Tampabay.com
APRIL 25, 2009

Goodbye, Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak

Bea arthur Golden Girls star Beatrice Arthur died Saturday of cancer, the Associated Press reports. She was 86.

Known to older generations as "Maude," she was best know to '80s fans as "Dorothy Zbornak," a retiree living in Miami Beach with Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. Golden Girls ran from 1985 to 1992 before Arthur left the series, reportedly saying she didn't like working as part of an ensemble cast.

In 1983, Arthur starred in another TV series, Amanda's, a U.S. version of Britain's Fawlty Towers. But the series was canceled after only nine episodes. She also had a hilarious role in Mel Brooks' History of the World Part 1 (1981), playing the unemployment office clerk. ("Oh, a bulls--- artist!")

TOP 5 DOROTHY ZBORNAK LINES FROM GOLDEN GIRLS:

5. "You'll have to excuse my mother. She suffered a slight stroke a few years ago which rendered her totally annoying."

4. "You're a furry little gnome and we feed you too much."

3. "Now look here ... You withered old Sicilian monkey!"

2. "Of course you hate communism, it's because you were raised a fascist."

1. "How come whenever my ship comes in it's leaking?"

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About the blogger

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times entertainment news editor Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

E-mail Steve Spears:
stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com
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