Fictional television character from The Golden Girls
Fictional character
Dorothy Zbornak
The Golden Girls character
First appearance
"The Engagement" (1985) (The Golden Girls)
Last appearance
"Seems Like Old Times Pt. 2" (1992) (The Golden Palace)
Portrayed by
Beatrice Arthur Lynnie Greene (younger) Jandi Swanson (childhood)
In-universe information
Occupation
Teacher
Family
Salvadore "Sal" Petrillo (father; deceased) Sophia Petrillo (mother) Max Weinstock (ex-stepfather) Gloria Petrillo-Harker (sister) Philip "Phil" Petrillo (brother; deceased)
Spouse
Stanley "Stan" Zbornak (ex-husband) Lucas Hollingsworth (husband)
Children
Michael Zbornak (son) Kate Zbornak (daughter)
Relatives
Robby Zbornak (grandson)
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Dorothy Zbornak is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls, portrayed by Bea Arthur. Sarcastic, introspective, compassionate, and fiercely protective of those she considers family, she is introduced as a substitute teacher, and mother. At the time, Dorothy was recently divorced from her ex-husband Stanley. She, her mother Sophia Petrillo (played by Estelle Getty), and housemate Rose Nylund (Betty White) all rent rooms in the Miami house of their friend Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan). Dorothy often acted as den mother and voice of reason among the quartet, "the great leveler" according to Bea Arthur, though at times she also acted foolishly or negatively and would need her friends and family to help ground her again. Arthur also considered her the "great balloon pricker," someone who openly defied and called out hypocrisy, injustice, cruelty, delusion, short-sighted remarks, and behavior she simply found dull, ill-considered, rude, or unreasonable.[1]
Bea Arthur portrayed Dorothy in every episode of The Golden Girls. Arthur also portrayed Dorothy's maternal grandmother Eleanor Grisanti in flashback in the episode "Mother's Day". In the same episode and others that involve flashbacks, a younger version of Dorothy was portrayed by Lynnie Green. In the season 5 episode "Clinton Avenue Memoirs" (1990), Jandi Swanson portrayed Dorothy as a child in flashback.
Bea Arthur's departure from the show in the season 7 two-part finale "One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest" marked the end of the series as well. Outside of the series, Arthur also appeared as Dorothy in an episode of Empty Nest (a spin-off series), in the episode "Dumped", and in a two-episode story "Seems Like Old Times" in The Golden Palace (a sequel series to The Golden Girls). In the 1000th issue of Entertainment Weekly, Dorothy Zbornak-Hollingsworth was selected as the Grandma for "The Perfect TV Family".[2]
^The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments, Lifetime TV special (2003).
^"TV: Breaking Down the List," Entertainment Weekly," #999/1000 June 27 & July 4, 2008, 56.
DorothyZbornak is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls, portrayed by Bea Arthur. Sarcastic, introspective, compassionate, and...
(1971–1972) and Maude (1972–1978) and later in the 1980s and 1990s as DorothyZbornak on The Golden Girls (1985–1992). Arthur won several accolades throughout...
his television work. His best-known role was as Stanley Zbornak, the ex-husband of DorothyZbornak (played by Bea Arthur) on The Golden Girls. He also had...
the 17th-most watched television finale. Bea Arthur as DorothyZbornak (née Petrillo, later Zbornak-Hollingsworth), a substitute teacher born in Brooklyn...
25, 2022. Wally, Maxine (August 16, 2022). "For Margaret Qualley, DorothyZbornak Is the Epitome of Cool". W. Retrieved August 25, 2022. Fargeat, Coralie...
Golden Girls had ended, in the quartet's now-sold Miami house. With DorothyZbornak having married and left in the previous series finale, the three remaining...
McClanahan, Betty White, and Estelle Getty as the main characters DorothyZbornak, Blanche Devereaux, Rose Nylund, and Sophia Petrillo. The series revolves...
some of her struggles into the storyline where Bea Arthur's character DorothyZbornak was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. It later turned out Harris...
Nylund, DorothyZbornak, and Sophia Petrillo. Throughout the series, Rose and she are often involved in the same activities. Though she, like Dorothy and...
Rooney), whom she met in a police lineup. According to her daughter DorothyZbornak, Rocco was arrested for "spray-painting something obscene" on a billboard...
threatened to cast a curse on Dorothy (before she found out that it was prohibited by another arcane custom), and on Stan Zbornak. In the final season, Sophia...
Girls, Sophia Petrillo and her daughter, DorothyZbornak, spend the entire night playing gin rummy, with Dorothy trying to beat her mother's endless winning...
Bedfellows" – Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls Episode 17: "Dumped" – DorothyZbornak from The Golden Girls Episode 6: "Rambo of Neiman Marcus" – Rose Nylund...
year younger than her television daughter, Bea Arthur, who played DorothyZbornak. In 1988, Getty won her most notable award, the Primetime Emmy Award...
Golden Girls in 1985 as Gloria, the sister of Bea Arthur's character DorothyZbornak. From 1990 to 2001, Belack played tough, sharp-tongued Judge Margaret...
she lived in and rented out to her three roommates and best friends: DorothyZbornak (Arthur), Rose Nylund (White), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty)...
she appeared in a flashback episode as the crazed mother-in-law of DorothyZbornak (Bea Arthur) on The Golden Girls. She made a one-time appearance as...
Jazzercise as a way of meeting beautiful women. On The Golden Girls, DorothyZbornak (played by Bea Arthur) admits taking up Jazzercise in the episodes...
as a lawyer for Stanley Zbornak, ex-husband of DorothyZbornak. In the episode, he produced a prenuptial agreement which Dorothy had to sign. She refused...
during flashbacks, as a younger version of Bea Arthur's character, DorothyZbornak, appearing in four episodes overall. She originated the role of Emma...
Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty portray the four main characters DorothyZbornak, Rose Nylund, Blanche Devereaux and Sophia Petrillo. The Golden Girls...
of Rose's" NBC Shelley Long Diane Chambers Cheers — NBC Bea Arthur DorothyZbornak The Golden Girls "The Triangle" Rue McClanahan Blanche Devereaux "The...
frequently performs as both Arthur and her Golden Girls character DorothyZbornak, notably in the parody theater show The Golden Gurlz. Beat has been...
Southern belle Blanche Devereaux. Bea Arthur, for whom the lead role of DorothyZbornak had been conceived, was initially reluctant to join the cast, thinking...
theater productions, most notably the S.F. Golden Girls productions (as DorothyZbornak) and emceed a variety of community and charitable events including...
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