Guest Stars: The Famous and...Less Famous

[BBHN]

We all know George Clooney got one of his earlier roles on this show. But who else? This show has had a ton of guest stars, so why not a thread to highlight them and the characters they played? We'll start with Mark Moses, of Mad Men and Desperate Housewives fame, who played George Devereaux's illegitimate son, David...

[babyhouseman]

Quentin Tarantino was one of the Elvis impersonators at Sophia and Max's wedding. Jerry Orbach of Law and Order was Dorothy's married lover. 

[Blakeston]

Speaking of guest stars, I was stunned (just stunned!) recently to learn that the actor who played Fidel Santiago is still alive.

Henry Darrow was born in 1933, so clearly there was some old-age makeup at work there.

[Miss Chevious]

Julio Iglesias was a Sophia's Valentine's Day date. "We sing together."

And who could forget Rose's "father" Bob Hope?

GG's had some really good guest stars.

[MaggieG]

Dick van Dyke as Dorothy's boyfriend the lawyer/clown.

Dorothy: "Ma, you didn't tell me he was in his clown suit!"

Sophia: "Oh yeah"

[schnauzergirl]

Mickey Rooney, Caesar Romero, Richard Mulligan, Rita Moreno.

[LilWharveyGal]

Mistah Burt Reynolds!

[Miss Chevious]

Debbie Reynolds, Lois Nettleton, Joseph Campanella (he was the detective Dorothy referred to when she said "I'm crazy nuts about this guy!")

[babyhouseman]

Sonny Bono and Lyle Waggoner. 

[Miss Chevious]

On 9/13/2017 at 0:19 PM, Blakeston said:

Speaking of guest stars, I was stunned (just stunned!) recently to learn that the actor who played Fidel Santiago is still alive.

Henry Darrow was born in 1933, so clearly there was some old-age makeup at work there.

It's Henry Darrow's birthday today! Fidel is 84 today so he's survived dipping his toes in the lake called Blanche. Many happy returns, Henry!

[xander874]

On 9/15/2017 at 5:21 PM, Miss Chevious said:

Fidel is 84 today so he's survived dipping his toes in the lake called Blanche

"You're only gonna sit in an inch of water?"

Jenny Lewis, who played evil Daisy who held Rose's teddy bear Fernando hostage grew up to be a pretty famous musician. She formed the band Rilo Kiley.

And Edwin Newman cameoed in Rose's dream about meeting Gorbachev.

[HoboClayton]

Ruthie, the cashier from Seinfeld was on stage when Blanche was trying out for the play and her balloons were 'popped'

Leslie Nielsen of course. Bea's real life son played the rookie cop in the hurricane episode.   Meg Wylie played a few characters. Nan Martin, Beth Grant, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and who can forget Mario Lopez? Oh! And Ruby Dee, who played Mammy Watkins.. That bitch! 

[BlancheDevoreaux]

Bridgette Andersen played Rose's granddaughter, Charley.  She did Savannah Smiles and Parent Trap III among other things before having a rather tragic death.

Oh and who could forget the Del Rubio triplets!

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, BlancheDevoreaux said:

Bridgette Andersen played Rose's granddaughter, Charley.  She did Savannah Smiles and Parent Trap III among other things before having a rather tragic death.

This sent me to IMDb to look her up, and, wow, she was quite gifted -- she had a very high IQ, started reading at two-and-a-half years old and was into Hemingway by age six, could still remember her lines from every movie she'd done, and when she had to learn to tap dance for a role, she wore tap shoes non-stop for a week and watched Gene Kelly dance in Singin' in the Rain; by the time she went to meet with a dance instructor, she was already adept enough that she learned the routines in a few days.

(Her death at age 21 was by way of accidental overdose [heroin and alcohol]).

[Miss Chevious]

Wow, who'd have thunk Betty White would outlive her? So sad.

