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Betty White
Photograph of a senior white woman smiling
White at the1988 Emmy Awards
Born
Betty Marion White

(1922-01-17)January 17, 1922
Oak Park, Illinois,U.S.
DiedDecember 31, 2021(2021-12-31)(aged 99)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesBetty Marion White Ludden
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active1939–2021
WorksFilmography
Spouses
Dick Barker
​
​
(m.1945;div.1945)​
Lane Allen
​
​
(m.1947;div.1949)​
​
​
(m.1963; died 1981)​
AwardsFull list

Betty Marion Ludden(néeWhite;January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian.[1][2]A pioneer ofearly televisionwith a career spanning almost seven decades, she was noted for hervast number of television appearancesacting in sitcoms,sketch comedy,and game shows. She produced and starred in the seriesLife with Elizabeth(1953–1955), thus becoming the first woman to produce a sitcom.[3]

After moving from radio to television, White became a staple panelist of American game shows such asPassword,Match Game,Tattletales,To Tell the Truth,The Hollywood Squares,andThe $25,000 Pyramid.Dubbed "the first lady of game shows", she became the first woman to receive theDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Hostfor the showJust Men!in 1983.[4]She then became more widely known for her guest and recurring appearances on shows such asThe Carol Burnett Show,Mama's Family,The Bold and the BeautifulandBoston Legal.

White's biggest roles includeSue Ann Nivenson theCBSsitcomThe Mary Tyler Moore Show(1973–1977),Rose Nylundon theNBCsitcomThe Golden Girls(1985–1992), andElka Ostrovskyon theTV LandsitcomHot in Cleveland(2010–2015). She had a late career resurgence when she starred in the romantic comedy filmThe Proposal(2009) and hostedSaturday Night Livethe following year, garnering her aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.The 2018 documentaryBetty White: First Lady of Televisiondetailed her life and career.[5][6]

For her lengthy work in radio, television, and film, White twice earned theGuinness World Recordfor the longest TV career by a female entertainer in both 2014 and 2018.[7][8]She receivedvarious awards and nominations,including sevenEmmy Awards,threeScreen Actors Guild Awards,and aGrammy Award.[9]She received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameand was inducted into theTelevision Hall of Famein 1995.[10]

Early life

Betty Marion White was born inOak Park, Illinois,on January 17, 1922.[11]She later clarified that "Betty" was her legal name and not a shortened version of "Elizabeth" as some people had assumed.[12][13]She was the only child of housewife Christine Tess (née Cachikis) and lighting company executive Horace Logan White.[14][15]Her father was fromMichigan.[16]White's maternal grandfather was Greek, her paternal grandfather was Danish, both of her grandmothers were Canadians of English descent, and her other ancestry included Welsh.[17][18][19]When she was one year old, her family moved toAlhambra, California,and later toLos Angelesduring theGreat Depression.[20][21]To make extra money, her father builtcrystal radiosand sold them wherever he could. Since it was the height of the Depression and hardly anyone had a sizable income, he would trade the radios for other goods, which sometimes included dogs.[22]

White was educated inBeverly Hills,[23]where she attended Horace Mann Elementary School andBeverly Hills High School,graduating from the latter in 1939. Her interest in wildlife was sparked by family vacations to theSierra Nevada.She initially aspired to become aforest ranger,but was unable to do so because women were not allowed to serve as rangers at the time.[22][24]She instead pursued an interest in writing; she wrote and played the lead in a graduation play at Horace Mann School and discovered her interest in performing.[25]Inspired by her idolsJeanette MacDonaldandNelson Eddy,[26]she decided to pursue a career as an actress.[14]

One month after White graduated from high school, she and a classmate sang songs fromThe Merry Widowon an experimental television show, at a time when the medium of television itself was still in development.[27][28][25][29]She found work as a model, and her first professional acting job was at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre. After the U.S. enteredWorld War IIin 1941, she volunteered for theAmerican Women's Voluntary Services.Her assignment included driving aPXtruck with military supplies to theHollywood Hills.She also participated in events for troops before they were deployed overseas.[30]Commenting on her wartime service, she later said that it was "a strange time and out of balance with everything".[30]

