The Golden Girls characters were supposed to be approximately:
- Dorothy Zbornak: about 53 to 55 years old at the start of the series, aging to around 60 to 62 by the end.
- Rose Nylund: explicitly stated as 55 years old at the beginning, around 62 by the series' end.
- Blanche Devereaux: around 53 years old at the start, aging to about 60 by the end.
- Sophia Petrillo: the oldest, starting at about 79 years old and aging to 86 by the series finale.
The actresses playing these roles were generally older than their characters, with Bea Arthur (Dorothy) and Betty White (Rose) both being 63 when the show premiered, Estelle Getty (Sophia) being 62 but playing an older character, and Rue McClanahan (Blanche) being 51 when starting the role.
