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Estelle Getty, the actress who played Sophia on Golden Girls, died at 84 this morning in Santa Monica, CA. Getty was originally turned down for the role of Sophia because she didn’t seem old enough (Sophia was in her 80’s during the show). She won a Golden Globe in 1986 for Actress in a Leading Role in Golden Girls. She also won an Emmy for the role in 1988 and was a comedic force of nature during the show’s seven year run.

Although her film career was sparse, she did have appearances in some of the iconic films of the 80’s Tootsie, Mask and Mannequin. Her last major role was Stuart Little in 1999 as Grandma Estelle Little.