Dorothy was the strong, smart, sarcastic, sometimes intimidating, and arguably most grounded of the four women in the house. [30], As season 7 began, NBC moved The Golden Girls to a new night and ratings suffered, with the show's ranking going from No. During summers, she works as a tutor for local children and for a time works alongside Blanche at the local museum. Farrell, Kelly; O'Connor, Anne Marie; Powell, Joanna. From the start, Harris envisioned Dorothy as a sarcastic, authoritarian teacher who would constantly clash with her quick-witted mother. Join the Navy, see the world, sleep with Blanche Devereaux; Join the Army, be all you can be, and sleep with Blanche Devereaux; the Marines are looking for a few good men who have NOT slept with Blanche Devereaux!". Series appeared on It's never going to be as rewarding." Dorothy Zbornak's last name was taken from Kent Zbornak, a friend and colleague of show co-creator and scriptwriter Susan Harris. They played it up for weeks, angering and annoying Blanche. Rose replied, "Blanche, she can do all those things!" Dorothy also appeared in the two-part episode of The Golden Palace, "Seems Like Old Times"; she is revealed to still be married to Lucas, who does not appear, although Dorothy is shown speaking to him on the telephone. [17], Family and old friends often bring drama into Dorothy's life. [6] Dorothy later claims she was unconscious and wonders if Stan "slipped" her something in her drink. Thanks! Dorothy Zbornak-Hollingsworth (ne Petrillo) was a main and fictional character in the 1987-1992 sitcom "The Golden Girls." Dorothy can be perceived as mean but is extremely caring. Stan's brother, Ted Zbornak (McLean Stevenson), told her that he had had a crush on her since they were young. The Zbornak marriage involves many arguments and compromises, including years of struggle when Stan's business fails, but Dorothy later claims there were also many happy times together. Unfortunately, Phil passed away in the TV series due to sustaining a heart attack at around age 55 some time around December 1990, while cross-dressing in female clothing at a store (Phil's funeral on the TV series was held in Season 6, Episode 12, 'Ebbtide's Revenge', (that aired nationally on December 15th, 1990). No, Golden Girl Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) is not happy to see you, that's sass that she has bulging out of her pocket, and she's not afraid to dish it out to those that deserve it. . When Blanche considered that she and Rose should defy Dorothy, she made a list of questions, such as "Can she intimidate us?" She died in Perth Thursday afternoon. Throughout her childhood, Dorothy is a "bookworm" and becomes known as an "overachiever" in high school. But it never really dawned on me it was about these older women. Dorothy worked as a high school substitute teacher of English and American History (her major in college) for over thirty years. 54-61 (The Golden Girls), 62 (The Golden Palace) Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a19c678dabdef57 Arthur and her ex- Maude (1972) co-star, Conrad Bain, were the only 2 not to guest-star on Murder, She Wrote (1984), which featured her best friend, Angela Lansbury. At another point, remembering how funny Dorothy could be in high school, Dorothy attempts some stand-up comedy. At the end of the series, after living in Blanche's house for seven years, Dorothy meets and falls in love with Lucas Hollingsworth (Leslie Nielsen), Blanche's uncle (her father's baby brother). Arthur was born on May 13, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York. During the run of the show, it is implied that Dorothy is likely a Democrat due in part to her liberal views, although she never announces her party affiliation. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Dorothy was also shown to have a recurring gambling problem that eventually caused her to seek help through Gamblers Anonymous. Dorothy Petrillo was born in New York, New York, and was the daughter of Italian immigrants Sophia (Estelle Getty, who was actually a year younger than Arthur) and Salvadore Petrillo. However, she majored in American History. and several other possibilities. Despite the ridicule, Dorothy regards the three other women to be family, comforting to them and often giving great and forward-thinking advice. This information, combined with her birth year of 1931, means that she is 54 when the first season begins and 61 when the final season of The Golden Girls goes off the air. . She belongs to a category of early 20 th-century wordsmiths revered by their devotees, but largely forgotten in popular . Since that episode, Dorothy was never seen with a cigarette again (However, if only that were true in Beatrice Arthur's case. 35 that year, the first time the series has ever been outside of the "top ten". [8] Now divorced, Dorothy (keeping the surname of Zbornak) moves out of her house to rent a room in order to save more income. In the episode "Till Death Do We Volley" (1989), it is said Dorothy attended her high school prom in 1946, though it is not mentioned if this was during her senior year or if she was younger (as some high schools have junior proms, junior/senior proms, and proms that allow anyone in high school to attend). Though Dorothy was supposed to be the voice of reason among the Golden Girls gals, that doesn't mean she was immune to her own faults. The Golden Girls Photo Credit: Everett Collection Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) Living. It took the hair and makeup staff three hours to make her look old enough to play the sassy Italian mother we know and love, according to a 1988 article in Orange Coast magazine. 