Phillip Petrillo

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Phillip Petrillo
Character Information
Nicknames	Phil
Gender	Male
Age	55
Birthday	1935 Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Death	1990 Newark, New Jersey
Occupation(s)	Unknown
Family Members
Grandparents Mrs. Petrillo (paternal grandmother) † Don Angelo Grisanti, Sr. † Eleanor Grisanti † (maternal grandparents) Parents Salvadore Petrillo (father) † Sophia Petrillo (mother) Siblings Dorothy Zbornak Gloria Harker (older sisters) Spouses Angela Petrillo (wife) Children Harvey Petrillo (son) Five unnamed sons Four unnamed daughters Other Relatives Angelo Grisanti, Jr. Vito Grisanti Carmine Vecchio † Uncle Dominic † (maternal uncles) Regina Grisanti † Angela Vecchio (maternal aunts) Cousin Apollonia Cousin Graziella Cousin Frederico Uncle Dominic's daughter (cousins) Kate Zbornak-Griffiths Katherine Harker [Charmaine Gertrude Hollingsworth]] Blanche Devereaux Virginia Lena Warren (nieces) Michael Zbornak Theodore Hollingsworth Clayton Hollingsworth Dennis Griffiths (nephews) Robby Zbornak (great-nephew]] Lucas Hollingsworth (brother-in-law)
Romances
Spouses Angela Petrillo (widow)
Production Information
Appears In	The Golden Girls
Debuts in	Mentioned only "Ebbtide's Revenge" (Season 6) December 15, 1990
Final Appearance	Ebbtide's Revenge (The Golden Girls, 1990)

Phillip Petrillo is a major unseen character in The Golden Girls. He is the only son of Sal and Sophia Petrillo and the younger brother of Gloria Harker and Dorothy Zbornak. A crossdresser who later moved to New Jersey, Phil's antics were often the subject of Sophia's embarrassment. Phil died of a heart attack at fifty-five years old.

Phil never made an onscreen appearance, save for a body double in his casket.

Personality and Characteristics

Phil never physically appeared in the show, so his personality can only be put together through stories that other characters have said about him. He was Dorothy's opposite in knowledge, as he cared little for books while Dorothy was the overachiever.

Phil's most prominent trait is his affinity for crossdressing.

Biography

Sophia and Sal bring Phil home from the hospital; "Clinton Avenue Memoirs" (1990)

Childhood

Phil was born in 1935 in Brooklyn, New York to Sal and Sophia Petrillo. Sophia went into labor while Sal was called away to work and ended up giving birth on the way to the hospital, even needing the cabby to perform a C-section. After Phil was brought home from the hospital, his oldest sister Dorothy began to act out more. Sal let her sit on his knee as he reassured her that he and Sophia didn't love her any less. Phil was dressed in Dorothy's baby hand-me-downs, which Sophia believed he would grow out of, but that never happened.

Phil nursed until he was twelve, and Sophia only stopped it when Phil wanted to come home at lunchtime to breastfeed. Phil allegedly played with matches as a child, which was why Dorothy was put in charge while their parents were out.

During high school, he was still wearing dresses when Dorothy's old teacher came to visit. He apologized to Sophia, saying that they couldn't fix the problem with the dress code, but Phil did wear boys' clothes, and he even wore a suit one Halloween.

Marriage

In 1964, Phil married to a woman named Angela, unknowingly in exchange for a dowry of two-million lire ($47 USD). Phil wore a wedding dress with a plunging neckline to their wedding. While Sophia was deeply embarrassed by the dress, Angela and her family were extremely supportive and thought that Phil looked beautiful.

Phil and Angela allegedly lived in a trailer park in New Jersey. He and Angela had ten children over the course of their marriage, one of which was named Harvey.

Dorothy and Sophia would reference Phil like they did other unseen family members. Sophia would complain that he rarely called and that when he did call, he used a pay phone. Every Christmas, he would send Sophia a nativity scene made out of cheddar cheese.

In the two-part episode "Golden Moments", Phil and Angela had an argument and she decided to leave him. Sophia decided that she needed to go live with Phil to help him pick up his pieces. The ladies tried to convince Sophia to stay with them, but just as they're about to give up, Phil and Angela send word that they've reconciled.

Death

In 1990, Phil had a heart attack while trying on evening gowns in a store and passed away. His sister Dorothy was asked to give the eulogy, which angered her because she never expected to be speaking at her baby brother's funeral. Phil was dressed in a black nightie for the funeral, and after the priest saw Phil's clothes, he offered to do the funeral for free.

