Estelle Getty was a comedic genius on The Golden Girls.Her character, Sophia Petrillo, became a fan favorite early in the show’s run. In fact, Getty’s performance was so impressive she earned ...

Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo | Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank Estelle Getty’s ‘Golden Girls’ character was different from her real-life persona ...

The Golden Girls is still as popular today as it was in its 1985 premiere. The TV sitcom followed the lives of four older women living together in Miami. Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) is the ...

Betty White, left, as Rose Nylund, Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, Bea Arthur as Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak, Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, Thom Sharp as Mr. Pfeiffer in the “It’s a ...

Estelle Getty, whose acting career bloomed late in life with her Emmy-winning performance as Sophia Petrillo, the wisecracking mother of Bea Arthur’s character on the popular NBC sitcom “The ...

Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo on Golden Girls. Estelle Getty, Golden Globe and Emmy winning actress, died today in her home in Los Angeles at the age of 84, only three days before her 85th ...

LOS ANGELES -- Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden ...

Estelle Getty, however, who played Dorothy’s wisecracking, pasta-loving mother, Sophia, only had a background in theater acting, and was less experienced than the others.

The series followed four women, Rose Nylund (Betty White), Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) and Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan).

Estelle Getty died at 84 on July 22, 2008, having battled Lewy body dementia for almost 10 years. "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her ...

Estelle Getty died at 84 on July 22, 2008, having battled Lewy body dementia for almost 10 years. "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her ...

Estelle Getty died at 84 on July 22, 2008, having battled Lewy body dementia for almost 10 years. "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her ...