How Old Were The Golden Girls Stars During The Show?

Many TV shows become unwatchable over the years. More often than not, a show is topical, but shifts into cringe territory as time passes. While it's happened to '90s hits like "Seinfeld" and "Friends," you can't say the same for 1985's "The Golden Girls," which is a classic that's aged like fine wine. One of the reasons the show works so well is the principal cast, consisting of Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, Beatrice "Bea" Arthur, and Betty White.

All four actors received Primetime Emmy Awards, while the series garnered numerous accolades of its own. The show is based around four women who live together in Miami, Florida, and they're all a bit older than your average sitcom stars. To be fair, they were made to look a bit older than the actors actually were at the time, so it's not uncommon for fans to assume they're in the twilight of their lives.

Hence, the title, which suggests a point of maturity and wisdom in the main characters. When it launched on September 14, 1985, each of the four characters was in their 50s, 60s, and 80s, so the title fits. The actors, on the other hand, weren't all aligned with their characters' ages. Sadly, few actors from "The Golden Girls" are still alive today, but their work lives on as new generations discover its uniquely hilarious comedy. Here's how old each of the actors in "The Golden Girls" was when the series began and ended.

Rue McClanahan began her screen acting career in the 1960s, appearing in an episode of "The Aquanauts" as well as various feature films. Before landing her role as Blanche in "The Golden Girls," McClanahan was probably best known for playing Vivian Cavender Harmon in "Maude." Some of her notable movie performances came in 1971's "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "They Might Be Giants." When she signed on to play Blanche Devereaux, she was 51 years old.

This was close to the age of Blanche, who was around 51 or 52 when the series launched, making her the youngest of the so-called "Golden Girls." Still, her age was never confirmed, and can only be inferred throughout the series' dialogue. Blanche is somewhat promiscuous, and the character is often believed to be based on Blanche DuBois from Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire." In reality, she sees herself more as a Scarlett O'Hara-type from "Gone with the Wind."

The character enters the series as a widow, and has a stepson and five biological children revealed throughout the course of the show. After "The Golden Girls" ended on May 9, 1992, McClanahan was 58, but she wasn't finished with the character. Blanch returned in "Empty Nest," "Nurses," and "The Golden Palace." McClanahan continued acting into the 2000s, with her final credited performance being a 2009 episode of "Meet the Browns." McClanahan had a severe stroke after an unspecified illness and died on June 3, 2010, at the age of 76.

Of the cast of "The Golden Girls," Estelle Getty got her start the latest, landing her first acting job in the 1978 film "Team-Mates." She went on to appear in a variety of television shows and feature films, including "Tootsie," "Fantasy Island," and "Cagney & Lacey." Still, it's not hyperbolic to say that "The Golden Girls" was her big break into show business despite previously working in the theater. When she was cast to play Sophia Petrillo, Getty was 62 years old, making her significantly younger than her character.

If you're familiar with the show, you know that Sophia is Dorothy's mother, but in reality, Getty was nowhere near her character's age of 80 when the show began. Unlike Blanche, Sophia's age is known from her birthdate, which was in 1905. Sophia is outspoken and witty, having to move in with the other three women after her retirement home burns to the ground. She's a wisecracking, hilarious, and motherly woman who is very much at the center of the series.

When the show wrapped, Getty was 68, and she played Sophia several more times in "Blossom," "The Golden Palace," "Nurses," and "Empty Nest." After this, she popped up in various television series and a couple of films. Her final film role was in 1999's "Stuart Little," and her last credited performance came in a 2001 episode of "Intimate Portrait." Getty died on July 22, 2008, at the age of 84 from natural causes.

Beatrice "Bea" Arthur's career began in the theater in the 1950s, and she appeared in a plethora of productions on and off-Broadway over the years. She showed up in a few feature films, including "History of the World, Part I," but was primarily a television actor for most of her career. Arthur's credits include work throughout the 1950s and beyond. Prior to "The Golden Girls," she's probably known best for playing Maude Findlay in "All in the Family" and "Maude." At the start of "The Golden Girls," Arthur was 63.

Unlike Blanche and Sophia, Arthur and her character, Dorothy Zbornak, are the same age. Unsurprisingly, she shares many of the same characteristics as her mother. Dorothy is somewhat cynical, but she's also full of compassion towards others, making her akin to the other women's protector. Indeed, she's more than willing to unleash her feelings without holding back while defending others, and her wit is incomparable. Dorothy joins the series as a divorcee, and she has a son and a daughter.

At the end of the series, Arthur (and her character) was 69, on the cusp of turning 70. She continued to play Dorothy, but only in two appearances in an episode of "Empty Nest" and a two-parter in "The Golden Palace." After "The Golden Girls" ended, Arthur continued performing, with her final television role coming in a 2005 episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." She died peacefully in her Los Angeles home on April 25, 2009 at the age of 86 from cancer.

Even if you've never seen a single episode of "The Golden Girls," there's little doubt you know Betty White from somewhere. She began her career straight out of high school in 1939. Her career took a break during WWII, when she joined the American Women's Voluntary Services, and she returned to acting afterward. White was already a veteran of series like "The Betty White Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" when she found her way to "The Golden Girls."

White is the oldest of the four main cast members, as she was born a few months before Bea Arthur. Like Arthur and her character, White and Rose Nylund are the same age at the series' start, 63. Rose is an endearing and kind-hearted woman, but she's not the sharpest tool in the shed. This makes the character a source of irritation for the other women in the home, adding more levity to the show. She's beloved and endures difficulty with a smile, much like White herself.

White reprised Rose in "Empty Nest," "The Golden Palace," and "Nurses," though that's hardly the only thing she did after "The Golden Girls" wrapped. Some may know her from a memorable performance in "The Proposal," while others loved her in "Hot in Cleveland." Of the actors who made up the main cast, White was the oldest, and she outlived all of her co-stars. White's devastating death happened on December 31, 2021, at the age of 99, only 17 days before what would have been her 100th birthday.