Rue Mcclanahan Breast Cancer Survivor and Award-Winning Actress

Rue McClanahan Breast Cancer Survivor and Award-Winning Actress

Passionate. Spirited. Optimistic. No other words can better describe Rue McClanahan, the lovely and energetic star of television and theatre. Best known for her captivating performance as Blanche on the long running hit television sitcom, The Golden Girls, she is an actress of unusual talents. She has appeared on numerous television shows and movies as well as in major motion pictures. A trained stage actress, she also has decades of theatre experience, both on and off Broadway, where she has won the critics’ and the audiences’ hearts over and over again.

Now McClanahan comes to the stage for a special discussion of her life experiences. She explores her own struggles, including her recent fight with breast cancer. She speaks to her audience about the emotional, physical, and psychological obstacles a woman must overcome in order to survive this deadly battle. She looks at the whole range of difficult choices women are faced with when diagnosed with breast cancer – the moment they learn of it, telling their loved ones, the medical processes involved, acceptance, and recovery. Most importantly, she demonstrates, with colorful examples from her own life, that to overcome obstacles you must have hope and faith in yourself and in those around you.

Rue McClanahan was born in Healdton, Oklahoma. She graduated cum laude in theatre from the University of Tulsa and studied with Uta Hagen at the HB studios and with Harold Clurman in New York. She was awarded a one-of-a-kind scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, where she was later honored as Alumna of the Year. She is also a member of the prestigious Actor’s Studio.

In addition to her Emmy-award winning role on The Golden Girls, she is also known for her television role of Vivian Harmon in the series Maude. She also starred in her own series Apple Pie, and as Aunt Fran in NBC’s Mama’s Family. Other television credits include The Rimers of Eldritch, Hogan’s Goat, and Who’s Happy Now? on PBS. She has starred in numerous television movies, including To My Daughter, The Dreamer of Oz, The Man in the Brown Suit, The Margaret Mitchell Story, A Christmas Love, and the soon to be seen Columbo.

McClanahan's Broadway credits include the starring role in Jimmy Shine with Dustin Hoffman and leading roles in Plaza Suite and Sticks and Bones. She won an Obie for her performance in Who’s Happy Now? As a writer, she has completed the stage musical Oedipus Schmedipus, As Long As You Love Your Mother, several short stories and a screenplay. She recently appeared in the Tony Award-winning musical, Wicked.

An avid animal advocate, she has released two video cassettes on the care of pets, one of which was recognized with a home video award. She has also created a Touch of Rue, a clothing line for women over 40, for which she received the Silver Femme Award from the Dallas Clothing Mart.

Her autobiography, My First Five Husbands, is scheduled for release in 2007.