[Mrs. Hanson]

Ken Howard, the "White Shadow" actor......LOVE HIM!  He was my favorite date of Blanche's.

Brenda Vaccarro - Phil's wife/widow.

Kevin McCarthy - rich widower who wanted to marry Blanche.

[EarlGreyTea]

I really loved Joe Campanella, who played the cop Al in the same episode as George Clooney. He was, by far, the best love interest Dorothy ever had - and among the best of the entire series. I'm disappointed he didn't stick around in a recurring role a la Miles or even Mel Bushman. He was funny, cocky, and seemed to really enjoy Dorothy knocking him down a peg and vice versa. Love-hate relationships are my favorite romantic trope.  Hell, I'd have dated him.

Although I will say Lucas was a good match for Dorothy. I really loved the foundation of their romance - built on a desire to lift one another out of loneliness. His own backstory as a widower made it more poignant. You could understand and see his vulnerability, thanks to Leslie's performance. The romance was rushed due to the series ending, so every scene of his had to count, and I felt Leslie did that. It was also sweet on the writers' part to make him Blanche's uncle. All of these factors made it easy to see why Dorothy found him worthy to fly out of the cuckoo's nest with. The previous seven seasons showed that only a very deep love could have inspired her to leave the other Girls.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, EarlGreyTea said:

Although I will say Lucas was a good match for Dorothy. I really loved the foundation of their romance

All five minutes of it?

I think it was good casting, in that most people love Leslie Nielsen, to try to make this out-of-nowhere, joke turned reality marriage make some semblance of sense since the audience knew something had to happen in order to wind up this series and start the new one that wouldn't include Dorothy, but I'm one who just can't go with it.  When I see those two episodes on my program guide, all I do is get excited that the series is about to start over.

Quote

I really loved Joe Campanella, who played the cop Al in the same episode as George Clooney. He was, by far, the best love interest Dorothy ever had - and among the best of the entire series. I'm disappointed he didn't stick around in a recurring role

I almost always hate "I can't stand you - wait, actually, I'm crazy for you" relationships, but they had great chemistry together and I, too, would have liked to see them date for a while.

I love Robert Culp, and thus would have adored seeing his character in more than just the one episode (he's the one Blanche is dating when she has to get a pacemaker and is scared to have sex afterward).

[Mrs. Hanson]

On 10/22/2017 at 7:52 PM, EarlGreyTea said:

I really loved Joe Campanella, who played the cop Al in the same episode as George Clooney. He was, by far, the best love interest Dorothy ever had - and among the best of the entire series. I'm disappointed he didn't stick around in a recurring role a la Miles or even Mel Bushman. He was funny, cocky, and seemed to really enjoy Dorothy knocking him down a peg and vice versa. Love-hate relationships are my favorite romantic trope.  Hell, I'd have dated him.

Yep I agree!!!  Go to the quotes section and read my quote about "I am crazy nuts about this guy!"  I thought they had fabulous chemistry and wished HE would have wisked  Dorothy away at the end.  (Love Leslie Nielson though.)  Loved Robert Culp as Blanche's boyfriend:  "They all live normal lives, Blanche.....in every possible way."

And I loved the Japanese gardner with Sophia!!  When she answers the phone and yells "Who the hell is this?" it cracks me up every time!!!

[BlancheDevoreaux]

I was watching The Twilight Zone marathon over New Years and discovered that the main character in To Serve Man was Lloyd Bochner, the actor who played Patrick Vaughn in The Actor and the hairdresser in Rites of Spring.

[Tenarife60]

Teddy Wilson who was in 'Brother, Can You Spare That Jacket?'  I was just rewatching this today and I had no idea he died.  In the episode he tells Rose how tough it is out here because no one wanted to hire someone 54, but in reality he was about 44.  He did look older than that, though, then when I read up on him it said he died of AIDS in 1991.  That would make sense that he died at such a young age.  Very sad.

