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Estelle Getty

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Estelle Getty
Getty in 1989
Born
Estelle Scher

(1923-07-25)July 25, 1923
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 22, 2008(2008-07-22) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedienne
Years active1940s–2001[1]
Notable workThe Golden Girls
The Golden Palace
Empty Nest
Spouse
Arthur Gettleman
​
​
(m. 1947; died 2004)​
Children2

Estelle Gettleman (née Scher; July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008), known professionally as Estelle Getty, was an American actress and comedienne. She was best known for her portrayal of Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls (1985–1992), for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She reprised the role in Empty Nest (1993–1995), The Golden Palace (1992–1993), Blossom (1990–1995), and Nurses (1991–1994).[2] Notable films in which she appeared include Mask (1985), a semibiographical film in which she played the grandmother of Roy L. Dennis, Mannequin (1987), and Stuart Little (1999). She retired from acting in 2001 due to failing health, and died in 2008 from dementia with Lewy bodies.[3][4]

Early life

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Getty was born Estelle Scher in New York City on July 25, 1923, to Charles Scher and Sarah (née Lacher), Jewish immigrants from Poland, at the family's apartment at 257 East 2nd Street on the Lower East Side, which also served as the storefront for the family's glass business.[5] She had a sister Rosilyn "Roz" Scher Howard, and a brother Samuel "David" Scher.[6][7][8] As a child, she was known as Etty, a nickname that stemmed from her sister's inability to pronounce "Estelle" correctly, and it stuck with her throughout her life.[9] Her father owned and operated his own business, installing glass windows into automobiles and trucks, and her mother was a homemaker.[10] As a weekly treat, every Friday night, her father would take their family to the Academy of Music on 14th Street to watch a film and a live vaudeville performance, and while watching those performances, Getty decided she wanted to become an actor.[9]

After graduating from Seward Park High School, she continued to live at home with her parents, her father doubtful she would be able to forge a successful career in acting, and worked as a secretary, as the hours allowed for her to attend auditions in the late afternoon and evening while having an income.[11][12]

Career

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For years, Getty won roles in the New York theater circuit, while simultaneously holding a job and raising her two sons, but she struggled to gain notice for her talent. Finally, in 1982, nearing 60 years old, she found her breakthrough role as Mrs. Beckoff in the Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy, a character that playwright Harvey Fierstein had created specifically with her in mind.[13][14] She received widespread praise for her appearance in the play—including a Drama Desk Award nomination[15]—and went on to reprise the role in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions for four years. In 1985, the role heavily influenced Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions to cast Getty for the role of Sophia Petrillo on NBC's new sitcom, The Golden Girls.[16] Getty relied on wigs, clothing, and heavy makeup to age herself to look the part of a mother in her 80s. In reality, she was a year younger than her television daughter, Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy Zbornak.[17][18] In 1988, Getty won her most notable award, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, for her work on the show.[19]

The Golden Girls ended in 1992 after seven seasons (six of the seven seasons in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings) due to Arthur wishing to explore new projects. That fall, Getty, McClanahan, and White starred in the show's spin-off, The Golden Palace, for one season before its cancellation. Getty then appeared in Empty Nest, Nurses, Blossom, Touched by an Angel, Mad About You, and The Nanny. Her other television and film appearances prior to and during the filming of The Golden Girls included the TV series Fantasy Island and Cagney & Lacey, and the films Tootsie and Mask, and a starring role in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.

During her time on The Golden Girls, Getty wrote her autobiography, If I Knew Then, What I Know Now... So What?, with the help of Steve Delsohn, published by Contemporary Books in 1988.[6] She also released an exercise video for senior citizens in 1993.[20]

Personal life

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Family

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Getty was introduced to Arthur Gettleman, whose last name she later used as the basis for her stage name, at a party by her friends from the New York theater circuit. The two married nine months later on December 21, 1947. They had two children together, sons Carl Gettleman and Barry Gettleman, and remained married until his death on September 24, 2004, at the age of 85.[21] After they wed, the two lived in the Bronx for a time, and, after the births of their two sons, moved to Oakland Gardens, Queens, living in a liberal-minded cooperative built for Jewish veterans of World War II called Bell Park Gardens, while Arthur worked with his father-in-law in glass installation. The two lived separately for some time in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, as Getty moved to California to work on The Golden Girls, and Arthur Gettleman had no desire to leave New York, and continued to work in the family's glass business.

