Betty White was an American actress. She is famous for her comedic work on numerous television sitcoms, notably The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Hot in Cleveland.
White was the long-lasting television artist of all time, with a career across more than eight decades. She also experienced success in the film world and has shown her range and versatility over her accomplished years.
In her entire career, Betty was honored with various accolades for her acting career and animal advocacy. She also holds the proud moment of becoming the oldest host of Saturday Night Live, after a Facebook-fueled effort to get her on the show at 88.
However, she left the world right before three weeks of her 100th birthday at her home in L.A at the age of 99. Hence, continue to this page to know about her life and tribute to her in good words.
“You’re never too old for anything.”
Personal Bio
| Name | Betty Marion White |
| Nick Name | Grand Dame of Television, Queen of Television, Queen of T.V. |
| D.O.B | January 17, 1922 |
| Place of birth | Oak Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Death | December 31, 2021 |
| Place of Death | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
| Profession | Actress and comedian |
| Marital Status | Dick Barker (m. 1945; div. 1945)Lane Allen (m. 1947; div. 1949)Allen Ludden (m. 1963; died 1981) |
| Children | Step Children: David Ludden Martha Ludden Sarah Ludden |
Betty White Family
Betty white was a well-known comedian, actress, and activist who won many global awards. Still, she remembers after Death because of her loving and attractive behavior and contribution to the Hollywood planet.
Betty Marion White belonged to Oak Park, Illinois. She said Betty was her legal name and not an abbreviated version of Elizabeth. She was the only child of Christine Tess and Horace Logan White.
White’s family shifted to Alhambra, California, in 1923 and later to Los Angeles during the Great Depression to make extra money. Her father started making and selling crystal radios to come to both ends meet.
She attended Horace Mann Elementary School in Beverly Hills and graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1939. Initially, she wanted to become a forest officer but couldn’t accomplish her dream as women were not allowed to serve as rangers then.
As a substitute, she chose to write and pursued her career in writing. She wrote and played the lead role at Horace Mann School in a graduation play.
White also volunteered for the American Women’s Voluntary Services after World War II in 1941. Her assignment included driving a P.X. truck with military goods to the Hollywood Hills.
Moreover, she also participated in events for troops before they were deployed overseas. She shared her views about the war period, “It was a bizarre time and out of equilibrium with everything.”
Career (Sitcoms, Filmography, Discography)
The Queen of Television, Betty White, rose up in Los Angeles. From 1940 to 1949, she acted on several radio shows.
Then, in 1949 she made a debut on television as “girl Friday” on Hollywood on Television. Later on, she was designated as the host of the show.
In 1952, she co-founded Brandy Products to create her projects. In the same year, White appeared in the lead role of a married woman whose various dilemmas test her husband’s patience in the sitcom Life with Elizabeth. The show will be premiered in 1955 after co-creating and production.
In 1957 she also appeared in the series Date with the Angels, a comedic look at domestic life.
Afterward, Betty White appeared as a recurrent guest in various television game shows such as, To Tell the Truth, What’s My Line?, and Password. Later on, the show was hosted by her husband, Allen Ludden.
In 1973 White began portraying on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a sitcom set in a television newsroom.
Major Breakthrough
White got fame from her portrayal of Sue Ann Nivens, the devious and flirtatious host of the station’s “Happy Homemaker” show.
After the series ended in 1977, White starred on The Betty White Show (1977–78) and later appeared in chronic roles on such programs as The Love Boat and Mama’s Family.
In 1985, The Golden Girls debuted, starring White as the innocent and highly optimistic Rose Nylund, along with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. Based on a group of older women living together in Miami, the sequence became a foremost triumph.
Betty White played Nylund on the spin-off series The Golden Palace, That ’70s Show, Boston Legal, and The Bold and the Beautiful soap opera.
In 1996 she received an Emmy for her guest appearance on The John Larroquette Show. In 2010 White got a major heave in popularity when she appeared in a humorous Super Bowl commercial.
She has honored that fans run a campaign for this 88-year-old actress to host Saturday Night Live. In June, Hot in Cleveland debuted on the cable channel on which White starred as Elka, the quick-witted caretaker of a home rented by three women.
Filmography
Though most of Betty’s work was for television but also appeared in various movies. In 1962 she made her debut in Advise & Consent.
Her afterward movies incorporated the thriller Lake Placid (1999) and the romantic comedies The Proposal (2009) and You Again (2010). In 2019 she voiced the character Betty White, a teething ring, in the animated feature Toy Story 4.
