| Estelle Getty | ||||||
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 Estelle Getty at the 41st Annual Emmy Awards Sept. 17, 1989 |
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| Birth name | Estelle Scher | |||||
| Born | July 25 1923 New York City, New York, U.S. |
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Estelle Getty (born Estelle Scher on July 25, 1923 in New York City) is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning actress (theatre and screen). She has retired from acting and is currently battling with dementia.
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Biography
Her most important early role was playing Harvey Fierstein's mother on Broadway in the play Torch Song Trilogy; however, she is best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on the popular 1980s sitcom, The Golden Girls. In it, she played the wise-cracking old Sicilian mother of Dorothy Zbornak, who was the show's main protagonist, played by Bea Arthur. Getty is actually one year and four months younger than Arthur. She was married to Arthur Gettleman (from whose name she adapted her stage name) from 1946 until his death in 2004. Getty has two grown sons: Carl Gettleman, who lives in California, and Barry Gettleman who lives in Florida.[1] In the early days of AIDS hysteria, Estelle opened her heart to her nephew, Steven Scher (age 29), who was in the final stages of AIDS and near death in 1991. With Steve's parents living in England and his friends no longer able to care for him in Greensboro, North Carolina, Estelle had Steve flown out to California where she admitted him to hospice care. Steve died in January 1992. An extensive account of her act of charity was published in STAR Magazine. In 2000, she stopped making public appearances after revealing that she had Parkinson's Disease and osteoporosis. In 2002, it was revealed to the media that she is also suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. It was later discovered that she actually has Lewy Body Dementia, and both the Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diagnoses were incorrect. In 2003, there was a Golden Girls reunion hosted on the Lifetime television network but unfortunately Estelle did not appear in it due to her failing health. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California, where she is cared for by longtime friend, Pauline Anarow and a staff of nurses.It has also been noticed that she has no memory of the golden girls [2]
Emmy Awards
- 1992 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
- 1991 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
- 1990 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
- 1989 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
- 1988 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Won)
- 1987 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
- 1986 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
Golden Globe Awards
- 1991 - Actress In A Supporting Role - Series, Mini-Series Or Television Movie - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
- 1986 - Actress In A Leading Role - Musical Or Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Won)
- 1985 - Actress In A Leading Role - Musical Or Comedy Series - The Golden Girls - (Nominated)
Selected filmography
- Stuart Little (1999)
- Empty Nest (1988) (TV series) (1994 – 1995)
- Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! (1992)
- The Golden Palace (1992) (TV series)
- Mannequin (1987)
- Copacabana (1985) (TV)
- The Golden Girls (1985) (TV series)
- Mask (1985)
- Tootsie (1982)
External links
- Estelle Getty at the Internet Movie Database
- estellegetty.com - official website
- Estelle Getty at TheGoldenGlobes.com
- Kira Albin, "Estelle Getty: Maverick Mother & TV Trailblazer", interview, grandtimes.com, 1995
