Frieda Claxton

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Frieda Claxton
Portrayed by	Nan Martin
Character Information
Gender	Female
Age	80
Death	1986
Production Information
Appears In	The Golden Girls
Debuts in	"It's a Miserable Life" (The Golden Girls, 1986)
Final Appearance	It's a Miserable Life
Episode Count	1

“ With my binoculars, I have a terrific view in your bedroom window. I think some of the stuff you do is illegal. I'm looking into it.”

— Mrs. Claxton to Blanche Devereaux, insulting her promiscuity

Frieda Claxton is a one-off character in The Golden Girls. She was a neighbor of the ladies who was notorious for her nastiness.

She is portrayed by the late Nan Martin.

Biography

Of the girls, Rose was the only one who believed that Claxton just "needed a little kindness." When Claxton was the only one who wouldn't sign a petition to save a 200-year-old oak tree (which was also on her property) from being cut down, Rose brought homemade Danishes to Claxton's house every day, with the prune Danishes apparently doing the trick. However, when Claxton comes to City Hall, she readily admits that she lied about wanting to save the tree in order to get the Danishes. During the commissioner's meeting, Rose, having had enough of Claxton's animosity, calls her out on her lack human decency, ending her rant by telling Claxton to "drop dead," which Claxton then does of a heart attack.

When the girls help a remorseful Rose arrange a funeral for Claxton, who had no friends or family (willing) to do so, the four of them are the only ones to show up. Another woman stops by to give a eulogy, only to turn out to have gone to the wrong funeral, and even kicks Claxton's coffin before leaving, leaving Rose to lament that everyone was right about Claxton's life having had no positive impact. On top of this, due to a mix-up at the funeral home, Claxton was cremated by mistake, with her urn having to go with the girls.

The next day, Rose scatters the ashes around the old oak tree, then goes to City Hall to inform them of such, telling them that it wouldn't be good to disturb someone's final resting place.

Trivia

• According to Dorothy and Blanche, the whole neighborhood hated Claxton, even to the point of half the neighborhood children dressing up as her for Halloween.

Gallery

To be added.

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