‘The Golden Girls’ Cast: Who Played Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia
Everyone wanted to be one of the core four ladies on The Golden Girls, living out their golden years in Miami together. Between hilarious jokes made by any one of the women and the infectious theme song we just can’t get out of our heads, The Golden Girls had us hooked from day one.
The sitcom ran from 1985 to 1992, winning 11 Primetime Emmy Awards as well as multiple Golden Globe Awards. Read all about our favorite Golden ladies and find out where else you might remember them from!
Bea Arthur
moviestillsdb.com/Witt/Thomas Productions // Jeff Kravitz / Contributor
Character Played: Dorothy Zbornak
Born: May 13, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York
Died: April 25, 2009
Best Known For: TV series Maude (1972-1978), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) and movies such as Mame (1974)
Personal Life: Married to Gene Saks and has two children
Thoughts on The Golden Girls: “My agent called me one day and said, ‘What’s this that I hear about you doing a new series on NBC?’ I said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Apparently, the script said ‘a Bea Arthur type..’ Eventually I got my hands on the script. It was so literate and so funny and so adult that I said to myself, ‘I must do this.’ I had no idea at the time that it would become a cult classic.”
Betty White
moviestillsdb.com/Witt/Thomas Productions // Amanda Edwards / Contributor
Character Played: Rose Nylund
Born: January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois
Died: December 31, 2021
Best Known For: TV series, including Life with Elizabeth (1953-1955), The Betty White Show (1977-1978) and Hot in Cleveland (2010-2015). Movies such as Lake Placid (1999) and The Proposal (2009).
Personal Life: Married to Allen Ludden from 1963-1981
Thoughts on The Golden Girls: “We showed up for the readthrough [and] it was like batting a tennis ball over the net. It was so exciting to be with four people with that chemistry — I’ll never forget that first read. It was like we had been working together forever! I still get goosebumps thinking about it.”
Rue McClanahan
moviestillsdb.com/Witt/Thomas Productions // Steven A Henry / Contributor
Character Played: Blanche Devereaux
Born: February 21, 1934, in Healdton, Oklahoma
Died: June 3, 2010
Best Known For: TV series, including Maude (1972-1978) and The Golden Palace (1992-1993).
Personal Life: Married to Morrow Wilson and has one child
Thoughts on The Golden Girls: “People always ask me if I'm like Blanche. Well, Blanche was an oversexed, self-involved, man-crazy, vain Southern belle from Atlanta — and I'm not from Atlanta. Blanche didn't read books. She was very self-centered, insecure and vain. She was always trying to look as gorgeous as possible in case there was a man in the vicinity. I'm down-to-earth.”
Estelle Getty
moviestillsdb.com/Witt/Thomas Productions // Ron Davis / Contributor
Character Played: Sophia Petrillo
Born: July 25, 1923, in Manhattan, New York City
Died: July 22, 2008
Best Known For: Known for the TV series Empty Nest (1988-1995) as well as the movies Mask (1985), Mannequin (1987) and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992).
Personal Life: Married to Arthur Gettleman from 1947 to 2004 and has two children
Thoughts on The Golden Girls: “The role was not written exactly as you see her today. I kind of invented her… [she’s] a combination of a lot of people I knew in my life and came in and did that and they liked it, they bought it.”
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