[Miss Chevious]

Teddy Wilson also played the role of Albert, the owner of the diner in one of their Christmas episodes. He asked the Girls to take over diner duties so he could spend an hour with his family on Christmas. 

So sad he passed away too soon. 

[mishy]

I'm pretty sure Teddy Wilson died at 47 from a stroke,

[link417]

7 hours ago, Miss Chevious said:

Teddy Wilson also played the role of Albert, the owner of the diner in one of their Christmas episodes. He asked the Girls to take over diner duties so he could spend an hour with his family on Christmas. 

So sad he passed away too soon. 

That’s the guest spot I remember him for, Rose asked for something elaborate and he told her the diner wasn’t Knotts Berry Farm. 

[Tenarife60]

2 hours ago, mishy said:

I'm pretty sure Teddy Wilson died at 47 from a stroke,

In his obituary in the L.A. Times, as well as his Find-A-Grave page (which I think was taken from the obituary) they said he died of AIDS, then on Wikipedia they said a stroke.  Most likely it was an AIDS related stroke.

[mishy]

Huh. Interesting. I was just going by memory. I did look it up after you mentioned it but all I see in the LA Times and NY Times is died of a stroke. Oh well. He's no longer with us, I'll just go with that. 

[Jacqs]

@Bastet and @BlancheDevoreaux , Bridgette Andersen should have become a star but never did. Her childhood work was nominated for multiple awards. But, when she tried to go back to Hollywood in her teens they didn't want her ("the roles weren't there" euphemism has been used). It's interesting that in Mae West, she was six when she filmed it but playing seven.

[mmecorday]

Burt Reynolds has died. He was in one of the funniest episodes of the series, "Ladies of the Night." His dinner theater was often mentioned on the show, too.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/06/entertainment/burt-reynolds-has-died/index.html

[MaggieG]

"My God, you're Mr Burt Reynolds."

"I hope so, otherwise I've got the wrong underwear on."

[Bastet]

[Burt Reynolds]: "Which one's the slut?"
[All, with raised hands]: "I am."

[rubaco]

Ken Berry, who guest-starred as Thor in an episode, has passed away. 

[MoistestCake]

1 hour ago, rubaco said:

Ken Berry, who guest-starred as Thor in an episode, has passed away. 

He was a terrible kisser... 

[sixlets]

3 hours ago, MoistestCake said:

He was a terrible kisser... 

Well, he was kissing his sister ;)  

 

[MoistestCake]

As kids of the 80s we watch Murder, She Wrote and see how many actors in that have also been on the GG. in tonight's episode we have George Clooney and Blanche's sister Virginia. 

[MoistestCake]

23 hours ago, MoistestCake said:

As kids of the 80s we watch Murder, She Wrote and see how many actors in that have also been on the GG. in tonight's episode we have George Clooney and Blanche's sister Virginia. 

And this evening the Cheese Man... 

[Blakeston]

The actor who played Coco has died, under some very strange circumstances. https://extratv.com/2019/07/14/report-golden-girls-seinfeld-actor-charles-levins-body-found/

Authorities have located human remains in the search for missing actor Charles Levin, 70, best-remembered for his roles on "The Golden Girls" and "Seinfeld."

Oregon Live reports that crews began searching for Levin this weekend after he was reported missing in Grants Pass, Oregon, Monday by his son.

Levin's distinctive orange car was found Saturday on a "almost impassable" road after authorities used GPS data from Levin's phone. Inside the 2012 Fiat was the body of his pug, Boo Boo Bear.

A search of the area for several hours turned up human remains that are believed to be Levin's. No positive identification or cause of death have yet been confirmed, but the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety said in a statement, "Based on the circumstances, there is a high probability that the remains are those of Charles Levin."

Levin is a familiar face more than a familiar name on TV and in movies, including playing the groundbreaking role of a sympathetic gay hustler on six episodes of "Hill Street Blues" (1982-1986), the love interest of "dingy chick" Vera (Beth Howland) on "Alice" (1983-1985), gay housekeeper Coco on the pilot for "The Golden Girls" (1985), and a hysterically nervous mohel on the "Seinfeld" episode "The Bris" (1993). Levin made many other appearances on episodic TV.

