I'm wondering about the women in the TV show The Golden Girls. What are their ages?
—Virgie B., Idaho
Bea Arthur, 82, who played Dorothy, tours with her one-woman show and has upcoming performances scheduled in Albany, N.Y., Alexandria, Va., and Salem, Ore. Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, will turn 82 on July 25. Getty lives in Los Angeles and has Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, so she was unable to attend the Golden Girls Reunion Show last year. Rue McClanahan, who starred as the saucy Blanche, is 71 and remains very busy with acting. Chicago-born Betty White, 83, loves her recurring role on Boston Legal, she says, because, "I love playing rotten ladies after all the years of people saying, ‘I can't stand Betty White; she's so sweet.'" The DVD of The Golden Girls' second season recently was released, and White, who stays in touch with her former co-stars, says with a laugh, "It is such a privilege to be associated with that show and those other three silly broads."