Phil's widow, Angela spends a week with the girls and learns why Sophia never visited as much, which upset Phil. Sophia claims it was because she never got the dowry from Angela's father for $47. Angela gives her the money, but there's something more that's upsetting Sophia, so Rose uses her grief counseling experiences to get Sophia to talk about it. Sophia said she was ashamed of Phil's cross-dressing and asked Angela why she never stopped it. Angela told Sophia that it was something he did all his life. Rose makes a point that Phil was a decent father and husband, and a good provider, and Sophia shouldn't allow herself to be consumed by her shame of his differences, and there was nothing wrong with her loving him for who he was. Sophia admitted that she did love her son, but she always wondered what she said and did to make him the way that he was. Angela tells Sophia: "What he was, Sophia, was a good man." Sophia breaks down crying and says: "My baby is gone." and Angela hugs her.

Relationships

Sophia Petrillo

“I did love him. He was my son. My little boy. But every time I saw him, I always wondered what I did, what I said. When was the day that I did whatever I did to make him the way he was. ... My baby is gone!”

— Sophia finally lets her feelings about Phil be known, "Ebbtide's Revenge" (1990)

Sophia's youngest child and her only son. When Phil was a baby, Sophia dressed him in hand-me-downs from Dorothy and Gloria as the Petrillos couldn't afford new clothes. She allegedly nursed him well into his preteens, and only stopped when he wanted to come home from school at lunchtime.

When Phil became engaged, Sophia and Sal met with the woman's father, who promised them a check for two-million lire in exchange for Phil's hand in marriage. Sophia and Sal took the check, but the check bounced when they tried to cash it. Later at Phil's wedding, Sophia was shocked to see that Angela and her family not only allowed Phil to wear a wedding dress, but encouraged him to do so. This only deepened her shame of his crossdressing, but she would blame her hatred for Angela on the bounced check. After Phil got married, Sophia rarely came to see him, only calling him on occasion and eventually using codenames to trick him into calling her on Mother's Day. Phil, however, never reached out or wrote to her as he knew how she felt about his lifestyle, though he did send her a cheddar cheese nativity scene every Christmas.

Early on in the series, Sophia would make jokes about Phil ("I love all my children...except Phil."). She would go to visit Phil a handful of times in the series -- for his son Harvey's attempted graduation from pet grooming school, for his daughter's wedding, and she even considered moving in with Phil after Angela walked out after they had a fight. However, while Sophia rarely visited, there were problems whenever she did, as she always picked fights with Angela. According to Angela, Phil was also upset that Sophia never visited him, and knew that she didn't because she was ashamed of him.

In "Ebbtide's Revenge", Sophia hardly showed any emotion at the news of Phil's death. While at the funeral, she lied to the priest and told him that Phil was a rocket scientist with an IQ of 160. She didn't cry at the funeral, and effortlessly made jabs at Angela for the wake and the service. A week later, Sophia revealed that the reason she never came to visit Phil was because Angela's father's dowry check bounced. However, through the counselling expertise of Rose, the truth gradually came out -- Sophia never visited because she was ashamed of Phil's crossdressing, and she resented Angela for not doing anything to stop it. Rose makes a point to establish that Phil was a decent father and husband, and a good provider -- and that there was nothing wrong with Angela loving Phil for who he was. Sophia admitted that she did love Phil, but she always wondered what she did to make him the way he was. As Angela tells her that Phil was a good man, Sophia breaks down crying and exclaims "My baby is gone!".

Dorothy Zbornak

Dorothy's youngest sibling and only brother. Dorothy mentioned that she borrowed a lot of Phil's clothes when they were younger.

At Phil's funeral in "Ebbtide's Revenge", Dorothy breaks down as she give the eulogy. She reveals that she's angry about Phil's death, as speaking at the funeral of her youngest brother was something she never thought she would do.

Angela Petrillo

To be added.

Family

Mr. Petrillo †

Mrs. Petrillo †

Don Angelo Grisanti, Sr. †

Eleanor †

Uncle Nunzio †

Aunt Teresa †

Aunt Renata

Uncle Bruno †

Uncle Vito

Uncle Gino †

Salvadore Petrillo †

Sophia Petrillo

Regina Grisanti

Angela Vecchio

Carmine Vecchio †

Angelo Grisanti, Jr.

