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.
Toward the end of her career, she wrote an autobiography, with Steve Delsohn, titled
If I Knew Then, What I Know Now... So What? (Contemporary Books, 1988).
Personal life
Getty was married to Arthur Gettleman (from whose name she adapted into her stage name) from 1947 until his death in 2004. Getty had two sons: Carl Gettleman, who lives in California, and Barry Gettleman, who lives in Florida.[www.estellegetty.com]
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. 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.
In 2000, Getty stopped making public appearances after revealing she had Parkinson's disease and osteoporosis. In 2002, media reports claimed she was also suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Doctors later discovered she actually had Lewy body dementia; both the Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diagnoses were incorrect.
Death
On July 22 2008, at approximately 5:30 a.m. PDT, Getty died in her Hollywood Boulevard home in Los Angeles from natural causes three days before what would have been her 85th birthday.[Yahoo Entertainment Report: Getty Dies at 84]
None of Getty's former Golden Girls co-stars attended Getty's funeral, but did reflect upon her death: Rue McClanahan told the Associated Press, "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia." Bea Arthur said in a statement, "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her." Betty White remarked, "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us."
In honor of Getty, Lifetime TV – which airs The Golden Girls – aired ten episodes of the series featuring the best of Sophia on Friday, July 25. Fans voted for their favorite episode on Lifetime's website. The episode "Old Friends" received the most votes and was aired last during the marathon.
Awards
Emmy Awards
[
] at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios]] theme park.
- 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 – (Won)
- 1991 – Actress in a Supporting Role – Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie – The Golden Girls – (Nominated)
Golden Raspberry Awards
Filmography
Television