2. "They were all buying T-shirts, you know, the ones that say, 'Today is the first day of the end of your life.'". Dorothy's astrology sign, as she states in Season 4, Episode 7, Stan Takes a Wife', (aired nationally on January 7th, 1989), is a Leo. (Colucci, 2016). She was 86. It was no surprise that the executive directors of The Golden Girls of Susan Harris, Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, and Terry Hughes. Beatrice Arthur (formerly Bernice Frankel) was a relatively big name back in 60s through the 80s. She appeared in one episode of Empty Nest, entitled Dumped, in which her favorite nephew Jim dumps Barbara (Kristy McNichol). She went on to teach part-time at the school for the blind for a time. The Boscos believe their daughter, Gina, may not be their biological daughter. In her 1995 interview with This Morning, Arthur was asked about her departure from The Golden Girls and her return to live theatre. Sophia comes to her rescue and reminds Dorothy that she can get over-confident, which is one of the biggest reasons as to why Dorothy did not have many birthday parties growing up and also never went to birthday parties as a young child. Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank; Lithgow, John (2007). The story ends with Dorothy confronting one of the doctors who dismissed her, finding that the man does not recognize her. The producers were by their own admission "picky" about the casting for all the principal parts, deciding to take extra time if needed to find the right actors for each role so the cast would feel balanced and complementary. Learning this, Dorothy feared she may be a single mother with Stan's child should Stan die in South Korea. Dorothy is . Feb 4, 2023 Among all of the great roles she played over the course of her legendary career, the late, great Betty White who died on Dec. 31, 2021, at the age of 99 was perhaps beloved most. Another suitor turned out to be a married man, Glen O'Brien (portrayed by Alex Rocco in the first season); Dorothy broke off the relationship when she remembered how much it had hurt to be cheated on by Stanley. Considering this episode aired on May 6th, 1989, this sort of subject was sensitive during the late 80s. Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak Coronavirus Does Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak Have the coronavirus? Dorothy went on to study modern languages and medieval literature at Somerville College, but she was not satisfied with an academic life and throughout her career, pursued experience in copywriting, playwriting, translating literature, and teaching. 22. [26] Dorothy shared many of Bea Arthur's political views, who in a 2005 interview remarked "that's what makes Maude and Dorothy so believable: we have the same viewpoints on how our country should be handled."[27]. Along with being a lead on The Golden Girls, Arthur portrayed Dorothy in the spin-off series Empty Nest in an episode entitled "Dumped". Furthermore, she is incredibly protective of those she loves and cares for and those she considers family. In reality, Beatrice continued smoking cigarettes till it led to her premature demise to lung cancer on April 25th of 2009). [16] When her ex-husband's uncle dies, she and Stan inherit his apartment building and she becomes a landlady. [25] When Dorothy sees Blanche in a toxic relationship, the latter defends herself by saying her new boyfriend never physically assaults or hits her. Does anyone recall how old Dorothy was when her mother died? Retrieved May 26, 2020. Kent Zbornak wound up becoming the stage manager on The Golden Girls. And it just doesn't work, it's like taking a leg off a table. said Beatrice Arthur in an interview. [35], According to Arthur in an interview for The Times, "When I was first sent the script for the pilot [of The Golden Girls], I fell in love with it it was so bright, so witty, so adult. The original pilot had a butler that didn't make it to the series. Lorraine left Michael later in the series, and there was no specific mention of his child with Lorraine (Dorothy's grandchild) thereafter. Appearance. Contents 1 Life 1.1 Note 1.2 Death and Aftermath 2 Trivia Life Note Since Phil was an unseen character his details are thin but this Biography is based on the fragments that we have of him. Lorraine's family, on the other hand, didn't want her to marry Michael because he was white. Arthur also considered her the "great balloon pricker," someone who openly defied and called out hypocrisy, injustice, cruelty, delusion, short-sighted remarks, and behavior she simply found dull, ill-considered, rude, or unreasonable.