Estelle Scher-Gettleman (July 25 1923 – July 22 2008)EstelleGetty.com, better known by her stage name Estelle Getty, was an American actress, who appeared in film, theatre and television. She is best known for her long-running role as Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992, on The Golden Palace from 1992 to 1993 and on Empty Nest from 1993 to 1995. For the role, she won Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. In her later years, after retiring from acting, she battled Lewy body dementia.

Biography

Early life and career

Getty was born Estelle Scher in New York City, the daughter of Sarah and Charles Scher, Jewish immigrants from Poland who worked in the glass business.Estelle Getty Biography (1923–) Getty got her start in the Yiddish theater and also as a comedienne in the Catskills borscht belt resorts, and among her most notable stage roles was as Harvey Fierstein's mother in Torch Song Trilogy during its original Broadway run. She is best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on the popular 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls. Her character was the wise-cracking Sicilian mother of Dorothy Zbornak, played by Beatrice Arthur (the other main characters being played by Betty White and Rue McClanahan); in real life, Getty was in fact one year younger than Arthur.