Estelle Getty’s son Barry Gettleman is one of her kids whom she had with her husband of over 57 years. He has a television credit but has he really followed in his mother’s footsteps?
Barry is said to have made an appearance in ‘Intimate Portrait’. It is a television series that airs as a biographical documentary that places focus on several female celebrities engaged in different types of entertainment. This is however the only TV credit attached to his name and person.
As a result of this, it is obvious that Estelle’s son isn’t an actor as she is. Barry is the second son of Golden Girl’s Sophia Petrillo and has lived a relatively quiet life despite his mum’s obvious fame and success over her active years as an American actress.
Here Are Some Interesting Details about Barry Gettleman’s Life
1. A Look at how his Mother’s Career Started
After watching Vaudeville as a 4-year-old child, Estelle knew that her life’s purpose was to be on the screens. She then took interest in acting and started her journey towards the ultimate cause with stand-up comedy.
Known widely for her one-sentence wit, she picked and mastered this while she was still a teen and did comedy. Getty never hid her love and talent for entertainment but back in the early 1990s, female comedians weren’t a thing yet.
On the advice of her father, she took up basic office training and skills. Soon, she began to work as a secretary and continued to mix the job with auditions. Her first trials and jobs in acting came from her time spent in community theatres, regional houses, and small theatres nowhere close to Broadway.
She began to chase plays and theatre roles after seeing The International Stud in 1978. After the play, she introduced herself to Fierstein who was the playwright, and pitched an idea to him which gave her a shot at theatre.
After wowing and creating a great impression on stage, Getty then got the chance to play Cher’s mother in the movie Mask. She then went on to play the second part of The International Stud known as Torch Song, in Los Angeles.
While on the ‘Torch Song’ project and still working as a secretary, Estelle began to audition for Golden Girls. Her first two times, she did not make it through as she was too young to pass for the 80-year-old woman the show needed.
However, Barry’s mother showed up for the last audition for the part all ready, looking 80 years old, and eventually got the part. She was somewhere in her 60s at the time. This movie and her role in it was just the break-out Estelle Getty needed to become a favorite in the movie industry.
2. How did Estelle and Barry Gettleman’s Father Meet?
The Gettleman couple, Barry Getty nee Scher born on July 25, 1923, met her husband Arthur Gettleman in 1947. They were introduced to each other by her friends from the New York theatre circuit, at a party.
9 months after Barry’s parents met, they got married in a ceremony attended by their friends, family, and well-wishers. From then on, Arthur would go on to be known as her husband for life.
Soon after their wedding, the couple moved to the Bronx where they spent some time at. From there, they made their way to Oakland Gardens, located in Queens. They lived in Bell Park Gardens, a cooperative building reserved for Jewish veterans of World War II. Estelle’s parents are Jewish immigrants who migrated from Poland. While Scher worked as a secretary, comedian, and upcoming actress, her husband joined her father’s business.
Arthur worked with Mr. Scher who used to work as a car-glass installer. He and his father-in-law kept the business moving for years while his wife worked as an entertainer.
At a time in their marriage, they both lived apart as the actress left New York for California to pursue her dreams. Arthur remained back as he had no interest in moving and also did not want to abandon the business.
3. Barry’s Parents Both Died in their 80s
Barry Gettleman lost his father, Mr. Arthur Gettleman on September 24, 2004. He was 85 years old at the time and had been married to Barry’s mother for over 5 decades.
4 years later, Estelle, Barry’s mother also died 3 days short of her 85th birthday. Before her death, Estelle Getty suffered from dementia with Lewy body. She died in the early hours of July 22, 2008, in her L.A house.
Following her death, Getty was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. She was said to have been survived by her sons, a brother named David Scher who lived in London, and a sister named Rosilyn Howard living in Las Vegas.
4. Barry has a Brother
The union between Estelle and Arthur saw the birth of two kids. The sons are named Carl and Barry Gettleman with Carl seemingly the older of the boys. Carl and his brother have since grown to be men now and although they had a famous mother, lived their lives away from the spotlight.
The one-time news about the brothers making waves was after their mother died and they couldn’t agree on a particular way of dividing her properties. It was said that they eventually auctioned some of Estelle Getty’s stuff which included her wicker purse from her famous show Golden Girl. Other properties that were auctioned were Getty’s Golden Globe and Emmy nomination certificates.
The Emmy award was sold off for $7,320 on June 14, 2009, to an unknown buyer. Years later, the award popped up on eBay to be sold for $15,000. This caused an uproar amongst the award organizers and Getty’s friends in the industry.
Moving on, sources reveal that Barry lives in Miami while Carl also lives in the United States of America.
5. Is Barry Married?
As earlier stated, the Gettleman men have kept the details of their lives quite private. However, it was revealed by myheritage.com that Barry Gettleman is married to a woman whose name is Allison L. Rennie. The site claims that they have been married since 1984 in New York.
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