Bea Arthur's character on The Golden Girls, Dorothy Zbornak, was something of a tough cookie.
She didn't put up with anyone's nonsense and was also known for her quippy one-liners.
And apparently some of Dorothy's snarky qualities on the show also resembled Arthur in real life.
According to "An Oral History of The Golden Girls" that was recently published in Frontiers Magazine, the actor once called a fan who had some choice words about The Golden Girls in an interview.
"TV Guide had done a piece on the show: 'The Golden Girls — Is it still as good as it was the first year?' And they asked random people what they thought of the show," explained Golden Girls head writer Mort Nathan.
"And this one housewife said she didn't think the show was as good and that Bea Arthur's character wasn't as interesting. They mentioned her by name — Mrs. Betty Johnson, Sioux Falls, Iowa."
Nathan also said that Arthur read the article during lunch, found out Betty Johnson’s phone number, and gave her a call.
"Bea says, 'This is Bea Arthur, and I want to talk to you about what you said in TV Guide.' The woman was horrified. She said she was misquoted. 'I didn't mean it. Is it really you? I love the show. I take it back.'"
The writer continued, "And Bea goes, 'That's what I thought. OK, that's better.'"
Winifred Hervey, a writer and producer on the show, also recalled, "And then Bea said, 'That person’s going to go tell everyone that I called her, and no one’s going to believe her.'"
Bea Arthur truly was a national treasure.
H/T Jezebel