Estelle Getty
July 25th, 1923
She was the 4th Golden Girl from the multi-Emmy award-winning show from the 1980s. Estelle was known as the eldest “girl” on the show, thou she was really the youngest. Many hours of the makeup chair to age her for the Friday night taping. Originally in the pilot, she was only going to be a recurring character, she was a hit with the audience, so Estelle was written into the show as a permanent cast member.
Before the Golden Girls, Estelle was a theatrical actress. Her career blossomed later in her life with the role of Sophia Petrillo. Estelle was one of the first actresses in Hollywood to advocate during the start of the AIDS epidemic when the government would not speak the words. Her nephew Steven Bruce Scher passed away at the young age of 29, and many of her fellow actors succumbed to the horrible disease. In his honor, Estelle helped open a hospice in Steven’s hometown in South Carolina. To this day, is is still helping people.
Estelle’s final resting place is in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, July 25th of this year would have been her 100th birthday.
Many would agree that the 5th character on the show was a cheesecake. Many evenings and sometimes in the middle of the night, the girls would tackle the days’ problems or celebrate while eating a cheesecake. I have posted this before, and here it is again, one of the recipes for the cheesecakes from the show. Besides the dessert, I also created several wedding cakes, sandwiches, pasta sauces, and various foods cooked in the kitchen. Have a slice for Estella’s Birthday!
Golden Girls Cheesecake Cooling. Recipe