Discography
Betty White partnered with an English singer Luciana in September to launch a remix of her song “I’m Still Hot.”
The song was made for a campaign for a life settlement company, The Lifeline Program, and it is her only commercial single to Date, peaking at number 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart.
Furthermore, Betty White has also covered songs on her live television shows, such as Nevertheless I’m in Love with You, It’s a Good Day, Getting to Know You, and A ‘No’ That Sounds like ‘Yes.
Apart from her acting career, Betty was always fond of writing. She wrote the memoirs Here We Go Again: My Life in Television (1995) and “If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t).”
Betty White Spouse
White married three times in her entire life. The first marriage was about a year, and the husband was a United States Army Air Force.
Later, she married a Hollywood talent agent and separated ways from 1947-1949.
Afterward, on June 14, 1963, Betty White married T.V. host and personality Allen Ludden whom she met on the game show Password and a celebrity guest.
Betty and her husband, Alley Ludden, appeared in an episode of The Odd Couple featuring Felix’s and Oscar’s appearance on Password.
While White and Ludden had no children together, she was the stepmother to his three children.
In Los Angeles, Allen Ludden died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981. While interviewing Larry King, White asked about remarrying, “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?”.
When asked by James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio in 2010 that Heaven should exist, what she would like God to say to her when she walked through the Pearly gates, White responded by saying, “Come on in, Betty. Here’s Allen.”
Betty White Age at the time of Death
At the age of 99, on December morning 31, 2021, White died while sleeping from a stroke in Los Angeles. However, her assets were destroyed and given to Glenn Kaplan, who was handed over with carrying out her advanced health care directive.
White’s death was met with statements of commiseration and praise from many people and organizations. The United States Army released a statement as White had volunteered with the American Women’s Voluntary Services during World War II.
White’s Death spread sorrow and got many tributes from media organizations, celebrities, political commentators, sports teams, musicians, and many more, including United States Army and Martin Luther King Jr.
White’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was flooded with flowers and tributes within hours of her death announcement.
According to Jeff Witjas, her longtime friend and agent, she died before her 100th birthday in less than three weeks.
“I will miss her terribly, and so will the animal world she loved so much. Since Betty always desired to be with her dearest husband, Allen Ludden, I don’t believe she ever worried about dying. She had hope that she would see him again.”
Betty White Net Worth
Till her death, she had a net worth of $75 million. The source of her income was a long and illustrious career. She holds many properties as well.
In April and June 2022, White’s two homes in Carmel and Los Angeles were sold, respectively. In addition, her possessions were sold at auction in September.
Her property donated a substantial portion of television to the National Comedy Center in September 2022, including wardrobe pieces, annotated notes, and five of her Emmy Awards.
Awards
- On January 23, 2010, at the ceremony that took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, actress Sandra Bullock gave White the honor.
- In May 2010, she became the comedy show’s oldest host, and White was later honored with an Emmy Award for her performance.
- In December 2010, White was inducted into the California Hall of Fame. The following year, she was selected as the Associated Press’s Entertainer of the Year.
- Betty White won a SAG Award in January 2011 for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2012, she once more received the honor.
- In 2015, Betty also earned the Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy.
- In 2017, after 70 years in the industry, White was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Social Encouragement
- Animal welfare
Betty White was also seen as an animal right activist who worked with organizations like Los Angeles Zoo Commission, The Morris Animal Foundation, African Wildlife Foundation, and Actors and Others for Animals.
According to the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Zoo Scape member newsletter, White hosted “History on Film” from 2000 to 2002.
In April 2008 alone, White contributed almost $100,000 to the zoo. Moreover, she served as a moderator American Humane Hero Dog Awards ceremonial in 2011.
- Opposed of Racism
While hosting The Betty White show, she was criticized several times when she invited Arthur Duncan, a black tap dancer.
In 2017, the show was canceled; Duncan appeared as a surprise guest on the series premiere of the reality talent series Little Big Shots: Forever Young, where he performed and joined up with Betty White, later thanking her again for her support.
The show would be taken off the air “if we didn’t get rid of Arthur, because he was Black,” according to Betty White, who remembered these concerns in the 2018 documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television. She declined, telling him to “deal with it” and stay.
- LGBT Rights
Betty was always being a supporter of LGBT rights. She said it does not matter if the partner has no straight sexuality. So give space. It’s their life, so mind your business and don’t think about the people.