Philomena Grisanti †

Uncle Mario †

Stanley Zbornak

Dorothy Zbornak

Gloria Harker

Mr. Harker

Phillip Petrillo †

Angela Petrillo

Cousin Apollonia

Cousin Graziella

Dennis Griffiths

Kate Griffiths

Michael Zbornak

Lorraine Wagner

Katherine Harker

Jim Harker

Harvey Petrillo

Five sons

Four daughters

										Robby Zbornak

Appearances

The Golden Girls (1985-1992)

Season 1
1. "The Engagement":	Absent	14. "That Was No Lady":	Absent
2. "Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding":	Absent	15. "In a Bed of Rose's":	Absent
3. "Rose the Prude":	Absent	16."The Truth Will Out":	Absent
4. "Transplant":	Mentioned	17. "Nice and Easy":	Absent
5. "The Triangle":	Absent	18. "The Operation":	Absent
6. "On Golden Girls":	Absent	19. "Second Motherhood":	Absent
7. "The Competition":	Absent	20. "Adult Education":	Absent
8. "Break-In":	Absent	21. "The Flu":	Absent
9. "Blanche and the Younger Man":	Absent	22. "Job Hunting":	Absent
10. "The Heart Attack":	Absent	23. "Blind Ambitions":	Absent
11. "The Return of Dorothy's Ex":	Absent	24. "Big Daddy":	Absent
12. "The Custody Battle":	Mentioned	25. "The Way We Met":	Absent
13. "A Little Romance":	Mentioned

Season 2
1. "End of the Curse":	Absent	14. "The Actor":	Absent
2. "Ladies of the Evening":	Absent	15. "Before and After":	Absent
3. "Take Him, He's Mine":	Absent	16."And Then There Was One":	Absent
4. "It's a Miserable Life":	Absent	17. "Bedtime Story":	Absent
5. "Isn't It Romantic":	Absent	18. "Forgive Me, Father":	Absent
6. "Big Daddy's Little Lady":	Absent	19. "Long Day's Journey into Marinara":	Absent
7. "Family Affair":	Absent	20. "Whose Face is This, Anyway?":	Absent
8. "Vacation":	Absent	21. "Dorothy's Prized Pupil":	Absent
9. "Joust Between Friends":	Absent	22. "Diamond in the Rough":	Absent
10. "Love, Rose":	Absent	23. "Son-in-Law Dearest":	Absent
11. "'Twas The Nightmare Before Christmas":	Absent	24. "To Catch a Neighbor":	Absent
12. "The Sisters":	Absent	25. "A Piece of Cake":	Absent
13. "The Stan Who Came to Dinner":	Absent	26. "Empty Nests":	Absent

Season 3
1. "Old Friends":	Absent	14. "Blanche's Little Girl":	Absent
2. "One for the Money":	Absent	15. "Dorothy's New Friend":	Absent
3. "Bringing Up Baby":	Absent	16."Grab That Dough":	Absent
4. "The Housekeeper":	Absent	17. "My Brother, My Father":	Absent
5. "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself":	Absent	18. "Golden Moments, Part 1":	Mentioned
6. "Letter to Gorbachev":	Absent	19. "Golden Moments, Part 2":	Mentioned
7. "Strange Bedfellows":	Absent	20. "And Ma Makes Three":	Absent
8. "Brotherly Love":	Absent	21. "Larceny and Old Lace":	Absent
9. "A Visit from Little Sven":	Absent	22. "Rose's Big Adventure":	Absent
10. "The Audit":	Absent	23. "Mixed Blessings":	Absent
11. "Three on a Couch":	Absent	24. "Mister Terrific":	Absent
12. "Charlie's Buddy":	Absent	25. "Mother's Day":	Absent
13. "The Artist":	Absent

Season 4
1. "Yes, We Have No Havanas":	Absent	14. "Love Me Tender":	Absent
2. "The Days and Nights of Sophia Petrillo":	Absent	15. "Valentine's Day":	Absent
3. "The One That Got Away":	Absent	16."Two Rode Together":	Absent
4. "Yokel Hero":	Absent	17. "You Gotta Have Hope":	Absent
5. "Bang the Drum, Stanley":	Absent	18. "Fiddler On the Ropes":	Absent
6. "Sophia's Wedding, Part 1":	Absent	19. "Till Death Do We Volley":	Absent
7. "Sophia's Wedding, Part 2":	Absent	20. "High Anxiety":	Absent
8. "Brother, Can You Spare That Jacket":	Absent	21. "Little Sister":	Absent
9. "Scared Straight":	Absent	22. "Sophia's Choice":	Absent
10. "Stan Takes a Wife":	Absent	23. "Rites of Spring":	Absent
11. "The Auction":	Absent	24. "Foreign Exchange":	Absent
12. "Blind Date":	Absent	25. "We're Outta Here, Part 1":	Absent
13. "The Impotence of Being Ernest":	Absent	26. "We're Outta Here, Part 2":	Absent

