Sophia Petrillo
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| Sophia Petrillo | |
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| First appearance | "The Engagement" 1985 |
| Last appearance | "Remembrance of Clips Past" 1995 |
| Cause/reason | End of series' |
| Information | |
| Age | 87/88 at end of series |
| Date of birth | April 1905 or 1906 |
| Occupation | Co-Owner of The Golden Palace/ Assistant Chef |
| Family | Angelo (brother) Angela (sister) Papa Angelo (father; deceased) Eleanor Angelo (mother; deceased) Carmine (brother-in-law; via Angela) |
| Spouse(s) | Augustine Bagatelli Giuseppe Mangiacavallo (broken engagements) Guido Spirelli (annulled) Salvador Petrillo (husband; deceased) Max Weinstock (married/separated) |
| Children | Dorothy Zbornak Phil Petrillo (deceased) Gloria Petrillo |
| Relatives | Stanley Zbornak, ex son-in-law Lucas Hollingsworth, son-in-law Carmine (brother-in-law; deceased) Kate Zbnornak (granddaughter) Michael Zbnornak (grandson) Cecilia (cousin) Carlo (uncle, deceased) Renata (aunt) Mario (uncle, deceased) Graziella (niece) Frederico (nephew) Anthony (cousin) |
Sophia Petrillo Weinstock (nee Angelo; formerly Spirelli) is a fictional character from the TV series The Golden Girls, and its spin-offs The Golden Palace and Empty Nest. She was portrayed by the late Estelle Getty and was arguably the breakout character of the show. Beatrice Arthur, who played her daughter Dorothy Zbornak on the show, was in real life a year older than Getty.
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[edit] Early history
Sophia Petrillo was born in April 1905 or 1906 in Sicily to Don and Eleanor Angelo, with two brothers, Angelo and Vito, and two sisters, Regina and Angela. It is revealed that her 50th birthday was in April 1956 in one episode (however, in the first episode of The Golden Palace (1992) it was revealed that Sophia was 87). While in Sicily, as a teenager she was briefly engaged to a young man from her village, Augustine Bagatelli. Later, she became engaged to Giuseppe Mangiacavallo, who jilted her at the altar. She moved to New York after she annulled her arranged first marriage to Guido Spirelli when she was fourteen. Then, she married Salvador "Sal" Petrillo (played by Sid Melton), and had three children with him: Dorothy, a divorced substitute teacher; Phil, (an unseen character) a cross-dressing welder with a wife named Angela and several children in a trailer park in Newark, New Jersey who later died during the series; and Gloria (played by Doris Belack and Dena Dietrich), who lived in California and married into money and who later lost the fortune that her husband had left her in an investment scam.
[edit] 1985-1995
In her older years, Sophia suffered a stroke (the effects of which are said to be a partial explanation for Sophia's uncensored and brazen remarks) and was subsequently placed in Shady Pines retirement home by Dorothy. After it was damaged in a fire, Sophia moved in with Dorothy. Sophia does not have many good things to say about "the home", alluding to poor treatment by the staff many times, and Dorothy often threatens to send her back there to check Sophia's behavior.
While living in Miami, Sophia has many suitors but does not date any for a substantial amount of time. She does remarry once more though to Max Weinstock (Jack Gilford). Max is her late husband's long-time business partner for whom Sophia had long blamed for ruining the business, although it was later revealed Sal was responsible. Sophia and Max forgave each other after the latter reveals the truth, and the two quickly became close and got married. The newlyweds realize their romance would not work out, and they part ways as friends. However, both remained legally married, as divorce would have gone against her Catholic beliefs.
Due to Sophia's Sicilian descent, there are regular hints in the series that she and her family have some mafia connections; she has made reference to several vendettas. It is even hinted that Sophia herself has done mob work; she once stated that no one in her family had "ever left a body to be found".
[edit] Relationships
Sophia is best known for her wisecracks, put-downs and brazen remarks, often commenting on Dorothy's lack of love life, Blanche's promiscuity, and Rose's stupidity. However, despite her sharp criticism of her daughter and roommates, she loves and cares for them deeply; she even sees Rose and Blanche as surrogate daughters. The other women usually seek Sophia out for advice, which Sophia is all too willing to share, usually beginning with her catchphrase, "Picture it…" Like Rose's tall tales, Sophia's parables often end with a moral, from which advice can be gleaned. These stories usually also involved historical figures, with Sophia claiming to have had trysts with Pablo Picasso and Winston Churchill.
Members of Sophia's family who have appeared on the program include: Her sister, Angela (Nancy Walker); her brother, Angelo and her father (both roles were played by Bill Dana); her daughter, Gloria; her husband, Sal (in flashbacks and in dream sequences); and Sophia's own mother, Eleanor (Bea Arthur in a dual role), who also appeared exclusively in flashbacks; and even Dorothy at a younger age (played by Lyn Greene).
[edit] Appearance
In her younger years, Sophia apparently had always been short, with reddish-brown hair (Estelle Getty's natural color), but in one episode she says she was "a tall voluptous blond with a butt like granite" when she was younger. During the series' run, Sophia resembled the archetyphal "old lady" in looks: White-haired, small stature, wrinkles, and large-framed eyeglasses. She was shown to have a fondness for conservative, elderly clothing such as cardigans, knee-high stockings, and mumus. Sophia owned a tan bamboo handbag which became her personal trademark, as she carried the purse everywhere, even around the house (including the bathroom). Sophia's sister Angela closely resembled these traits as well.
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