HIV/AIDS activism

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Getty was said by friends Harvey Fierstein and Rosie O'Donnell, both notable members of the LGBT community, to have been heavily involved in HIV/AIDS activism and had lost close friends and family to the disease, among them her nephew Steven Scher (1962–1992), whom she cared for after he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and her Torch Song Trilogy co-star Court Miller (1952–1986).[22]

Death

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Getty died in the early morning hours of July 22, 2008, at her home in Los Angeles, the result of Lewy body dementia, according to her family. She was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, her headstone inscribed with the words "With Love and Laughter" and a Star of David to indicate her Jewish faith.[23][24] Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan, her co-stars from The Golden Girls were saddened by her loss, and in an interview, said that her disease had progressed to the point where she was not able to hold conversations with them or recognize them.[4] She had reportedly started to show signs of dementia during the filming of the television series, when, despite more than three decades of theater work, she began to struggle to remember her lines, and in later seasons of the show, had to rely on cue cards.[25] Getty also suffered from osteoporosis, and was also thought to have Parkinson's disease. This diagnosis was ultimately changed to dementia with Lewy bodies.[26]

According to her former co-star White, Getty had undergone a facelift sometime during the hiatus between the end of filming season one of The Golden Girls and the beginning of filming season two. Getty had a strong fear of death, to the point where she avoided making jokes about death whenever possible, and was uncomfortable when the show brought up the subject.[27]

Filmography

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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 Steinberg
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 final film role

Television

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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, 1992)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1986)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1988)
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1987)
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (1992)
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"
1988–1995 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"
2000 It's Like, You Know... Herself Episode: "Lust for Life", (unaired)
2001 Intimate Portrait Herself Episode: "Estelle Getty", (final appearance)

Live theater

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Torch Song Trilogy Mrs. Beckoff [28]

Exercise Video

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Year Title Role
1993 Young at Heart: Body Conditioning with Estelle Herself

Book

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  • Getty, Estelle (with Steve Delsohn). (1988) If I Knew Then What I Know Now ... So What. Chicago: Contemporary Books. ISBN 0-8092-4474-8

References

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  1. ^ "Goodbye Golden Girl: Comic actress Estelle Getty dies at 84". Haaretz. July 23, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2021. the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985
  2. ^ "Estelle Getty: Matriarch of 'The Golden Girls'". The Independent. July 24, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  3. ^ Carlson, Michael (July 24, 2008). "Obituary: Estelle Getty". The Guardian. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' Dies at 84, July 22, 2008, retrieved September 30, 2019
  5. ^ "Charles Scher in the 1940 Census". Ancestry.com. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Estelle Getty Biography (1923–2008)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "Estelle Getty Obituary". Legacy.com. 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  8. ^ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQTZ-17W  : July 28, 2019), Estelle Scher in household of Charles Scher, Assembly District 6, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-517, sheet 61A, line 32, family 203, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 – 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2635.
  9. ^ a b "Estelle Getty". Intimate Portrait. January 15, 2001.
  10. ^ United States Federal Census, 1930
  11. ^ "Estelle Getty, 84; 'Golden Girls' actress brought humor, depth to mother roles". Los Angeles Times. July 23, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  12. ^ "Goodbye Golden Girl: Comic actress Estelle Getty dies at 84". Haaretz. July 23, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  13. ^ Gussow, Mel (November 1, 1981). "Theatre Review: Fierstein's 'Torch Song'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
  14. ^ Simonson, Robery (July 22, 2008). "Estelle Getty, Star of "Golden Girls," Dies at 84". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  15. ^ "Estelle Getty". Playbill. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  16. ^ "Rue McClanahan on the casting of 'The Golden Girls'". EmmyTVLegends.org. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Lansden, Pamela (March 31, 1986). "Estelle Getty Zings for Her Supper as Bea Arthur's Zap-Happy Mom on Golden Girls". People. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  18. ^ Lawson, Sarah (November 19, 2012). "Great Moments in Age-Inappropriate Casting". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  19. ^ Bernstein, Adam (July 23, 2008). "Estelle Getty, 84; 'Golden Girl' Actress Won an Emmy Award". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  20. ^ Glenn Haas, Jane (December 31, 1993). "Estelle Getty leads a workout for seniors". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  21. ^ "Arthur Gettleman Obituary". Miami Herald. September 27, 2004. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  22. ^ Collins, Glenn (April 5, 1987). "In 'Safe Sex,' Harvey Fierstein Turns Serious". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  23. ^ Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' Dies at 84, YouTube, July 22, 2008, retrieved September 30, 2019
  24. ^ Weber, Bruce (July 23, 2008). "Estelle Getty, 'Golden Girls' Matriarch, Dies at 84". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  25. ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (November 8, 2017). "Bea Arthur's son says she 'wasn't really close to anybody' despite 'Golden Girls' fame". Fox News. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  26. ^ "THEY LIVED HERE - ESTELLE GETTY - QNS.com". Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  27. ^ "Betty White: Bea Arthur was not fond of me". YouTube. May 4, 2011. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  28. ^ "Torch Song Trilogy". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
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