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Thirty years ago today, " The Golden Girls" premiered on television.

The series, starring Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan as four women sharing a Miami home, was an instant hit -- and eventually won all four of its stars Emmys.

"It was so exciting to be with four people with that chemistry. I'll never forget that first read," White once told DVD Talk. "That just continued through the series. It was such a pleasure to see four professionals who knew good material and respected it."

The chemistry between the four actresses is obvious to anyone who's watched the show, but here are a few facts that even the biggest "Golden Girls" fan might not know.

1. The original pilot had a butler that didn't make it to the series.

2. Many of the stars worked with each other before. Arthur and McClanahan were friends on "Maude" and White and McClanahan collaborated on "Mama's Family."

3. The series had several writing teams which may account for the huge difference in number and names of kids, different relatives, and character histories between seasons.

4. The layout of the house also changed.

5. The theme song, "Thank You for Being a Friend," was originally written and recorded by Andrew Gold. For the show, however, Cynthia Fee sang.

6. Elaine Stritch auditioned for the part of Dorothy, but claimed that the writer didn't like her very much. "I didn't get the job," she said. "I blew a multi-million, zillion dollar, international, syndicated, residual-grabbing, bopparoni, smasharoni, television situation comedy entitled, 'The Golden Girls'!"

7. Arthur auditioned for "Golden Girls" after Dorothy was described initially as "a Bea Arthur-type." "I thought it was brilliant," she told the Archive of American Television of reading the first script. "I thought it was one of the funniest, most adult, hilarious, sophisticated, terrific, delicious things I had ever read."

8. McClanahan remembered things a bit differently. She said that Susan Harris, the show's co-executive producer, asked her to persuade Arthur to take the part, as she kept turning it down. "I said, 'Why are you turning down the best script that's ever going to come across your desk as long as you live?' and she said, 'Rue, I have no interest in playing Maude and Vivian meets Sue Ann Nevins.'" Eventually, McClanahan explained that she was going to play Blanche and White was going to play Rose, and that piqued Arthur's interest.

9. Arthur's confusion would have been understandable. Originally, the part of Blanche was offered to White, and McClanahan was given the part of Rose. Eventually, they switched.

10. According to the New York Times, Getty won the role of Sophia after she showed up to the audition looking like "a little old lady."

11. Still, Getty was not the oldest "Golden Girl" in real life. That title belongs to White.

12. According McClanahan, Getty, a Jewish woman, tried to make her character Sophia's backstory more in sync with her own life. "She kept saying, 'Can't we make these characters Jewish?!' She would've felt so much more comfortable than trying to be Italian," she recalled. "Although, I mean, it worked."

13. Unlike her character, Arthur hated cheesecake.

14. The queen mum was a huge fan of the show. The stars actually performed for her.

15. McClanahan wrote in her memoir that Sir Laurence Olivier was a fan of the series, too.

16. In a talk show interview, McClanahan and Getty said it took nine hours to rehearse an episode.

17. "Golden Girls" hit many controversial topics for its time including AIDS, gay marriage, and teen pregnancy.

18. Getty said in one interview that she was choosy about what Sophia would say. "I have a thing about gratuitous pain," she said. "Why would you make fun of somebody who's fat or who's cross-eyed or who's bald? And I won't do gay-bashing jokes." She also rejected a joke once that had a punchline relating to domestic violence.

19. White, a frequent game show competitor, would play word games with equally competitive McClanahan between takes.

20. McClanahan had a clause in her contract to keep all her clothes.

21. She also wasn't super-close with Arthur. "Bea and I didn't have a lot of relationship going on. Bea is a very, very eccentric woman. She wouldn't go to lunch unless Betty [White] would go with her," McClanahan said in an interview with the Archive of American Television. "She was very dependent on keeping everything as it always had been, and I was anything but that."

22. Getty had horrible stage fright in front of live audiences.

23. Arthur said that one of her favorite scenes was with Getty in which they dressed as Sonny and Cher and sang "I Got You Babe." "Oh God, it was fun," she told the Archive of American Television.

24. Many actors guest-starred on the show including Leslie Nielsen, Caesar Romero, Sonny Bono, Lyle Wagner, and even George Clooney.

