American actress (1923?2008)
Estelle Getty
|
---|
Getty in 1989
|
Born
| Estelle Scher
(
1923-07-25
)
July 25, 1923
New York City, U.S.
|
---|
Died
| July 22, 2008
(2008-07-22)
(aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
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Resting place
| Hollywood Forever Cemetery
|
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Occupation(s)
| Actress, comedian
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Years active
| c.
1940s
?2001
[1]
|
---|
Notable work
| The Golden Girls
The Golden Palace
Empty Nest
|
---|
Spouse
|
Arthur Gettleman
(
m.
1947; died 2004)
|
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Children
| 2
|
---|
Estelle Gettleman
(
nee
Scher
; July 25, 1923 ? July 22, 2008), known professionally as
Estelle Getty
, was an American
actress and comedian best known for her portrayal of
Sophia Petrillo
on
The Golden Girls
(1985?92), 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 for appearances on
Empty Nest
(1993?95),
The Golden Palace
(1992?93),
Blossom
(1990?95), and
Nurses
(1991?94).
[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
[
edit
]
Getty was born
Estelle Scher
in New York City on July 25, 1923, to Charles Scher and Sarah (
nee
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
[
edit
]
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
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
[
edit
]
Family
[
edit
]
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-80s to mid-90s, 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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Live theater
[
edit
]
Exercise Video
[
edit
]
Year
|
Title
|
Role
|
1993
|
Young at Heart: Body Conditioning with Estelle
|
Herself
|
Book
[
edit
]
- 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
[
edit
]
- ^
"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
- ^
"Estelle Getty: Matriarch of 'The Golden Girls'
"
.
The Independent
. July 24, 2008
. Retrieved
September 30,
2019
.
- ^
Carlson, Michael (July 24, 2008).
"Obituary: Estelle Getty"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
October 13,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' Dies at 84
, retrieved
September 30,
2019
- ^
"Charles Scher in the 1940 Census"
.
Ancestry.com
. Retrieved
October 21,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Estelle Getty Biography (1923?2008)"
.
FilmReference.com
. Retrieved
October 13,
2013
.
- ^
"Estelle Getty Obituary"
.
Legacy.com
. 2008
. Retrieved
September 30,
2019
.
- ^
"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.
- ^
a
b
"Estelle Getty".
Intimate Portrait
. January 15, 2001.
- ^
United States Federal Census, 1930
- ^
"Estelle Getty, 84; 'Golden Girls' actress brought humor, depth to mother roles"
.
Los Angeles Times
. July 23, 2008
. Retrieved
September 30,
2019
.
- ^
"Goodbye Golden Girl: Comic actress Estelle Getty dies at 84"
.
Haaretz
. July 23, 2008
. Retrieved
October 13,
2013
.
- ^
Gussow, Mel (November 1, 1981).
"Theatre Review: Fierstein's 'Torch Song'
"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
June 24,
2008
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"Estelle Getty"
.
Playbill
. Retrieved
June 26,
2021
.
- ^
"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.
- ^
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
.
- ^
Lawson, Sarah (November 19, 2012).
"Great Moments in Age-Inappropriate Casting"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 13,
2013
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"Arthur Gettleman Obituary"
.
Miami Herald
. September 27, 2004
. Retrieved
September 30,
2019
.
- ^
Collins, Glenn (April 5, 1987).
"In 'Safe Sex,' Harvey Fierstein Turns Serious"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
October 2,
2019
.
- ^
Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' Dies at 84
, YouTube
, retrieved
September 30,
2019
- ^
Weber, Bruce (July 23, 2008).
"Estelle Getty, 'Golden Girls' Matriarch, Dies at 84"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
September 30,
2019
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"THEY LIVED HERE - ESTELLE GETTY - QNS.com"
. Archived from
the original
on September 30, 2019
. Retrieved
September 30,
2019
.
- ^
"Betty White: Bea Arthur was not fond of me"
. YouTube.
Archived
from the original on November 11, 2021
. Retrieved
October 1,
2019
.
- ^
"Torch Song Trilogy"
.
Internet Broadway Database
. Retrieved
October 14,
2013
.
External links
[
edit
]
Awards for Estelle Getty
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2000
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2001
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2002
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2003
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2004
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2005
|
- Chuck Abbott*
- Milt Albright
- Hideo Amemiya*
- Hideo Aramaki
- Chuck Boyajian*
- Charles Boyer
- Randy Bright*
- James Cora
- Robert Jani*
- Mary Jones
- Art Linkletter
- Mary Anne Mang
- Steve Martin
- Tom Nabbe
- Jack Olsen*
- Cicely Rigdon
- William Sullivan
- Jack Wagner
*
- Vesey Walker*
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2006
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2007
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2008
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2009
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1953?1975
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1976?2000
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2001?present
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1962?1979
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1980?1999
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2000?2019
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2020?present
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1980s
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1990s
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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International
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National
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Artists
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People
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Other
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