The Golden Girls is iconic for its humor and its amazing leading ladies, but how old were Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia supposed to be?

Following four “older” single women living in the same house in Miami, one of the most beloved aspects of The Golden Girls is its iconic cast, but how old were the leading ladies supposed to be in Golden Girls? The Golden Girls follows a widow, Blanche (Rue McClanahan), who opens her home to other lonely single ladies. In response, widows Rose (Betty White) and Sophia (Estelle Getty), and divorcee Dorothy (Bea Arthur) come to live with her. The sitcom ran successfully for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992 and had several spinoffs and series set in the Golden Girls universe.

A major aspect of The Golden Girls is the older age of the lead cast and their status as widows. Along with the four main women that star in the series, the show also includes characters such as Dorothy’s cheating ex-husband Stanley, Rose’s boyfriend Miles, and the women’s various siblings and children. While the show has a fairly wide age range, it is interesting to see just how wide it is. More important than that is the question of how the ages of The Golden Girls’ characters can be compared to the ages of their respective actors.

Rose, Dorothy, Sophia, and Blanche in The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is one of TV’s greatest achievements, delivering seven seasons of comedy — and while they’re all great, some are better than others.
How Old Every Main Character Was In The Golden Girls

Though their ages are not exactly confirmed on the show, the main characters in The Golden Girls, including Dorothy, Sophia, Rose, and Blanche, range in age from their late 40s to their late 80s. Other characters such as Stan and Blanche’s siblings are presumably also in this age range. Finally, Dorothy’s son Michael and her daughter Kate were likely in their 20s or 30s during the show.

Dorothy – 55
Rose – 55
Blanche – 53
Sophia – 79
Stan – 57
Clayton Hollingsworth – 45
Angelo Grisanti – 82
Angela Grisanti Vecchio – 84
Michael – 23-29
Rue McClanahan’s Blanche Devereaux Was The Youngest In The Golden Girls
Rue McClanahan smiling in front of a pink background as Blanche in The Golden Girls

While Blanche Devereaux was approximately 53 years old at the start of The Golden Girls, making her the youngest of the main characters, her actor Rue McClanahan was actually a few years younger, 51 years old, at the start of the series. In this way, McClanahan was also the youngest actor in the main cast. McClanahan’s character, Blanche, was a promiscuous widow who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She is portrayed as a Southern Belle with a flirtatious attitude, although the death of her husband affected her for a long time. Blanche is the owner of the house in Miami and is 60 at the end of the series.

Bea Arthur’s Dorothy Zbornak Was In Her 50s When The Golden Girls
Dorothy Zbornak is portrayed to be around 53-55 at the start of The Golden Girls and 60-62 by the end. Surprisingly, Dorothy’s actor, Bea Arthur, was a decade older, 63. Arthur was tied for the oldest of The Golden Girls lead actors. Dorothy is the only Golden Girl who isn’t a widow in the series, and rather, has a deadbeat ex-husband, Golden Girls’ Stan, whom she was married to for 38 years before he cheated. That means the two married while they were still teenagers. Dorothy is sarcastic, easy to anger, and often the brunt of the joke. Bea Arthur’s vastly different age from her character is the biggest surprise among The Golden Girls cast.

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Betty White’s Rose Nylund Was Older Than Blanche & Dorothy
A close-up of Betty White smiling as Rose Nyland in a promotional picture for Golden Girls
One of the few Golden Girls with a confirmed age is Rose Nylund. In the show, it is confirmed that Rose is 55 years old during season 1, making her 62 by the series finale. Similar to Bea Arthur, Rose’s actor, Betty White, was 63 at the start of The Golden Girls, making her almost a full decade older than her character. Rose is known for her sweet attitude and is often made fun of for her perceived lack of intelligence. During the series, she begins a romantic relationship with a college professor, Miles Webber. Rose is also famous for telling strange stories about her upbringing in Minnesota.