Estelle Getty: Thank You for Being a Friend

The film and television industry mourns the loss of one of its funniest ladies. Estelle Getty passed away in her Hollywood Boulevard home on Tuesday, July 22, 2008. She's best remembered for her portrayal of the outspoken Sophia Spirelli Petrillo-Weinstock on NBC's The Golden Girls.

Landing the show in 1985 was just the jump start her career needed. She'd auditioned for the part previously - two times - but was turned down as the producers didn't buy her as an 80 year old woman. In fact, Bea Arthur, the woman who would play her daughter, was a year older.

But Ms. Getty, who was 61 at the time, stuck to her guns. She dressed in dowdy clothes during her third test for the part and pulled an NBC makeup artist aside to say, "To you this is just a job. To me it's my entire career down the toilet unless you make me look 80. But I don't want to put any pressure on you."

Three times was certainly a charm for Ms. Getty as that was the time that she won the role.

A mere three years later, after the producers bumped her up from recurring to cast status, Ms. Getty won an Emmy Award for best supporting actress in a comedy series. She'd been nominated for Emmy an incredible seven times. In 1988, she took home the trophy.

Her success on the show led to other roles on both the big and small screens. Taking television show crossovers to a whole new level, she actually played Sophia on five different TV series: The Golden Girls, The Golden Palace, Nurses, Empty Nest and Blossom. Her film career included such fun flicks as Tootsie, Mannequin and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.

On the family side, Ms. Getty married Arthur Gettleman on December 21, 1947. They were together until his death in 2004. They're both survived by two sons, Barry and Carl Gettleman. She was surrounded by her family as she passed away in her home early Tuesday morning leaving behind a host of fond memories and many "Thanks For Being A Friend."