Rue McClanahan was an American actress, comedian, and author. She was best known for her roles on television sitcoms, “Golden Girls,” Maude,” and “Mama’s Family.” She won an Emmy Award for “The Golden Girls” in 1987. Rue McClanahan died on June 3, 2010, from a brain hemorrhage at 76.
What Is Rue McClanahan’s Net Worth
Rue McClanahan’s net worth was estimated to be $5 million when she passed away in 2010. She was a great actress and made much money from appearing in many prominent movies and TV shows. She was also into real estate.
Rue is one of the many famous entertainers that have lost their lives to cerebral hemorrhage; American dancer Jesophine Blake, Actress Mary Pickford, Actor Cary Grant, and many others.
Rue McClanahan’s Net Worth Annually
Rue McClanahan was an excellent star. She brought great perfection to any movie she was a part of. Over the years, starring in different films, she amassed quite a lot of money and fame.
We can’t say how much she made annually, but she made more than an average actress would make yearly. It’s been 13 years since her death, and she is still remembered by many for her acting skills and sense of humor.
How Did Rue McClanahan Get Rich?
Rue started acting as far back as her college days. She participated in many local performances before relocating to New York to pursue acting full-time. That was the beginning of her success story.
She became a household name when she was cast as Blanche Devereaux in the then-popular television series, “The Golden Girls.” Rue combined her acting skills and sense of humor to become the favorite character of many.
This made her famous and, as it should, made her a lot of money. She was earning a considerable sum per episode on the series while playing other roles in different movies simultaneously.
So, Rue McClanahan became rich by starring in movies and television series. She was hard-working and dedicated. Every movie she was a part of was lovely, and she kept moving higher with the passing years.
Biography
Eddi- Rue McClanahan was born on February 21, 1934, in Healdton, Oklahoma, USA, to William Edwin McClanahan and Dreda Rheua-Nell. William was a Contractor, and Freda was a Beautician. She grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma, where she attended Ardmore High School.
She started performing in school plays back in her high school days. She even got a dance scholarship upon graduating from high school but rejected it and went to the University of Tulsa, where she was a theatre and German major, graduating cum laude with her bachelor’s degree.
| Full Name: | Eddi- Rue McClanahan |
| Stage Name: | Rue McClanahan |
| Birth Place: | Healdton, Oklahoma USA |
| Birthday: | February 21, 1934 |
| Zodiac Sign: | Pisces |
| Age: | 76 years (1934 to 2010) |
| Weight: | 60 kg (132 lbs) |
| Height: | 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| Husbands: |
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| Parents Name: | Father: William Edwin McClanahan
Mother: Dreda Rheua-Nell |
| Children: | Son: Mark Bish |
| Siblings: | Sister: Melinda L. McClanahan |
| College: | University of Tulsa |
| Profession: | Actress, Comedian, and Author |
| Popular for: | Her roles on television sitcoms are “Golden Girls,” “Maude,” and “Mama’s Family.” |
| Social Media Accounts: | None |
Career
After college, McClanahan established herself as an actor in local projects. Her stage debut was in the play “Inherit the Wind” at the Erie Playhouse in Pennsylvania.
Later, she relocated to New York to pursue an acting career on Broadway, where she made her stage debut in the musical “Jimmy Shine” as Sally Weber. Her little Broadway playing performances contributed to her net worth. Still, when television executive Norman Lear recognized her skill, he gave her a guest role in the series “All in the Family.”
Lear once more assisted her in getting a job on “Maude,” where her character Vivian Harmon developed from a guest appearance into a series regular. When McClanahan was cast in the television series “The Golden Girls,” her comedic timing and acting skills gained the most significant acclaim. McClanahan began to receive appreciation for her work on television.
After years of stage and screen acting, McClanahan’s career was launched to significant success when NBC executives asked her to join the cast of “Golden Girls,” alongside actresses Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Estelle Getty. These appearances on other television show like “Trapper John,” “MD,” and “Mama’s Family” all aided McClanahan’s career and net worth.
She portrayed Blanche Devereaux, the arrogant, man-hungry girl from the South, in the popular series, which ran for seven seasons before being canceled in 1992. Even though “The Golden Palace” only had one season, McClanahan returned to the role.
McClanahan continued acting in films and television shows after the “Golden Girls” ended. She made cameo appearances in the television series “Law & Order,” “Annabelle’s Wish,” and “Blue’s Clues,” as well as the films “Out to Sea” and “Starship Troopers.”
She also returned to Broadway when she played Madame Morrible in the smash hit “Wicked.” Her career and wealth benefited from all her work after “The Golden Girls.”
Rue had a career spanning more than 60 years, as shown by her participation in more than 30 films and more than 50 TV projects. Her autobiography, “My First Five Husbands… and the Ones Who Got Away,” was published in 2007.
Awards And Achievements
- McClanahan won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1987 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for “The Golden Girls.”
- I got nominated for the award in 1986, 1988, and 1989.
- Nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won two TV Land Awards
Endorsements
No information on her endorsement deals.
Personal Life
Rue was married to a total of six husbands. First, she married Tom Bish from 1958 to 1959; she married Norman Hartweg in 1959 but divorced in 1961. Her third marriage was to Peter Demaio from 1964 to 1971. Next, she was married to Gus Fisher from 1976 to 1981. Her fifth marriage was to Tom Keel from 1985 to 1986. Her last marriage was to Morrow Wilson from 1997 to 2009.
In 1997, Rue McClanahan received a breast cancer diagnosis. She received adequate treatment and made a full recovery. Later, in 2009, she underwent triple bypass surgery while being treated at a hospital. McClanahan experienced a mild stroke as he was getting better. She was 76 when she died in 2010 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Assets
Rue was into real estate before she died. She owned a couple of houses but prominent was her estate on Woodvale Road in Encino, California. The house has a swimming pool, outdoor waterfall creek, gazebo, kitchen, and a dog kennel and runs, among other features. The home was listed for $5.5 million in 2017.
She also owned some luxury cars we do not have information on. It’s safe to say that Rue had quite a comfortable life.
FAQs
Did Rue McClanahan have any children?
One would ordinarily think that Rue has many children owing to her marriage to different men throughout her lifetime. Well, things are not always like they seem.
Rue only has one son named Mark Bish. She had him with her first husband, Tom Bish. Of the six husbands, Tom was the one she lived the shortest period with. Less than a year after getting married, they divorced, and she had already borne him a son.
Was McClanahan close to Betty White?
Of all the acting crew of “The Golden Girls,” Betty White was the closest to Rue. They remained close friends until she died in 2010. It was a hard time for Betty as she mourned like a true friend. The two stars adored each other.
Betty, who played the role of Rose Nylund, was mainly a great actress. The part was the highest she had ever had throughout her career. Betty died on December 31, 2021, at the age of 99.
Who inherited Rue McClanahan’s Assets?
Rue made a lot of money before her death. Aside from acting, she was involved in real estate. Today, most of her assets have been sold out in an auction. Her son, Mark Bish, had followed his mother’s instructions before her death and set up an auction with the help of Betty White and sold out everything.
Rue had stated before she died that she wanted her fans worldwide to have access to her property. Part of the assets sold was her $5 million worth Blanche house on Woodvale Road in Encino, California, among other things.
Who among Rue McClanahan’s six husbands did she love the most?
Rue’s sixth and last marriage is said to have been her best. Rue and Morrow Wilson got married in 1997, and their union lasted 12 years as they legally divorced in 2009, just months before she died in 2010.
They married when Rue was 63 years old, and for them to have stayed together that long goes a long way to show that she loved him more than her previous husbands.