25. Every character was engaged or married in the show. Dorothy got married and moved in the final episode.

26. According to reports, 27.2 million people watched the show's 1992 series finale.

27. "Golden Girls" spawned two spin-offs: "Empty Nest" and "Golden Palace." The "Empty Nest" pilot was an episode on "Golden Girls" featuring Rita Moreno. "Golden Palace" was the show that came after the "Golden Girls" featuring three of the four stars. (Arthur passed.)

28. McClanahan wrote in her memoir, "My Five Husbands... and the Ones Who Got Away" that she proposed the idea of having a fourth roommate replace Dorothy in "Golden Palace," but the producers rejected the idea. "'The Golden Girls' was already in syndication which is where the producers make the megabucks," she wrote. "This new show only had to last three seasons to go into syndication. More megabucks. But it was too big a gamble in my opnion, which of course, counted for a flea's fart." "Golden Palace" was canceled after one season.

29. McClanahan also wrote that all three actresses involved in "Golden Palace" made the same salary.

30. Betty White is the only living "Golden Girl." Estelle Getty died in 2008 at 84 from Lewy body dementia, Bea Arthur died of cancer at 86 in 2009, and Rue McClanahan died at 76 in 2010 from a stroke.

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30 Things You Never Knew About 'The Golden Girls'

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Thirty years ago today, "The Golden Girls" premiered on television. The series, starring Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan as four women sharing a Miami home, was an instant hit -- and eventually won all four of its stars Emmys. "It was so exciting to be with four people...

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Blanche: Let me get a look at you, girl. Blanche: Mmm, terrific little figure, gorgeous hair, perfect skin. Blanche: Just like looking in a mirror. Sophia: Get some Windex!

Ed: I understand, Lucy. Would you mind if I gave you a call sometime? Lucy: Sure, I guess that'd be okay. Ed: Not you, Lucy. I was talking to Rose. Rose: Oh, I don't think so. Ed: Are you sure? Tuesday night, I'm getting together with a couple of buddies. Ed: We're going through Don Johnson's trash!

Sophia: I had my appendix out in a hospital in Sicily. That was rough! Sophia: They didn't believe in anesthesia back then. Sophia: They had a nurse hold a pillow over your face so the other patients couldn't hear your screams. Sophia: You had to pay extra for that. Sophia: Sicily, love it or leave it.

i feel like i've seen every GG but i have no clue what ep this is from! (http://thank-you-for-being-a-friend.tumblr.com/post/2814131215)

it's the opening scene in ep 01.17 nice & easy

(helpful hint: the last tag that i tag each photo with is the title of the episode)

i feel like i've seen every GG but i have no clue what ep this is from! (http://thank-you-for-being-a-friend.tumblr.com/post/2814131215)

it's the opening scene in ep 01.17 nice & easy

(helpful hint: the last tag that i tag each photo with is the title of the episode)

Blanche: Sophia, what are you doing? Sophia: Painting numbers on my toes. Sophia: I keep forgetting their names.

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Blanche: Let me get a look at you, girl. Blanche: Mmm, terrific little figure, gorgeous hair, perfect skin. Blanche: Just like looking in a mirror. Sophia: Get some Windex! Ed: I understand, Lucy. Would you mind if I gave you a call sometime? Lucy: Sure, I guess that'd be okay.

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getting to know the characters a bit more 

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getting to know the characters a bit more 

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The Golden Girls won several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice. It also won three Golden Globes for outstanding TV series comedy/musical. All four stars each received an Emmy Award throughout the series' run and each had multiple nominations. It also ranked among the top ten highest-rated programs for six out of its seven seasons.

Series overview Edit

Main Characters Edit

Dorothy Zbornak

Dorothy Zbornak (née Petrillo) was raised in Brooklyn, New York by her mother Sophia and her father Salvadore "Sal" Petrillo. Nicknamed "Pussycat" by her mother, Dorothy had a younger brother and sister. Brother Phil, a cross-dresser, was never seen on the show. Sister Gloria, the youngest Petrillo, married into money; she appeared in two episodes.

A few weeks after their high school prom, Stanley "Stan" Zbornak got Dorothy pregnant and married her to legitimize the baby. Stan and Dorothy were married for 38 years, although Stan cheated on her numerous times, finally leaving her for a young flight attendant named Chrissy. Dorothy had two children with Stan, Kate and Michael.

After moving to Miami in her later years, Dorothy continued working as a substitute teacher. Though Dorothy and Stan were divorced, he made numerous appearances on the show, usually running to Dorothy whenever something went wrong in his life, and always opening with the line "Hi...it's me, Stan".

