Property From Estelle Getty Estate To Be Auctioned 6/14 In Los Angeles

Bonhams & Butterfields' Entertainment Memorabilia auction on June 14,  2009 in Los Angeles will include property from the Estate of a beloved television icon: Estelle Getty.

Estelle Scher-Gettleman, better known by her stage name Estelle Getty, fell in love with theater at an early age. She had gained a knack for one-liners in her late teens and began performing standup comedy in the Catskill region of New York. Getty continued to pursue a career in entertainment, struggling for 40 years before landing the role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia Petrillo on the popular sitcom The Golden Girls (1985-1992).

Airing on NBC, The Golden Girls featured four female retirees sharing a house in Miami, Florida; Beatrice Arthur (Dorothy Zbornak), Betty White (Rose Nylund), Rue McClanahan (Blanche Devereaux) and Estelle Getty (Sophia Petrillo) and soon after the series premiered, it was an immediate hit.

Getty's character, Sophia Petrillo, the tiny, handbag carrying, wise-cracking mother of Dorothy, was initially intended to be a reoccurring role but proved so popular that it was rewritten as a main
character. Famous for her zingers, one liners and "picture it" stories, the 'Sophia' character went on to star in two other Golden Girls spin-offs: Empty Nest (1988) and The Golden Palace (1992).

Getty was a seven-time consecutive Emmy Award nominee for "Best Supporting Actress" as Sophia, taking the trophy home once in 1988; two years later, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, also for her role of Sophia.

Other notable roles for the actress included Harvey Fierstein's mother in the original Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy and films such as Stuart Little (1999), Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), Mannequin (1987), Mask (1985) and Tootsie (1982).

Highlights from the Estate of Estelle Getty will include her above-mentioned Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, her trademark straw handbag and over-sized eyeglasses used on every episode of The Golden Girls, and a bathrobe stitched with "Sophia" on the front and "The Golden Palace" on the back, worn by Getty on one of the spin-off episodes (estimates upon request). Additional property from the Estate will be included in the May 17th Sunset Estate Sale at Bonhams & Butterfields in Los Angeles and the June 16th Fine Jewelry auction at Bonhams New York.

Other highlights for this auction, including collectibles related to Hollywood, Rock-n-Roll, and Animation will be announced in mid-May.  The illustrated auction catalog will be online at www.bonhams.com/us in the weeks preceding the sale and Los Angeles previews.

Preview: June 12-13, 2009, Los Angeles

Auction: June 14, 2009, 10:00am