of Williams, had been the inspiration for the role, and he wanted her to star in it. However, she was initially uninterested and the producer thought she would overpower the character's fragility. When she played the role in 1956, some critics agreed she was too strong in it, but Williams personally felt that she gave a "heroic" portrayal of the role. Blanche has been portrayed onstage by Kim Stanley, Ann-Margret, Arletty, Blythe Danner, Cate Blanchett, Claire Bloom, Faye Dunaway, Lois Nettleton, Jessica Lange (who reprised the role in the 1995 television adaptation), Marin Mazzie, Natasha Richardson, Laila Robins, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Weisz, Amanda Drew, Nicole Ari Parker, Isabelle Huppert, Glenn Close, Gillian Anderson and Maxine Peake. Etymology and inspiration The character is reputedly named after theatre critic Blanche Marvin, a former actress and friend of Williams. Some critics believe that Blanche du Bois was inspired by Williams' own mother. Blanche DuBois’ personality and character, along with that of Scarlett O'Hara (from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind) were combined to serve as the inspiration for the character of Blanche Devereaux from the sitcom Golden Girls, who was portrayed by Rue McClanahan throughout the series’ 7-year run (1985-1992). References External links Characters in plays Drama film characters Female characters in literature Fictional characters from Mississippi Literary characters introduced in 1947 Theatre characters introduced in 1947 Fictional characters with psychiatric disorders Fictional schoolteachers Fictional socialites Female characters in theatre Female characters in film Fictional victims of sexual assault