She traveled to Los Angeles to star in movies, beginning withHot Rod Gang,Thunder AlleyandKillers Three.

While in Los Angeles, she auditioned for the national cast ofHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Tryingand landed the part of Hedy La Rue. She toured across the U.S. for two years and was in the Broadway production for one year before returning to Los Angeles for another audition, this time for the movie. After several more movies, she headed back to Broadway forSomething Different,a play written and directed byCarl Reiner,and starringBob DishyandLinda Lavin.When that play closed, she returned to Los Angeles to marry producer/creator Aaron Ruben. Her performance as Miss Adelaide in theLos Angeles Civic Light Operarevival ofGuys and Dollsbrought her a Drama Critics' Best Performance Award.

Personal life

Arthur was married to musicianGeorge William Weidlerfrom 1957 to 1970 when they divorced. She then was married to producerAaron Rubenfrom October 30, 1971 until his death on January 30, 2010. Arthur died on June 15, 2022, in her home inBeverly Hills, California,at the age of 88 from natural causes after a long bout withAlzheimer's disease.

Affiliations

Arthur performed at the Variety of Iowa Telethons yearly for over 25 years and was a member of the Iowa Chapter of Variety. Her longtime association with Variety earned her the title of "First Lady of Variety Clubs Telethons", and then she earned the official title of International Ambassador. She was a longtime president of Variety, the Children's Charity of Southern California, Tent 25.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1958	Hot Rod Gang	Marley
1967	How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying	Hedy LaRue
1967	Thunder Alley	Babe
1968	A Man Called Dagger	Joy	Also sang the title song
1968	The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz
1968	Killers Three	Elvira Sweeney
1969	How to Commit Marriage	Lois Grey
1969	The Love God?	Evelyn Tremaine
1971	The Love Machine	Ethel Evans
1976	Harry and Walter Go to New York	Mrs. Hawthorne

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Get Smart	The Contessa	Season 2 Episode 8: "Hoo Done It"
1967	The Monkees	Ruby	S1:E25, "Alias Micky Dolenz"

External links

• Maureen ArthuratIMDb
• Maureen Arthurat theInternet Broadway Database
• Maureen Arthurdiscography atDiscogs