Rose Nylund

Rose Nylund (née Lindstrom) was from the small farming town of St. Olaf, Minnesota, a community of Scandinavian-Americans. Rose loved telling profoundly strange stories of life growing up there. Typical stories focused on people with names such as Hans, Lars, or Sven and various experiences with herring. Though Rose was decidedly the mildest-mannered of all four roommates, she had an incredibly competitive streak, which reared its head during several situations, most notably the bowling championship in the episode entitled The Competition and while coaching a boys' football team with Dorothy.

Rose was known for being quite naive and taking the meaning of everything literally. For example, Dorothy once mentioned that she once cut off Stan's sex, prompting Rose to ask, "You mean it grows back?" She was considered rather stupid by the other characters but occasionally offered superior insight and knowledge. She once helped Dorothy install a new toilet and exhibited thorough knowledge of plumbing parts, and claimed that the Journal of Abnormal Psychology was published in St. Olaf and that she'd read every issue.

Rose's husband Charlie had died before the series. He and Rose had several children, most of whom appeared onscreen during the series, as did other members of Rose' large family. Rose held various jobs throughout the series.

Blanche Devereaux

Blanche Elizabeth Marie Devereaux (née Hollingsworth), daughter of Elizabeth Ann "Big Mommy" Bennett Roquet Hollingsworth and Curtis "Big Daddy" Hollingsworth, was a Southern belle who grew up on a plantation named Twin Oaks outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and raised a Baptist. Blanche was always "the apple of her father's eye". Blanche had a love-hate relationship with her sisters Charmaine and Virginia. She also faced difficulty coming to terms with the homosexuality of her brother Clay and the mental illness of her brother Tad.

The house that the ladies shared, at 6151 Richmond St., initially belonged to Blanche, who had lived there for many years with her late husband George Devereaux. Later in the series, however, she sold equal shares of the house to Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia. Blanche and George possibly had 6 children: two daughters Rebecca and Janet (both of whom made appearances on the show) and four sons (including Matthew (who appeared in the spin-off series The Golden Palace).

Sophia Petrillo

Sophia Petrillo (née Gristani) was born in Sicily and moved to New York after she left Guido Spirelli at the altar (it was to be an arranged marriage). As a teenager, she was briefly engaged to a young man from her village, Augustine Bagatelli. In the fifth-season episode The Mangiacavallo Curse Makes a Lousy Wedding Present, it was revealed that she was also engaged to another young man, Giuseppe Mangiacavallo, when she was 14. He left her at the altar. She married Salvadore "Sal" Petrillo, and they had three children: Dorothy, Phil and Gloria.

Sophia was put away in the Shady Pines Retirement Home by Dorothy prior to the start of the series. Sophia had suffered a massive stroke, which, on more than one occasion, was said to have destroyed the part of her brain that acted as a censor; indeed, much of Sophia's popularity comes from her humorous, and often shocking, frankness and general lack of inhibition. Sophia occasionally pretends to be slightly senile. In the pilot episode, she came to live with the girls after Shady Pines burned down. In a later episode, Sophia tried to run away to Sicily after becoming the prime suspect in starting the fire after making s'mores with a roommate on an illegal hotplate. Sophia never had good things to say about her retirement home, and she alluded to poor treatment by the staff many times throughout the series' run (although, in an episode meant to raise awareness about poor-quality nursing homes, she did admit that the treatment at Shady Pines was satisfactory). There were constant hints in the series that she and her family back in Sicily had some mafia connections; she once stated that she had lived through "two world wars, 15 vendettas, 4 operations and two Darrens on Bewitched." In one episode, she accidentally let it slip that she knew what happened to Jimmy Hoffa.

Recurring characters Edit

Spin-Offs Edit

References Edit

1. Bosman, Julie (November 8, 2005). . ↑ "The Grandchildren of 'The Golden Girls'". The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/08/business/media/08adco.html.

2. Du Brow, Rick (April 28, 1992). . ↑ "'Golden Girl' Getty Will Miss Her TV 'Daughter'". Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-28/entertainment/ca-840_1_golden-girls.

3. Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank; Lithgow, John (2007). ↑ Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time. Black Dog Publishing. p. 137. ISBN 1-57912-752-5.

4. . ↑ "Most Watched Series Finales". Classic TV Databasehttp://classic-tv.com/ratings/most-watched-series-finales.html.

