Able to alternate between comedy and melodrama, portraying everything from vixens to suffering mothers, Rue McClanahan became a fixture on television from the moment she landed the role of Vivian Harmon, best friend to Bea Arthur's titular character, "Maude," in 1972. Flirtatious and a bit ditzy as Vivian, McClanahan upped the flirt quotient considerably more than a decade later when she created the role for which she was most recognized, Blanche Devereaux, the self-proclaimed middle-aged sex goddess on "The Golden Girls" (NBC, 1985-1992). With her Southern charm, Blanche enchanted viewers with her comic timing but also proved that love and desire knew no age.