Notable films in which she appeared include Mask (1985), a semibiographical film in which she played the grandmother of Roy L. Dennis, Mannequin (1987), and Stuart Little (1999). She retired from acting in 2001 due to failing health, and died in 2008 from dementia with Lewy bodies.[3][4]
Early life, family and education
Getty was born Estelle Scher in New York City on July 25, 1923, to Charles Scher (Yiddish: טשאַרלס שער) and Sarah (née Lacher; Yiddish: שרה לאַכער שער), Jewish immigrants from Poland, at the family's apartment at 257 East 2nd Street on the Lower East Side, which also served as the storefront for the family's glass business.[5] She had a sister Rosilyn "Roz" Scher Howard, and a brother Samuel "David" Scher.[6][7][unreliable source?] As a child, she was known as Etty, a nickname that stemmed from her sister's inability to pronounce "Estelle" correctly, and it stuck with her throughout her life.[8] Her father owned and operated his own business, installing glass windows into automobiles and trucks, and her mother was a homemaker.[9] As a weekly treat, every Friday night, her father would take their family to the Academy of Music on 14th Street to watch a film and a live vaudeville performance, and while watching those performances, Getty decided she wanted to become an actor.[8]
After graduating from high school, Estelle continued to live at home with her parents. Her father was doubtful she would be able to forge a successful career in acting. She worked as a secretary, as the hours allowed for her to attend auditions in the late afternoon and evening while having an income.[10][11]
During her time on The Golden Girls, Getty wrote her autobiography, If I Knew Then, What I Know Now... So What?, with the help of Steve Delsohn, published by Contemporary Books in 1988. She also released an exercise video for senior citizens in 1993.[19]
Personal life
Family
Getty was introduced to Arthur Gettleman, whose last name she later used as the basis for her stage name, at a party by her friends from the New York theater circuit. The two married nine months later on December 21, 1947. They had two children together, sons Carl Gettleman and Barry Gettleman, and remained married until his death on September 24, 2004, at the age of 85.[20] After they wed, the two lived in the Bronx for a time, and, after the births of their two sons, moved to Oakland Gardens, Queens, living in a liberal-minded cooperative built for Jewish veterans of World War II called Bell Park Gardens, while Arthur worked with his father-in-law in glass installation. The two lived separately for some time from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, as Getty moved to California to work on The Golden Girls, and Arthur Gettleman had no desire to leave New York, and continued to work in the family's glass business.[citation needed]
Getty died in the early morning of July 22, 2008, at her home in Los Angeles aged 84, from the result of Lewy body dementia, according to her family. She was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, her headstone inscribed with the words "With Love and Laughter" and a Star of David to indicate her Jewish faith.[22][23]Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan, her co-stars from The Golden Girls were saddened by her loss; previously in a 2004 interview, they said that her disease had progressed to the point where she was not able to hold conversations with them or recognize them.[4] She had reportedly started to show signs of dementia during the filming of the television series, when, despite more than three decades of theater work, she began to struggle to remember her lines, and in later seasons of the show, had to rely on cue cards.[24] Getty also suffered from osteoporosis, and was also thought to have Parkinson's disease. This diagnosis was ultimately changed to dementia with Lewy bodies.[25]
↑"United States Census". FamilySearch. 1940. Retrieved July 28, 2019. Estelle Scher in household of Charles Scher, Assembly District 6, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-517, sheet 61A, line 32, family 203, NARA digital publication T627