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The Golden Girls is an American live-action television show that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a Miami home.

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Ron Tom | NBCU Photo Bank | Getty Images

Come Feb. 13, Hulu is hoping some viewers thank them for being a friend.

On that date, the streaming service has exclusive streaming rights to all 180 episodes of "The Golden Girls" - the hit 1980s sitcom about four older women living the single life in Miami - available in its digital library.

More than two decades after its last episode aired, "The Golden Girls" remains a cultural touchstone, and helped turn now-95-year-old Betty White into one of America's enduring sweethearts.

Although "The Golden Girls" was ranked by the Writers Guild of America at number 69 of its 101 best written series of all time, the show is less of a cultural phenomenon than a ratings juggernaut like "Seinfeld" - raising the question of whether the show can pay dividends in the competitive landscape of streaming media.

"The Golden Girls" "has really stood the test of time and is still resonating with audiences. So, when the opportunity came up to license it, we knew we had to take it," a Hulu spokesperson explained to CNBC.

In 2015, Hulu made headlines when it landed "Seinfeld" for an amount reported to be between $130 million and $180 million. The spokesperson told CNBC that as a matter of policy, Hulu does not divulge how much it pays for content licensing agreements, but defended the "Golden Girls" acquisition as a good bet.

"In identifying potential acquisitions, we're constantly looking for TV shows that viewers consistently talk about but aren't yet able to stream," he said.

"It was 'Sex and the City' before there was a 'Sex and the City'-just with an older cast and more wicker furniture." -Emily Taffel, Public relations executive

Fair enough, but can a group of retirees from the 1980s pull in the viewers needed to justify the investment?

"Given the fact that shows like 'Seinfeld' and 'The Golden Girls' run so frequently in syndication, it may seem counterintuitive for streaming services to have such significant interest," said Elizabeth Yuko, an adjunct professor of ethics at Fordham University who has studied the influence of "The Golden Girls" on bioethics.

Hulu's move makes perfect sense in a certain context, Yuko told CNBC. "A lot of the younger generations no longer subscribe to cable ... and therefore don't have access to shows like 'The Golden Girls' that we think of as airing constantly."

Christopher Coby, senior research analyst at 7Park Data, a company that analyzes viewership trends on several streaming media services, including Hulu, said that any streaming service hoping to make a splash with viewers needed a full slate of comedy programs for viewers to choose from. He suspects Baby Boomers - and perhaps their adult children - would glom onto "The Golden Girls" when it becomes available.

"Comedy accounts for the most streams of any TV genre," Coby told CNBC, adding that around 20 percent of Hulu TV streams are comedy, for largely competitive reasons. Streaming giant Netflix holds nearly 40 percent of the streaming market, according to 2015 Nielsen data, while Amazon holds 13 percent. Hulu brings up the rear at 6.5 percent.

"Hulu must defend against Netflix and Amazon," Coby said. "For Hulu, continuing to build on a core of library TV is an important part of the growth picture." Netflix already has a big leg up with some of the more iconic TV franchises of the 80s and 90s, he added, including "Cheers," "The Wonder Years" and "Friends." Currently, Amazon licenses "Family Ties," "Dynasty" and "Sex and the City."

The original 'Sex and the City'

Daniel Malak, an associate at data analytics firm Motionloft, said that the acquisition may be an attempt to court other key groups such as lesbians, gays and bisexuals - a demographic where "The Golden Girls" is wildly popular. Recent estimates place LGBT purchasing power at nearly $1 trillion, making them an attractive advertising target for Hulu, Malak said.

Fordham's Yuko added that the "The Golden Girls" reappearance on a new medium like Hulu has major nostalgic value, and presents an opportunity to introduce a new generation.

For someone like Emily Taffel, a 36-year-old public relations executive who lives in the "Golden Girls'" old stomping grounds of Miami, Hulu's latest deal is an opportunity for both nostalgia and comfort.

"You know how when you're sick, you want something comfortable that you already know? Chicken soup, a hug from your mom," Taffel said, adding that she was already a years-long fan of the show.

"It is one of the best written shows and the humor stands up," she said. "It was 'Sex and the City' before there was a 'Sex and the City' - just with an older cast and more wicker furniture."