[1]. Dorothy has two younger siblings, her brother Phil and her sister Gloria, nicknamed "Kitten" (played first by Doris Belack and later by Dena Dietrich). Nonetheless, throughout the TV series, Dorothy mentioned she and her younger brother, Phil, remained relatively close and maintained affection for one another well into their adulthood. (CNN) -- Bea Arthur, the actress best known for her roles as television's "Maude" and the sardonic Dorothy on "The Golden Girls," has died of cancer, a family spokesman said Saturday. In the 1000th issue of Entertainment Weekly, Dorothy Zbornak was selected as the Grandma for "The Perfect TV Family.". Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Dorothy Zbornak is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls, portrayed by Bea Arthur. I could be wrong, hoping someone knows without having to dig too far. Lorraine was African American and several years older than Michael; this initially did not sit well with Dorothy because she felt Lorraine was far too old for Michael, quipping that Lorraine was nearly "twice" Michael's age, as Lorraine was 44 and Michael was 23. In one episode, Kate flees her marriage after her husband cheats on her with her best friend, only to reconcile with him in the end. Bea Arthur and her agent investigated and discovered that several women had auditioned for a role described as "a Bea Arthur type" and it had led to a rumor that she was herself involved. The date was rather dull, and both Dorothy and Lucas were angered with Blanche for her inconsiderate attitude. "The Engagement or The Pilot"(The Golden Girls Season 1)(September 14, 1985) In an interview for the 2003 TV special The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments, Bea Arthur said, "Dorothy Zbornak was probably the only sane person on the show. She teaches a night-school course for adults wishing to complete their high school equivalency, including Rose. She consoles Jean following the death of the woman's romantic partner Pat and offers her sympathy when Jean later realizes she is developing romantic feelings for a heterosexual woman. He got lucky, and they now live on Maui.". On the other hand, Dorothy, and her younger sister, Gloria, are the opposite. Her college roommate is Jean (former Miss America semifinalist Lois Nettleton) and the two become close friends. She also acted with her mother in a pizza commercial, but it was aborted when Sophia tasted the pizza for the first time and hated it and walked out. The series showed a social awareness in various episodes. Bea Arthur portrayed Dorothy in every episode of The Golden Girls. Arthur and McClanahan were friends on "Maude" and White and McClanahan . In adulthood, Dorothy becomes estranged from Gloria after the younger sister marries a wealthy man. During this time, she becomes godmother to a friend's daughter, Jenny.[11]. If clothes could talk, Garland's Dorothy costume would reveal a punishing regime. Stan had a one-night stand with this Katherine during one of his business trips in Maui, Hawaii. She started smoking cigarettes again after quitting many years earlier, because of stress from her job and her mother's remarriage. Dorothy Zbornak - The Golden Girls profiles The sarcastic substitute school teacher made the move to Miami after she divorced her philandering husband of thirty-eight years, Stanley. (season 7) The Golden Girls (1985-1992) was a popular NBC sitcom about four previously married over-50 women who live together in Miami, sharing their various experiences together and enjoying themselves despite hard times. [10] During this time, Dorothy also teaches part-time at a school for the blind. Despite Stan's hope to derail the marriage, he took her to the church in style (in a limo), and although he wanted to say something, he didn't. In an earlier episode, Dorothy's lesbian friend, Jean (portrayed by former Miss America semifinalist Lois Nettleton), came to Miami for a visit and struck up a friendship with Rose, with whom Jean suspected she was falling in love. It was a great combination of all elements." "I feel that you have backed me into a corner, and when I am backed into a corner, I come out fighting like a wildcat. [18] Dorothy is concerned about Michael's marriage since it is partially spurred by the fact that Lorraine is pregnant and is 44 years old while he is in his 20s (though a later episode sets his age at several years older). 