38. BEA ARTHUR
She's that rare comic who gets every double take, slow burn, and eye roll precisely right. As the eponymous star of CBS' Maude, Arthur became an appropriate icon for the feminist era, a brassy women's libber who faced down middle age with all the subtlety of a bullhorn. Seven years later, she returned — armed with an acid wit and god-awful ensembles — to play sarcastic substitute teacher Dorothy Zbornak on NBC's The Golden Girls. To the delight of millions, she hadn't missed a beat.

Get This! The Golden Girls, season 3