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Why Hulu is hoping to turn old 'Golden Girls' episodes into a 21st-century gold mine

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Ron Tom | NBCU Photo Bank | Getty Images Come Feb. 13, Hulu is hoping some viewers thank them for being a friend. On that date, the streaming service has exclusive streaming rights to all 180 episodes of "The Golden Girls" - the hit 1980s sitcom about four older women living the single life in Miami - available in its digital library.

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Show was well known, lots of people stop by at their resturant

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A new restaurant in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan pays tribute to one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time: Golden Girls. Like most theme restaurants, Rue La Rue Cafe offers nods to its source material via its decor and menu. But unlike many theme restaurants - like, say, Beetle House or Stay Classy - this one has a real, bona fide connection to the show because it's co-owned by Mark Bish, the son of actress Rue McLanahan, and Michael J. LaRue, who is the executor of her estate. The walls are adorned with Golden Girls artifacts from McLanahan's personal archive, which she hoped to someday share with fans. LaRue tells the New York Times: " It's a museum with good food."

As the story goes, LaRue met McLanahan many years ago at a charity event at Studio 54. They hit it off and stayed friends till her passing in 2010. The actress, who was married six times, apparently used to joke about getting hitched to LaRue so that her name could be Rue LaRue. The restaurateur also tells the NYT: "I once asked Rue why she got married so often, and she said, 'I don't want to die alone ... And she didn't;I was there, holding her. I was able to look in her eyes and tell her, 'Everything's going to be okay, you have nothing to worry about.'"

After a few weeks in business, the Rue La Rue Cafe is already very busy. Here are some of the things inside the restaurant that will likely impress Golden Girls superfans:

* A display case with the shoes that McClanahan wore in the Golden Girls pilot, plus a podium bearing her 1987 Emmy Award. The dining room also has mannequins draped in various gowns that McClanahan wore on the show.

* Two walls with the same "banana leaf Martinique" wallpaper that McClanahan's character, Blanche, had in her bedroom.

* A shrine to the yellow phone that the ladies used on the show.

* A menu that includes real-life versions of foods that were consumed on Golden Girls, like Genügenflürgen cake and lasagna al forno. Guests can also order dishes made from recipes that the Golden Girls actresses used in real life, like Betty White's angel food cake, and Bea Arthur's chutney. Of course, cheesecake is also on the menu.

* A wall dedicated to photos of McClanahan's husbands, and another that's entirely full of Betty White pictures.

* A gold star plaque on the sidewalk outside the restaurant bearing Rue McLanahan's name with the message, "Thank you for being a friend."

* Individual coffee blends named after all four of the Golden Girls.

* Pink and mint checkered tiles in the bathroom, just like at the Golden Girls house, as well as a door depicting a naked rear end on one side and an exposed breast on the other (this was part of McClanahan's personal art collection).

* A flat screen TV showing episodes of the Golden Girls. The cafe also features live music on a regular basis.

La Rue has 220 artifacts from the show, which he plans to circulate throughout the year. Right now, Rue La Rue Cafe is offering breakfast and lunch, but there are plans to serve dinner soon.
* Cheesecake for the Soul: A 'Golden Girls' Cafe Opens [NYT]
* 'Golden Girls'-inspired café now open [CNN]
* 'Golden Girls'-Themed Cafe Teases Opening with Photos of Sassy Decor Galore [E]

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The Golden Girls Restaurant Is Real and Fabulous

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A new restaurant in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan pays tribute to one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time: Golden Girls. Like most theme restaurants, Rue La Rue Cafe offers nods to its source material via its decor and menu.

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Sophias First funny moment

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Sophia Arrives at Blanche's House - The Golden Girls (Season 1, Episode 1)

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Sophia turns up at Blanche's house claiming that her nursing home burn't down.

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Everyone knows and loves " The Golden Girls." But who knew that a television show about three widows and a divorcée would leave an indelible mark on American pop culture? For almost thirty years, the adventures of Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia and Rose entertained us. Most people can even sing the theme song. But what do we know about the house that the series was set in?

We do know the address: 6151 Richmond Street, Miami, Florida (unfortunately, no such address exists in the real world.) The house was originally owned by Blanche. Then, Dorothy and Rose moved in after replying to a "roommate wanted" ad that Blanche left at a grocery store. Finally, Sophia moved in after the Shady Pines Retirement Home burnt down, and the rest is history.

The exact layout of the house was never made clear, though several people have come up with varying ideas of the floor plan based on descriptions of the house from the series itself. Though this can be subject to debate, what we can all agree on are how the rooms inside looked.