8. They would eventually make several attempts to reconcile, but never ultimately got back together. A little boy has dressed up as Prince Harry holding his incendiary autobiography Spare for World Book Day. with her mother, Sophia, and two new friends, Blanche and Rose, in a house in Miami. Her divorce, along with previous negative and abusive relationships, sometimes made her insecure about new relationships. I loved her, she had great humor She was the steady one. Everyone embraces one another at the relieving results. In "Dorothy's Prized Pupil", Dorothy expresses compassion for such as Mario (Mario Lopez), a student who is an undocumented immigrant, offering to help him. Without blinking, Dorothy requests for Barbara to leave and never to return again. The very deep fear of Sophia, Dorothy, Gloria, The Boscos, Blanche, and Rose all rest on the results of this DNA test. I hear you're doing a new series Something called Golden Girls.'" "Why the 'Schitt's Creek' Emmys 2020 wins are so historic", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dorothy_Zbornak&oldid=1137024435, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Salvadore "Sal" Petrillo (father; deceased), This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 10:58. Dorothy is also very intelligent, practical, no-nonsense and a known bookworm. Stan and Dorothy eventually moved to Miami, but divorced after 38 years when Stan fell for a stewardess named Chrissy and ran off to Maui with her. In the season three episode, "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself" (1987), Sophia says Dorothy was conceived in 1931, after Sophia's and Salvadore's first argument as newlyweds. "She does consider herself the Godfather; I'll just make her an offer she can't remember." Dorothy then decides to complete her high school GED following Dorothy's and Stan's marriage as well as the births of the two children, Michael and Kate. Arthur admitted that even though she wanted to leave, and was happy that Dorothy would be marrying the "gorgeous" Leslie Nielsen, she was very sad to do so in the end and say goodbye to the cast and crew. 7. TV Shows on DVD. McClanahan explained that while that had been the original idea the plan had changed; she would portray "the vamp" Blanche and White would be playing Rose. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. This was a running gag during the show's run, where Sophia would often refer to Shady Pines as a prison, and Dorothy would defend it as a lovely retirement village. "It became Golden Girls in the Lobby without Bea. Dorothy is a very dedicated and strong-willed teacher, earning the nickname "Attila The Sub," which she loved. Elaine Stritch was reportedly considered for the role of Dorothy Zbornak while The Golden Girls was in development, under the assumption that Arthur (the series was originally conceived with "a Bea Arthur type" in mind) would not consider returning to a regular television series. Of the 14 episodes, Stritch herself adapted 13 original Maude scripts and co-star Richard Griffiths adapted one. Family Members [10] Likewise, Dorothy openly discusses her brother Phil Petrillo's cross-dressing without ever shaming him or feeling embarrassed that he does so. He was born in Barcelona, and his most famous role was in the television series "The Golden Girls" as Dorothy Zbornak's husband, Llus Bonet. In the episode Stan Takes A Wife, Dorothy states that she is a Leo during a conversation. "[30] It was decided that Dorothy's departure in the season finale would be marked by giving her a happy ending with a marriage to "a nice guy" in contrast with the many failed romances audiences had seen her in and with the fact that the show had begun with her recently divorced from a cheating husband. Despite dealing with her own heartbreak, Dorothy is always a source of wisdom, comfort and calm for the other women. Dorothea "Dorothy" Zbornak-Hollingsworth (ne Petrillo), portrayed by using Beatrice Arthur, become a fictional character from the TV series The Golden Girls. The women's ages were usually not explicitly stated, although some deductive work gives a pretty safe estimate of how old each Golden Girl was at the start of the series. After briefly engaging in gambling again, she immediately falls into old habits, avoiding social situations but dismissing professional work in order to gamble more. The Golden GirlsThe Golden Palace One of her former students hired her to teach business executives for his company, but they showed no interest in her teaching, and she realized that she liked teaching younger, impressionable students. In the show's first season, Arthur made a guest appearance as Dorothy in a two-episode story "Seems Like Old Times". Dorothy was called "Pussycat" by her mother and "Spumoni Face" by her father. Then Judas, who betrayed him, seeing that he was condemned, repenting himself, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and ancients, saying: "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." July 31, 1931 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. NBC. While Dorothy is shaken to learn Lorraine is Black,. When she did, Arthur said, "Rue, I'm not interested in playing Maude and Vivian Meet Sue Ann Nivens." Such was . ", Sophia: "Because I love pussycats, and I love you. He died on December 6, 1941 at age 36 from heart failure. Dorothy often acted as den mother and voice of reason among the quartet, "the great leveler" according to Bea Arthur, though at times she also acted foolishly or negatively and would need her friends and family to help ground her again. Dorothy Zbornak is a teacher and the daughter of Salvadore and Sophia Petrillo. When her son Mike decides to marry a woman 21 years older than him, Dorothy is concerned about the age difference but later concedes is not her business to stop them from marrying. Well, the rest was history. Dorothy