Levin appeared in the films "Annie Hall" (1977), "Manhattan" (1979), "The Seduction of Joe Tynan" (1979), "Honeysuckle Rose" (1980), and "The Golden Child" (1986), among others, making his final film appearance in 1998.

[LilWharveyGal]

TMZ is reporting that Lyle Waggoner has passed away.  I can't believe both of Dorothy's guys are gone.  😭

(And apparently, he actually was married!  The gold records joke was worth the lie, though.)

[babyhouseman]

2 hours ago, LilWharveyGal said:

TMZ is reporting that Lyle Waggoner has passed away.  I can't believe both of Dorothy's guys are gone.  😭

(And apparently, he actually was married!  The gold records joke was worth the lie, though.)

No autographs. No problem. 

[mmecorday]

*Singing* I'm so glad we had this time together. Yes, it's me! Lyle Wagonner!

[fleurfairy]

On 1/4/2018 at 3:47 PM, BlancheDevoreaux said:

I was watching The Twilight Zone marathon over New Years and discovered that the main character in To Serve Man was Lloyd Bochner, the actor who played Patrick Vaughn in The Actor and the hairdresser in Rites of Spring.

There were a couple other Twilight Zone actors in the GG: Anne Francis (Trudy), Lois Nettleton (Jean). Who am I missing?

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, fleurfairy said:

There were a couple other Twilight Zone actors in the GG: Anne Francis (Trudy), Lois Nettleton (Jean). Who am I missing?

IMDb search says there were 30.

[BlancheDevoreaux]

13 hours ago, fleurfairy said:

There were a couple other Twilight Zone actors in the GG: Anne Francis (Trudy), Lois Nettleton (Jean). Who am I missing?

James T. Callahan (Mr. Gordon) and Nan Martin (Freida Claxton) were each in an episode. IMDB says Ralph Manda (Augustine) was in the episode The Dummy, but I don't remember him.

[fleurfairy]

Oh yeah how could I forget George Grizzard? He was in one of my favorite eps “The Chaser”.

[mmecorday]

Legendary Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula passed away yesterday at the age of 90. He was never on the show, but Blanche said once that she often used the pseudonym Mrs. Don Shula when checking in to a hotel.

[Blakeston]

i recently saw the "Chuckles Bites the Dust" episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show (considered by some to be the funniest sitcom episode ever). I'd never seen it before, but I'd heard all about the funeral scene in the climax of the episode.

I was shocked when I realized that the (rather slender) preacher giving the famous eulogy was the actor who played Ham Lushbaugh!

[Snow Apple]

Every time I see the episode with Rose's daughter Kristen #1, I always try to remember where I know her from.

I'm watching an episode of Silver Spoons and realize she's Rick's mom. Mystery solved.

[xander874]

Bruce Kirby, who played Bill the pharmacist passed away. Even though the story was cheesy, I liked he and Blanche's chemistry.

[BigBingerBro]

13 minutes ago, xander874 said:

Bruce Kirby, who played Bill the pharmacist passed away. Even though the story was cheesy, I liked he and Blanche's chemistry.

Oh how sad.  "Loverboy is here!"  I just saw that one yesterday

[schnauzergirl]

19 hours ago, xander874 said:

Bruce Kirby, who played Bill the pharmacist passed away. Even though the story was cheesy, I liked he and Blanche's chemistry.

Bruce Kirby was one of those dependable actors who seemed to appear on every show at one time or another.  I liked him a lot as Bill the pharmacist, especially that final scene with Blanche.

[Blakeston]

Henry Darrow, who played Fidel Santiago, has died at 87. This Hollywood Reporter article mentions pretty much everything he ever appeared in except The Golden Girls. 😡