Dorothy Zbornak, played by Bea Arthur, is the strict divorced substitute teacher who is often the voice of reason on Golden Girls. She never passes up a chance to teach the other girls about morals and English. But she is also loyal, funny, and passionate.
Fans appreciate Dorothy for her quick wit, sarcastic comments, and her ability to always do the right thing. Many fans believe they know all there is to know about the do-good substitute as they watched her life unfold for seven years and Sophia filled them in on the rest. But Dorothy can be just as mysterious as Blanche. Here are nine things even diehard fans didn’t know about Dorothy:
Bea Hated Cheesecake
If there is one thing fans would remember about Golden Girls, it was their love of cheesecake. Fans watched the ladies eat cheesecake late at night as they sat around the kitchen table sharing their problems and words of wisdom with each other. But one of the Golden Girls women was not a fan of the decadent dessert.
Over 100 cheesecakes were consumed during the course of the series, but none were eaten by Bea Arthur. She used to push the piece of cheesecake around on her plate and only taking a bite if she had to.
Was Older Than Her Ma
Every fan adored the relationship between Sophia and Dorothy. Even though the two often gave each other a bad time, the love this mother and daughter had for each other was heartwarming. On the show Sophia seemed to be about 30 years older than Dorothy, but in real life Bea Arthur, who plays Dorothy, was a year older than her television mom Sophia, played by Estelle Getty.
Fans would have never guessed that Estelle was a year younger than her sitcom daughter though, since her makeup and the two women’s acting was so believable.
Second Time Starring with Rue McClanahan
Blanche, portrayed by Rue McClanahan, and Dorothy are quite the interesting pair of friends as the women could not be more different. But these two go way back. All the way back to 1972 when they co-starred on the sitcom Maude as Maude Findlay, portrayed by Bea Arthur, and Vivian Harmon, played by Rue McClanahan.
Vivian and Maude were best friends and had been since college as they both believed strongly in women’s rights. The show was controversial at the time of its production, similar to the Golden Girls, and was on the air for 6 seasons.
Zbornak was a Borrowed Name
One of the things that made Dorothy unique was her unusual last name, Zbornak. That is not a last name you hear everyday. Some fans might wonder how the creators came up with such an interesting name. Dorothy’s last name was stolen from the stage manager, Kent Zbornak.
Susan Harris, the one who created the role of Dorothy, had worked with Kent Zbornak in the past and decided to borrow his name for the role of Dorothy. The name worked well for the show, not only for Dorothy but for Stan as well since he often used the last name for his zany inventions.
The Role Was Written For Bea
Bea Arthur is a terrific actress and a natural when it comes to playing Dorothy Zbornak. Fans could not imagine anyone else playing the role of the witty substitute teacher and that’s probably because the role was written with her in mind.
When Susan Harris was writing the script for the pilot she already had Bea Arthur in mind for the role as she created the role of Dorothy as a “Bea Arthur type”. The character description along with Bea’s acting skills created the character fans all love and admire as she is intelligent, funny, and tries to make a positive impact on the world.
Almost Wasn’t Dorothy
Even though the role was written for Bea Arthur, she almost didn’t get the part for a few reasons. NBC was against hiring Bea as her likable score was low since she played an outspoken liberal on Maude. Elaine Stritch was actually the first choice for the part of Dorothy but she didn’t get the role after she added in her own colorful words to the script.
Not only did NBC not want Bea Arthur to have the part, but she didn’t want the part either. Rue McClanahan, Bea’s Maude co-star, was asked to convince Bea to audition for the role after Rue got hired for Blanche. Luckily for fans, Rue was able to persuade her to audition and Bea became the Dorothy we all love.
Didn’t Walk in Heels or Pierce Her Ears
Blanche was not the only with a fashion sense on the show, Dorothy also donned big earrings and stylish outfits. While Bea looked beautiful in the show with her large 80’s earrings, Bea’s ears were not pierced. The lavish earrings were merely clip-ons, but they still looked stunning on her.
Fans also might have noticed that Dorothy never sported heels and this is because Bea Arthur couldn’t actually walk in heels as she never learned because of her height. She might not have worn heels or real earrings but she still wowed fans with her class and sophistication.
Lived In Three States
Dorothy was a proud born and raised New Yorker but New York was not the only place she called home. Dorothy also called Florida and Georgia home. At some point Dorothy moved to Miami with Stan when the couple was still married. Even after their divorce, Dorothy decided to stay in Miami until she meets Lucas Hollingsworth.
In season 7, Dorothy married Lucas even though he lived at the Hollingsworth Manor in Georgia. Dorothy didn’t seem too upset about the thought of moving again as she gladly married Lucas and moved yet again to a whole new state.
Won an Emmy
Bea Arthur was an amazing actress and earned the respect and admiration from many. Throughout her seven years on the Golden Girls as Dorothy Zbornak, Bea Arthur earned several Emmy nominations. She finally earned the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1988.
All four of the women actually earned Emmy awards and nominations during the series’s seven season run. For a show that many believed would not be successful as it focused on older women, it became one of the most well known and loved sitcoms with fans today still picturing Sicily in 1922.