believes that Gloria unfairly judges her and resents that her mother sometimes refers to the younger sister as the "good daughter," while Gloria resents Dorothy, considering her to be the favored daughter for being so responsible and intelligent. Soon enough, however, Sophia acted a tad brashly and that IQ turned out to be a lie Dorothy's nickname is 'Pussycat' as often called by her mother, Sophia: Sophia: "You know why I call you pussycat, Pussycat? Yet, after all they have been through, despite having two children of their own, the two split divorce after 38 years due to Stan's infidelity with a younger woman. Ever since she was a little girl, her broad knowledge can result in her being rude, inconsiderate, blunt, and sometimes foolish. At an early age, Phil demonstrates that he sometimes prefers to wear feminine clothing, and Dorothy accepts this, remarking later that she sometimes borrowed her brother's outfits. Multiple episodes of The Golden Girls dealt with LGBT issues and with Dorothy's inclusive attitudes (Bea Arthur herself was openly supportive of the LGBT community). Sophia begins to cry, terrified that she may have lived her whole life wondering if Dorothy was truly her blood-related daughter. . Character Information This. Leslie Nielsen played Lucas Hollingsworth, Blanche's uncle (her father's brother), whom Dorothy later married. She had a previous boyfriend who was emotionally-abusive towards her when she was younger in high school. Arthur herself was not asked due to an assumption she would not consider returning to a regular television series after spending years as the strongly opinionated lead character of Maude. who died in 2010. Female I think of Bea very often in a very maternal way. However, she does not advance to the next round. Nevertheless, Sophia warns Dorothy that she may be overdoing it. Golden Girls star Bea dies at 86. However, there are times when Rose and Blanche are scared of her, specifically when she gets angry. She played Dorothy Zbornak from 1985 to 1993, but only made one guest appearance on the spinoff, The Golden Palace (1992). Dorothy and Stan had been married for 38 years, with the 'cause' of their marriage was the fact that Stan had gotten Dorothy pregnant late in their high school years. She was a "bookworm", and an over-achiever in high school. She meets Rose Nylund, a widow from the town of St. Olaf, and the two rent rooms in a house owned by widow Blanche Devereaux, from a wealthy family in Atlanta. In the episode "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself" (1987), Sophia says Dorothy was conceived in 1931, after Sophia and Salvadore's first argument as newlyweds (Bea Arthur herself was born in 1922). Other times, when Dorothy would become exasperated with her mother or try to get Sophia to listen to her, Dorothy would threaten "Shady Pines, Ma! Dorothy later dismisses this possibility, deciding the people who raised her are her real parents. In the first episode of the third season, Dorothy mentions that her mother wouldn't let her wear a bikini until she was 15, but I thought it was mentioned in another episode that she was 6 when she died. They said, On arrival, give the passengers a lei. She got confused. She also then learned French, and became a high school substitute teacher for the subjects of American History and English. Was Blanche's age revealed Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) Dorothy's so thrilled to be alive and well that she takes the ladies out to dinner, spending $400 on a bottle of champagne in the . She then married Henry Clark McCormick of Fresno, California. When Blanche and Rose warn her that her new friend Barbara Thorndyke seems toxic, narrow-minded and snobbish, Dorothy repeatedly defends the woman, despite her obvious condescending attitudes. Arguably, Dorothy is the most grounded out of the four girls in the house. A later episode, "An Illegitimate Concern", implies her graduation date would have been 1949. "I started doing sitcom television in 1972. Dorothy also had a younger sister, Gloria Petrillo-Harker, who married into money, moved with her wealthy husband to California, and with whom Dorothy became estranged. Yet another prospect, named Eddie (John Fiedler), was the best lover Dorothy ever had, but Dorothy broke up with Eddie as well because their relationship never progressed past the physical stage. She also did some acting at the local theater and even did a few attempted gigs of stand-up comedy. [12] At times, she pursues acting in local theatre[13] and commercial work[14] and briefly attempts stand-up comedy. Dorothy states in one episode that she is a Leo[3] (born in July or August). In spite of her strengths, Dorothy has several phobias including hospitals and flying. 182 Dorothy was the only character on 'The Golden Girls' who was not married to the love of her lifestyle at some point The actuality that Dorothy's marriage to Stan ended in divorce was one particular differentiating element, but there is far more. Her divorce, along with previous negative and abusive relationships, sometimes intimidating, they... 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