A veteran television actress and Broadway star of the 50s, Rue McClanahan was an actress noticed by television executive, Norman Lear. Lear cast her in a number of television shows, including "All in the Family" (1971) with 'Carroll OConnor' and "Maude" (1972) with Bea Arthur. McClanahan next co-starred with Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry, Betty White and Carol Burnett in "Mama's Family" (1983) for three years, and after it was canceled by NBC, McClanahan was probably best known for her role as the saucy, sharp southern belle, Blanche, in "The Golden Girls" (1985). She once again worked with Bea Arthur and Betty White, and with relative newcomer Estelle Getty. All four of the women won Emmy Awards for their roles. After Bea Arthur left the show after eight seasons, McClanahan, White and Getty returned for a brief spin-off in "The Golden Palace" (1992). In the mid-nineties, McClanahan was diagnosed with cancer, but was able to fight it successfully. In addition to lending her talents to a number of made for TV films, McClanahan has also appeared on the big screen in recent years co-starring with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the comedy Out to Sea (1997) and with Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers (1997). McClanahan also spends her time joining and helping organizations against cancer, AIDS, and cruelty against animals.

Filmography

• Golden Girls 3033 — Blanche Devereaux (voice) (archive sound)
• 2021Forever Golden! A Celebration of the Golden Girls — Blanche Devereaux
• 2008Generation Gap — Kay
• Sordid Lives: The Series — Peggy Ingram
• 2005Back to You & Me — Helen Ludwick
• 2004Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock — Mrs. Hardy (voice)
• Wonderfalls — Millie Marcus
• Hope & Faith — Sylvia
• 2003Miracle Dogs — Katherine Mannion
• 2003The Fighting Temptations — Nancy Stringer
• 2003The Golden Girls: Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series — Blanche Devereaux (archive footage)
• Whoopi — Marian
• 2002The Women — Countess DeLage
• 2001Nuncrackers — Reverend Mother
• 2000The Moving of Sophia Myles — Mary-Margaret
• 1999A Saintly Switch — Aunt Fanny
• Ladies Man — Aunt Lou
• Safe Harbor — Grandma Loring
• The Lot — Priscilla Tremaine
• 1998Border to Border — Mrs. Kirby
• Love Boat: The Next Wave — Abigail Jordan
• 1998Nunsense 3: The Jamboree — Mother Superior
• 1998Rusty: A Dog's Tale — Edna Callahan
• 1997Annabelle's Wish — Scarlett (voice)
• King of the Hill — Bunny (voice)
• 1997Out to Sea — Mrs. Carruthers
• 1997Starship Troopers — Biology Teacher
• 1997This World, Then the Fireworks — Mom Lakewood
• 1996Dear God — Mom Turner
• 1996Innocent Victims — Marylou Hennis
• Promised Land — Valerie Carter
• Remember WENN — Dusty Foxx
• 1995A Holiday to Remember — Miz Leona / Clay's Aunt
• 1994A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story — Grandma Stephens
• Burke's Law — Jinxy Duke
• 1994Nunsense 2: The Sequel — Rev. Mother Superior Sister Mary Regina
• Spider-Man — Mrs. Hardy (voice)
• Touched by an Angel — Amelia Archibald, Lila Winslow
• Boy Meets World — Bernice Matthews
• 1993Message from Nam — Beatrice Andrews
• 1993Mother of the Bride — Margaret Hix, Co-Executive Producer
• 1993Nunsense — Rev. Mother Mary Regina
• The John Larroquette Show — Rue McClanahan
• The Golden Palace — Blanche Devereaux
• 1991Baby of the Bride — Margaret Hix, Co-Executive Producer
• Nurses — Blanche Devereaux
• 1990After the Shock — Sherra Cox
• 1990Children of the Bride — Margaret Becker
• Law & Order — Lois McIntyre
• 1990Modern Love — Mrs. Evelyn Parker
• 1990The Dreamer of Oz — Matilda Joslyn Gage
• 1990The Earth Day Special — Blanche Devereaux
• 1990To My Daughter — Laura Carlson
• 1989The Man in the Brown Suit — Suzy Blair
• 1989The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• 1989The Wickedest Witch — Avarissa
• Empty Nest — Blanche Devereaux
• 1988Liberace — Frances Liberace
• 1988Take My Daughters, Please — Lilah Page
• 1987The Little Match Girl — Frances Dutton
• 1986Picnic — Flo Owens
• The Golden Girls — Blanche Devereaux
• 1985The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There
• Charles in Charge — Irene Pembroke
• Cover Up
• Crazy like a Fox — Angie
• Murder, She Wrote — Miriam Radford
• Mama's Family — Frances Marie Crowley
• 1983The Skin of Our Teeth — Fortune Teller
• American Playhouse — Fortune Teller
• Newhart — Eleanor Smathers
• 1982The Day the Bubble Burst — Barbara Arvey
• Darkroom — Mrs. Louise Michaelson
• Gimme a Break!
• Here's Boomer — Thelma
• 1981Word of Honor — Maggie McNeill
• 1980Gridlock — Adele Sherman
• $weepstake$
• Supertrain — Ms. Rick
• 1979Topper — Clara Topper
• Trapper John, M.D.
• 1978A Different Approach
• Apple Pie — Ginger-Nell Hollyhock
• Fantasy Island — Gertie Lawton, Margaret Fielding
• Grandpa Goes to Washington
• 1978Having Babies III — Gloria Miles
• 1978Rainbow — Ida Koverman
• 1978Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force — Mat's Mother
• Lou Grant
• The Love Boat — April Dunlevy, Mary Hubble, Doris Simpson, Laura Thornton Hayes
• Alice
• 1973Blade — Gail
• Maude — Vivian Harmon
• 1972The Rimers of Eldritch — Cora Groves
• All in the Family — Ruth Rempley
• Columbo — Verity Chandler
• Great Performances — Josey Finn, Cora, Faye Precious
• 1971Hogan's Goat — Josey Finn
• 1971Some of My Best Friends Are... — Lita Joyce
• 1971They Might Be Giants — Daisy Playfair
• 1970The People Next Door — Della
• Where the Heart Is — Margaret Jardin #2
• Mannix
• 1965Angel's Flight — Dolly
• Another World — Caroline Johnson
• 1964How to Succeed with Girls — Lorena (as Patty Leigh)
• 1963Five Minutes to Love — Sally 'Poochie'
• 1961Five Minutes to Live — Pamela
• 1961Hollywood After Dark — Sandy
• 1961Just Between Us
• 1961The Grass Eater

Appearances as themselves (16)

• 2025The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship - A Special Edition of 20/20 — Self / Blanche Devereaux (archive footage)
• 2021The Golden Girls: Ageless — Self (archive footage)
• 2018Betty White: First Lady of Television — Self (archive Footage)
• 2010Gaze — Self (archive footage)
• Celebrity Ghost Stories — Self
• The Tony Danza Show — Self
• 2003The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments — Self / Blanche Devereaux
• 2002NBC 75th Anniversary Special — Self
• 1997Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula — Self
• The View — Self
• Intimate Portrait — Self
• 1990Night of 100 Stars III — Self
• 1990Rue McClanahan: The Cat Care Video Guide — Herself
• 1988Mickey's 60th Birthday — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self