The one that we're probably most familiar with is their huge, iconic living room. It has to be bigger than most Manhattan apartments! During an episode in the third season, it was used to host a press conference with Soviet Union officials honoring Rose's plea for nuclear disarmament. Unfortunately for Rose, they thought she was a preschooler. The furniture is made of wicker and there are loud floral prints everywhere. Hey, this was Miami during the 1980s!

The other main room was their kitchen, which was pretty small by comparison. There were only two important pieces of furniture in it: a small circular table with seating usually for three and a kitchen island. The kitchen set might be familiar to some people; it was used for the short-lived sitcom " It Takes Two" which served as a big break for actors Anthony Edwards and Helen Hunt. For the first season of "The Golden Girls," the kitchen windows looked out into a Chicago city background, a leftover prop from the set's "It Takes Two" days. But by the second season, it was replaced with a more appropriate Miami background.

As for their sleeping quarters, Blanche had the master bedroom. It was her house after all, and she did have the most visitors (wink). Not to mention, she constantly alluded to there being a mirror over the bed (wink again.) It's commonly believed that Sophia's bedroom was fairly close to the kitchen, since the late-night discussions held there usually awakened a certain cranky Sicilian. Dorothy and Rose's rooms were fairly unremarkable.

The outside of the house is interesting in its own right. For the first season, the exterior shots of the home were taken at a real house in Brentwood, California. According to several blogs like LA Snark and Miami Beach 411, the house is in a quiet neighborhood.

From the second season onward, exterior shots were filmed at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios. They built an exact replica of the house in Orlando. Vacation-goers can actually see the house as a park attraction, where you would be taken on a tram tour of "Residential Street" which features other house exteriors.

A look at the home on the Disney set. Flickr photo by
RunTimmy.

Right next door to "The Golden Girls" house was the house from " Empty Nest," which was fitting since that show was a spinoff of "The Golden Girls," chronicling the life of their widowed pediatrician neighbor Harry Weston (played by Richard Mulligan) and his daughters. This show in turn spun off the sitcom " Nurses," which also featured appearances by the ladies from "The Golden Girls." Now, "The Golden Girls" and the "Empty Nest" façades were torn down in 2003 and replaced with the " Lights Motor Action!" attraction.

Still, Dorothy, Blanche, Sophia and Rose will always be our favorite neighbors.

For a real-life look at how celebrities live off-set, check out this slideshow.
Have something to say? Check out HuffPost Home on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram.
**
Do you have a home story idea or tip? Email us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

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What You Didn't Know About 'The Golden Girls' Home

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Everyone knows and loves " The Golden Girls." But who knew that a television show about three widows and a divorcée would leave an indelible mark on American pop culture? For almost thirty years, the adventures of Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia and Rose entertained us. Most people can even sing the theme song.

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although the cast of the golden girls were portrayed to be alot older then they actually were. just only one actor from the show is alive today
https://www.women.com/ashleyreign/lists/heres-what-the-golden-girls-cast-looks-like-now

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Check out what The Golden Girls looked like in various eras of their lives!

With the recent release of the classic sitcom The Golden Girls on Hulu , you may have found yourself wondering what the Golden Girls look like now. Unfortunately while researching the very same question, we came upon the sad news that three of the four ladies are no longer with us, leaving only Betty White to remain out there spinning comedic gold.

So while we can't show you what the Golden Girls look like now, we can show you what they looked like during various part of their lives, including their youth and post-Golden Girl days.

During the hilarious sitcom's seven year run, each and every one of the four ladies of the main cast won Emmy's for their work on the show. Not only did it deliver a constant stream of laughter, it was considered groundbreaking for its time for featuring a cast of women over 40.

So come on in and check out what The Golden Girls looked like throughout various eras of their lives and find out what each did after leaving the show.

Bea Arthur As Dorothy Zbornak

Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy Zbornak on the Golden Girls, was also a Tony Award-winning actress who also appeared on All in the Family and a subsequent spin-off show in which she appeared in the title role of Maude.

After the iconic Golden Girls came to an end, Bea went on to guest star on shows like Malcolm in the Middle and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and even mounted her own one-woman show called "And Then There's Bea" in 2001. The next year, she appeared on Broadway in the Tony-Award nominated "Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends."

Apart from the world of acting, Bea was also a strong activist and supported causes such as animal rights and AIDS research. She also made a generous donation to a home for homeless LGBT youth called the Bea Arthur Residence which is due to open its doors this summer in NYC.