Season 5
1. "Sick and Tired, Part 1":	Absent	14. "Mary Has a Little Lamb":	Absent
2. "Sick and Tired, Part 2":	Absent	15. "Triple Play":	Absent
3. "The Accurate Conception":	Absent	16."Clinton Avenue Memoirs":	Flashback
4. "Rose Fights Back":	Absent	17. "Like the Beep Beep Beep of the Tom-Tom":	Absent
5. "Love Under the Big Top":	Absent	18. "An Illegitimate Concern":	Absent
6. "Dancing in the Dark":	Absent	19. "72 Hours":	Absent
7. "Not Another Monday":	Absent	20. "Twice In a Lifetime":	Absent
8. "That Old Feeling":	Absent	21. "Sisters and Other Strangers":	Absent
9. "Comedy of Errors":	Absent	22. "Cheaters":	Absent
10. "All That Jazz":	Absent	23. "The Mangiacavallo Curse Makes a Lousy Wedding Present":	Absent
11. "Ebb Tide":	Absent	24. "All Bets Are Off":	Absent
12. "Have Yourself a Very Little Christmas":	Absent	25/26. "The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 1":	Absent
13. "Blind Date":	Absent	26. "The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 2":	Absent

Season 6
1. "Blanche Delivers":	Absent	14. "Sister of the Bride":	Absent
2. "Once, In St. Olaf":	Absent	15. "Miles to Go":	Absent
3. "If At Last You Do Succeed":	Absent	16. "There Goes the Bride, Part 1":	Absent
4. "Snap Out Of It":	Absent	17. "There Goes the Bride, Part 2":	Absent
5. "Wham, Bam, Thank You Mammy":	Absent	18. "Older and Wiser":	Absent
6. "Feelings":	Absent	19. "Melodrama":	Absent
7. "Zborn Again":	Absent	20. "Even Grandmas Get the Blues":	Absent
8. "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Sophia?":	Absent	21. "Witness":	Absent
9. "Mrs. George Devereaux":	Absent	22. "What a Difference a Date Makes":	Absent
10. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun... Before They Die":	Absent	23. "Love for Sale":	Absent
11. "Stand By Your Man":	Absent	24. "Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 1":	Absent
12. "Ebbtide's Revenge":	Debut, Death	25. "Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 2":	Absent
13. "The Bloom Is Off the Rose":	Absent	26. "Henny Penny — Straight, No Chaser":	Absent

Season 7
1. "Hey, Look Me Over":	Absent	14. "Old Boyfriends":	Absent
2. "The Case of the Libertine Belle":	Absent	15. "Goodbye, Mr. Gordon":	Absent
3. "Beauty and the Beast":	Absent	16. "The Commitments":	Absent
4. "That's For Me To Know":	Absent	17. "Questions and Answers":	Absent
5. "Where's Charlie?":	Absent	18. "Ebbtide VI: The Wrath of Stan]":	Absent
6. "Mother Load":	Absent	19. "Journey to the Center of Attention":	Absent
7. "Dateline: Miami":	Absent	20. "A Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 1":	Absent
8. "The Monkey Show, Part 1":	Absent	21. "A Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 2":	Absent
9. "The Monkey Show, Part 2":	Absent	22. "Rose: Portrait of a Woman":	Absent
10. "Ro$e Love$ Mile$":	Absent	23. "Home Again, Rose, Part 1":	Absent
11. "Room 7":	Absent	24. "Home Again, Rose, Part 2":	Absent
12. "From Here to the Pharmacy":	Absent	25. "One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 1":	Absent
13. "The Pope's Ring":	Absent	26. "One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 2":	Absent

Trivia

• When the script for Phil's funeral was sent to the cast, Estelle Getty asked for jokes her character were to give at Phil's coffin cut. Getty felt that mothers would never do this, and the jokes were considered too homophobic in nature. The writers acceded to her request.
• In “Mary Has a Little Lamb”, Sophia revealed that Phil has a pet poodle who likes to wear a tutu and hop around on it hind legs. This is most likely like a dance because Dorothy mention how Phil would look stupid doing it by himself.
• According to Sophia, Mother’s Day is the only day Phil doesn’t call Sophia to ask for money.