The Golden Girls was an incredibly progressive show that was far ahead of its time. First airing on TV back in 1985, the series would conclude its seven-season-long run in 1992. Starring Betty White, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan, the series was a beloved piece of sitcom history.
The characters of Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and the matriarch of the group, Sophia, were all deeply praised for being so fleshed out and well-developed.
The Golden Girls is definitely timeless, and unlike many other sitcoms from that era, it has aged quite well. It was a rare show that didn’t hold back or stick to stereotypes when portraying older women. The Golden Girls always delivered in the comedy department, while remaining sophisticated and classy.
Over the years that the series was on the air, several famous and notable actors would appear, portraying recurring or guest roles. Let’s take a look at ten of the best that we all forgot made an appearance on this iconic sitcom.
10. LESLIE NEILSEN
Leslie Nielsen’s character, Lucas Hollingsworth, appeared in the two-parter series finale of The Golden Girls. Nielsen’s performance is widely remembered as iconic and is loved by many Golden Girls fans.
Lucas Hollingsworth ended up marrying Dorothy after the two went on a fake date and wound up falling in love. This storyline - with the added bonus of Leslie Nielsen’s performance - was satisfying, but since the show’s series’ finale was so turbulent, some fans may have forgotten about Nielsen’s character.
9. ANNE FRANCIS
Anne Francis’ guest appearance on The Golden Girls occurred in season 3. But since her character, Trudy McCann only appears in one episode, most fans have probably forgotten about this iconic guest role.
The episode was titled, “Till Guest Do We Volley”, and primarily follows Dorothy as she rekindles her friendship with Anne Francis’ character. Though the appearance may be quite forgettable, the dynamic between Trudy and Dorothy was pretty hilarious.
8. ALEX TREBEK
It would seem pretty hard to forget the fact that Jeopardy host Alex Trebek made a cameo on The Golden Girls, but since his appearance was so brief, it has probably slipped a lot of fans’ minds by now.
In season 7, Alex Trebek appeared to Dorothy in a dream sequence in which she hilariously auditions to be on Jeopardy.
7. KRISTY MCNICHOL
Sitcom star Kristy McNichol made a very brief appearance in two episodes of The Golden Girls. Her character was Barbara Weston, a woman who lived in the same neighborhood as the Golden gang.
There isn’t much memorable material when it comes to McNichol’s guest appearance, but one storyline that was quite funny took place in the episode, “A Midwinter Night’s Dream”, in which Sophia tries to start a fight between Barbara and Carol - in attempt to break a Sicilian curse.
6. SONNY BONO
Sonny Bono was another well-known celebrity who made a cameo on The Golden Girls. This series really did have a great variety of big-name actors and the like who made guest appearances, and with the fact that the series came to an end way back in 1992, we sometimes forget about that. Sonny Bono’s appearance revolved around Dorothy - as a lot of these famous guest cameos seem to - and he appeared in her dream to pursue her.
5. DON AMECHE
Don Ameche stars as Rose’s father in a season 6 episode. His character is known as Brother Martin, and the storyline is about the fact that Rose never knew her father until she was sixty years old and happened to be working at the same hospital in which he was staying at. This is a rather poignant Golden Girls storyline, but since it was only featured in one episode, it’s an easy one for fans to forget.
4. BRENDA VACCARO
The character of Angela Petrillo was one that was often mentioned but rarely seen. (This is also the case for Sophia’s son, Phillip, who was never shown onscreen.) Brenda Vaccaro portrayed Angela in one episode of The Golden Girls. Angela was Sophia’s daughter-in-law.
In the episode in which Angela appears, the tense nature of her relationship with Sophia is delved into, and we learn more about her marriage to Phillip. Even though Sophia’s son and daughter-in-law were mentioned quite a bit throughout the series, it’s easy to forget that Angela Petrillo actually did make an appearance on the show.
3. GEORGE CLOONEY
George Clooney is almost unrecognizable in the Golden Girls episode in which he appears, so it’s understandable that his appearance is often forgotten. Additionally, George Clooney was an unknown actor at the time that this episode aired.
Clooney’s episode was called “To Catch A Neighbor”, and his role as a police officer who was attempting to catch a jewel thief living next to the girls.
2. MICKEY ROONEY
The episode Mickey Rooney guest-starred in was called “Larceny and Old Lace”. Rooney’s character was a man named Rocco who had a massive crush on the lovely Sophia. His whole storyline on the show revolves around Sophia, and the episode is largely about the fact that Sophia believes that Rooney’s character - a retired gangster - has robbed a bank to woo her.
1. DICK VAN DYKE
The iconic Dick Van Dyke appeared in a season 5 episode as attorney Ken Whittingham. Dorothy undoubtedly had the most love interests out of anyone else on the show, so this famous appearance again has to do with her.
Dick Van Dyke does a hilarious portrayal of his character, who has aspirations of leaving his life as a lawyer behind to become a circus clown. This whole thing eventually leads to Ken and Dorothy breaking up, so Dick Van Dyke only appeared in the one episode, but it was iconic nonetheless.
