| Dorothy Zbornak | |
|---|---|
| The Golden Girls character | |
 | |
| First appearance | "The Engagement" (1985) (The Golden Girls) |
| Last appearance | "Seems Like Old Times Pt. 2" (1992) (The Golden Palace) |
| Portrayed by | Beatrice Arthur Lynnie Greene (younger) Jandi Swanson (childhood) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Family | Salvadore "Sal" Petrillo (father; deceased) Sophia Petrillo (mother) Max Weinstock (ex-stepfather) Gloria Petrillo-Harker (sister) Philip "Phil" Petrillo (brother; deceased) |
| Spouse | Stanley "Stan" Zbornak (ex-husband) Lucas Hollingsworth (husband) |
| Children | Michael Zbornak (son) Kate Zbornak (daughter) |
| Relatives | Eleanor Grisanti (grandmother; deceased) Robby Zbornak (grandson) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Dorothy Zbornak is a character from the sitcom television series The Golden Girls, portrayed by Bea Arthur. Sarcastic, introspective, compassionate, and fiercely protective of those she considers family, she is introduced as a substitute teacher, and mother. At the time, Dorothy was recently divorced from her ex-husband Stanley. She, her mother Sophia Petrillo (played by Estelle Getty), and housemate Rose Nylund (Betty White) all rent rooms in the Miami house of their friend Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan). Dorothy often acted as den mother and voice of reason among the quartet, "the great leveler" according to Bea Arthur, though at times she also acted foolishly or negatively and would need her friends and family to help ground her again. Arthur also considered her the "great balloon pricker," someone who openly defied and called out hypocrisy, injustice, cruelty, delusion, short-sighted remarks, and behavior she simply found dull, ill-considered, rude, or unreasonable.[1]
Bea Arthur portrayed Dorothy in every episode of The Golden Girls. Arthur also portrayed Dorothy's maternal grandmother Eleanor Grisanti in flashback in the episode "Mother's Day". In the same episode and others that involve flashbacks, a younger version of Dorothy was portrayed by Lynnie Green. In the season 5 episode "Clinton Avenue Memoirs" (1990), Jandi Swanson portrayed Dorothy as a child in flashback.
Bea Arthur's departure from the show in the season 7 two-part finale "One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest" marked the end of the series as well. Outside of the series, Arthur also appeared as Dorothy in an episode of Empty Nest (a spin-off series), in the episode "Dumped", and in a two-episode story "Seems Like Old Times" in The Golden Palace (a sequel series to The Golden Girls). In the 1000th issue of Entertainment Weekly, Dorothy Zbornak-Hollingsworth was selected as the Grandma for "The Perfect TV Family".[2]