Bea passed away from cancer at the age of 86 in her Los Angeles home in 2009 and left behind two sons whom she had with second husband Gene Saks.

Betty White As Rose Nylund

Betty White, who played Rose Nylund on the Golden Girls, has been in show business since the 1950's and is still out there keeping all our hopes alive that she'll be around forever. Throughout her long career in show business, she's appeared on numerous sitcoms, TV shows, and game shows, and even recently hosted Saturday Night Live.

After the Golden Girls ended in 1992, Betty went on to appear on numerous other shows including Golden Palace, Boston Legal, and The Bold and the Beautiful. She also won another Emmy for her 1996 portrayal of herself on "The John Larroquette Show."

In 2009, she also appeared in the film The Proposal alongside Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, before making a return to Television the next year as a series regular on the hysterical sitcom Hot In Cleveland with Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick.

She was nominated for yet another Emmy in 2012 for her hidden camera prank show Betty White's Off Their Rockers, which she hosts herself. She also recently celebrated her 90th birthday with a star-studded televised program on which she was honored by stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Morgan Freeman, Tina Fey, Ray Romano, Seth Meyers and Tracy Morgan, Carl Reiner, Mary Tyler Moore, and Ed Asner.

Aside from acting, she also has a great love for animals and has done charity work with the Los Angeles Zoo and the Morris Animal Foundation for over four decades. In addition to being an activist, she's also a writer and has published several books including 1987's Betty White In Person and 1995's Here We Go Again: My Life in Television, which was re-released in 2010. Her most recent works include 2011's If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) and My Life at the Zoo: Betty and Her Friends.

Rue McClanahan As Blanche Deveraux

Before playing the spunky Southern Blanche Deveraux on the Golden Girls, Rue got her start in theater, making her Broadway debut opposite Dustin Hoffman's 1969 musical Jimmy Shine. In the 1970's, she was cast in a guest spot on All in the Family by producer Norman Lear. She then went on to star in the role of Vivian alongside Bea Arthur on the show's spin-off, Maude.

Her work as Blanche on the Golden Girls landed her three Golden Globe nominations, three Emmy nominations, and an Emmy win in 1987.

After the Golden Girls wrapped, she went on to appear on numerous other TV shows such as The Golden Palace, Boy Meets World, Law and Order, Murphy Brown, and Meet the Browns. She also had a run as Madame Morrible in the hit Broadway musical Wicked from 2005-2006.

Rue was married six times in her life and recounts her many loves in her 2007 autobiography My First Five Husbands... And the Ones Who Got Away. In 1997 she began battling breast cancer and finally achieved full remission. Unfortunately however, she passed away due to a stroke at age 76 in 2010.

Estelle Getty As Sophia Petrillo

Before playing the Golden Girls matriarch Sophia Petrillo on the Golden Girls, Estelle performed for decades in off Broadway shows, touring productions, and in Yiddish theaters. When she transferred over to television in the 1980's, she made appearances on shows such as Torch Song Trilogy, Cagney & Lacey, and Newhart. After appearing in the 1985 film Mask, she would be cast in The Golden Girls on which she would make comedic television history.

Ironically, though she wore a wig and prosthetic wrinkles to portray Sophia, Estelle was actually the youngest member of the Golden Girls cast and was only 65 when she began playing the 80 year-old character.

Though all the women in The Golden Girls cast where hysterical, Sophia was so popular that the character even made guest appearances on other television shows such as Blossom and Empty Nest. Her work as Sophia won her seven Emmy nominations and a win in 1988.

After the end of The Golden Girls in 1992, Estelle would go on to appear on TV Shows such as Golden Palace, Touched by an Angel, and Mad About you before retiring from acting in 2000 due to failing health. Though ultimately diagnosed with a form of dementia, she was able to continue living at home with the help of assistance and passed away in 2008 of natural causes, surrounded by family and friends.

Upon her death, Bea Arthur released a statement saying, "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her."

Survived by her two sons, Estelle continues to go down as history as one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived.

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Check out what The Golden Girls looked like in various eras of their lives! With the recent release of the classic sitcom The Golden Girls on Hulu , you may have found yourself wondering what the Golden Girls look like now.

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The Golden Girls is about four elderly women who have been widowed/divorce.They become roommates. They experience everyday scenarios, and go through it with the help of each other.