Estelle Getty

Estelle Getty (née Scher; also known as Estelle Gettleman; July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008) was an American actress and comedian, who appeared in film, television, and theatre. She was best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992, which won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe, on The Golden Palace from 1992 to 1993, and on Empty Nest from 1993 to 1995. In her later years, after retiring from acting, she battled Lewy body dementia.[1]
== Early life ==
Estelle Getty was born Estelle Scher on July 25, 1923 to Sarah and Charles Scher. Her parents were Polish Jewish immigrants who owned a glass store in New York City.[2] She had a sister, Roslyn, and a brother, David.[3] Getty got her start in the Yiddish theater and also as a comedian in the Catskills borscht beltresorts.[4]
== Career ==
Getty played the mother of Harvey Fierstein's character in the original Broadwayrun of Torch Song Trilogy.[5][6]
Getty is best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on the popular 1980s sitcomThe Golden Girls.[7] Her character was the Sicilian mother of Dorothy Zbornak, played by Beatrice Arthur, although Getty was, in fact, one year younger than Arthur.[8][9] In 1988, the role earned Getty the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.[10]
During her time on The Golden Girls, Getty, along with Steve Delsohn, co-wrote an autobiography entitled If I Knew Then, What I Know Now... So What?(Contemporary Books, 1988).[3] She further capitalized on her success by releasing an exercise video for senior citizens in 1993.[11]
In 1992, following her seven-season role on The Golden Girls, Getty, with Betty White and Rue McClanahan returned as their characters Sophia Petrillo, Rose Nylund and Blanche Devereaux respectively, in the spin-off series, The Golden Palace. The new show saw the three remaining cast members from the original series invest in a Miami hotel. The series was cancelled after just one season. Getty reprised her role of Sophia once again for a guest appearance in Nurses, and for the final time when she joined Empty Nest, another spin-off series from The Golden Girls. She appeared in the series for the final two seasons.
Getty made numerous guest appearances on a diverse variety of popular television series, including Fantasy Island, Cagney & Lacey, Blossom, Touched by an Angel, Mad About You and The Nanny. Her numerous film roles include Tootsie, Mask and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, alongside Sylvester Stallone, which earned her a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress.
== Personal life ==
Getty attended Seward Park High School in New York City.[12]
She was married to Arthur Gettleman (whose name she adapted into her stage name) from December 21, 1947 until his death in 2004.[12] The couple had two sons: Carl Gettleman, who lives in California, and Barry Gettleman, who lives in Florida.[13]
In 1991, as later reported in Star magazine, Getty helped to nurse her 29-year-old nephew Steven Scher, who was near death and suffering from the final stages of AIDS.[14] Because Scher's parents lived in England and his friends were no longer able to care for him in Greensboro, North Carolina, Getty had him flown to California and admitted to hospice care. He died in January 1992.
== Illness and death ==
In 2000, Getty stopped making public appearances after revealing she had Parkinson's disease and osteoporosis. Upon reassessment, Getty's diagnosis was revised to Lewy body dementia, a form of dementia that has similar symptoms to both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.[13] Golden Girls cast members who attempted to talk to her on the phone or in person found that she couldn't remember them, or anything about the show. Bea Arthur said that even during production of the series, Getty had so much trouble remembering her lines that they should have known something was wrong from the beginning.[15][16]
In 2003, Lifetime television hosted a Golden Girls reunion, The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments. In 2008, the show was awarded the Pop Culture award at the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards. Getty did not participate in either project due to declining health.
Getty died of complications from Lewy body dementia on July 22, 2008, three days before her 85th birthday.[1] She is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemeteryin Los Angeles.
== Awards ==
=== Emmy Awards ===
Getty at the 1988 Emmy Awards
* 1986 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
* 1987 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
* 1988 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Won)
* 1989 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
* 1990 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
* 1991 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
* 1992 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
=== Golden Globe Awards ===
* 1985 – Actress in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Won)
* 1986 – Actress in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy Series – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
* 1991 – Actress in a Supporting Role – Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
=== Drama Desk Award ===
* 1982 – Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play – Torch Song Trilogy – (Nominated)
=== Helen Hayes Awards ===
* 1985 – Helen Hayes Award Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Touring Production – Torch Song Trilogy – (Won)
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1978	Team-Mates 	Teacher 	
1982	Tootsie 	Middle Aged Woman 	
1983	Deadly Force 	Gussie 	
1984	No Man's Land 	Eurol Miller 	TV movie
1984	Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story	 	TV movie
1985	Mask 	Evelyn 	
1985	Copacabana 	Bella Stern 	TV movie
1987	Mannequin 	Mrs. Claire Timkin 	
1992	Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot 	Mrs. Tutti Bomowski	Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress
1997	A Match Made in Heaven 	Betty Weston 	TV movie
1999	The Sissy Duckling 	Mrs. Hennypecker 	Voice, TV movie
1999	Stuart Little 	Grandma Estelle 	
2000	The Million Dollar Kid 	Sister Rosanne 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1981 	Nurse 	Sadie Mandler 	Episode: "Equal Opportunity"
1982 	Baker's Dozen 	Mrs. Locasale 	Episode: "Dear John"
1984 	Fantasy Island 	Money Lady 	Episode: "The Match Maker"
1984 	Cagney & Lacey 	Mrs. Rosenmeyer 	Episode: "Baby Broker"
1984 	Hotel 	Roberta Abrams 	Episode: "Intimate Strangers"
1985 	Newhart 	Miriam the Librarian	Episode: "What Makes Dick Run"
1985–1992	The Golden Girls 	Sophia Petrillo 	180 episodes
American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Female in a Television Series (1991–92)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1986–87, 1989–92)
1987 	Roomies 	Mama 	Episode: "Mid-Term Fever"
1990 	City 	Helen Rutledge 	Episode: "Seems Like Old Times"
1990 	The Earth Day Special 	Sophia Petrillo 	TV special
1991 	The Fanelli Boys 	Dr. Newman 	Episode: "Doctor, Doctor""
1991 	Blossom 	Sophia Petrillo 	Episode: "I Ain't Got No Body"
1992–1993	The Golden Palace 	Sophia Petrillo 	24 episodes
1993 	Nurses 	Sophia Petrillo 	Episode: "Temporary Setbacks"
1993–1995	Empty Nest 	Sophia Petrillo 	52 episodes
1996 	Touched by an Angel 	Dottie 	Episode: "The Sky Is Falling"
1996 	Brotherly Love 	Myrna Burwell 	Episode: "Motherly Love"
1997 	Mad About You 	Paul's Aunt Ida 	Episode: "The Birth: Part 1"
1997 	Duckman 	Aunt Jane 	Voice, Episode: "Westward, No!"
1998 	The Nanny 	Herself 	Episode: "Making Whoopi"
2000 	Ladies Man 	Sophia Gates 	Episode: "Romance"
2001 	Intimate Portrait 	Herself 	Episode: "Estelle Getty"
2001 	It's Like, You Know...	Herself 	Episode: "Lust for Life", (final appearance)