Career

1951–1969: Early career and breakthrough

First episode ofLife with Elizabeth

After the war, White made the rounds to movie studios looking for work, but was turned down because she was "not photogenic".[31]She started to look for radio jobs, where being photogenic did not matter.[31]Her first radio jobs included reading commercials and playing bit parts, and sometimes even doing crowd noises.[31]She made about five dollars a show. She would do just about anything, like singing on a show for no pay.[14]She appeared on shows such asBlondie,The Great Gildersleeve,andThis Is Your FBI.She was then offered her own radio show, calledThe Betty White Show.[32] In 1949, she began appearing as co-host with Al Jarvis on his dailylive televisionvariety showHollywood on Television,originally calledMake Believe Ballroom,onKFWBand then onKLAC-TV(now KCOP-TV) in Los Angeles.[33][29]

White began hosting the show by herself in 1952 after Jarvis's departure,[33]spanning five and a half hours of livead libtelevision six days per week, over a continuous four-year span. In all of her various variety series over the years, White would sing at least a couple of songs during each broadcast. In 1951, she was nominated for her firstEmmy Awardas "Best Actress" on television, competing withJudith Anderson,Helen Hayes,andImogene Coca;the award went toGertrude Berg.At this point, the award was for body of work, with no shows named in nominations.[34]

White onThe Betty White Showin 1954

The Betty White Show(1952–1954)

From 1952 to 1954, White hosted and produced her own daily talk/variety show,The Betty White Show,first on KLAC-TV and then onNBC(her first television, but second show to feature that title).[33]Like her sitcom, she had creative control over the series, and was able to hire a female director.[35]In a first for American network variety television, her show featured an African-American performer,[36]but the show faced criticism for the inclusion of tap dancerArthur Duncanas a regular cast member. The criticism followed when NBC expanded the show nationally. LocalSouthernstations in theJim Crowera threatened to boycott unless Duncan was removed from the series.[37]In response, White said "I'm sorry. Live with it", and gave Duncan more airtime.[35][38]Initially a ratings success, the show repeatedly changed time slots and suffered lower viewership. By the end of the year, NBC quietly cancelled the series.[39]

Life with Elizabeth(1953–1955)

In 1952, the same year that she began hostingHollywood on Television,White co-founded Bandy Productions with writerGeorge TibblesandDon Fedderson,a producer.[33]The trio worked to create new shows using existing characters from sketches shown onHollywood on Television.White, Fedderson, and Tibbles created thetelevision comedyLife with Elizabeth,with White portraying thetitle character.[33]The show was originally a live production onKLAC-TVin 1951, and won White aLos Angeles Emmy Awardin 1952.[33][12][29][40]Life with Elizabethwas nationallysyndicatedfrom 1953 to 1955, allowing White to become one of the few women in television with full creative control in front of and behind the camera.[33]The show was unusual for a sitcom in the 1950s because it was co-produced and owned by a twenty-eight-year-old woman who still lived with her parents. White said they did not worry about relevance in those days, and that usually the incidents were based on real-life situations that happened to her,Del Moore(who played Alvin), and the writer.[14]White also performed in television advertisements seen on live television in Los Angeles, including a rendition of the "Dr. Ross Dog Food" advertisement atKTLAduring the 1950s. She guest-starred onThe Millionairein the 1956 episode "The Virginia Lennart Story", as the owner of a small-town diner who received an anonymous gift of $1 million.[33]

Following the end ofLife with Elizabeth,she appeared as Vicki Angel on theABCsitcomDate with the Angelsfrom 1957 to 1958.[41]As originally intended, the show, loosely based on theElmer RiceplayDream Girl,would focus on Vicki's daydreaming tendencies. However, the sponsor was not pleased with the fantasy elements and was pressured to have them eliminated. "I can honestly say that was the only time I have ever wanted to get out of a show", White later said.[39]The sitcom was a critical and rating disaster, but ABC wouldn't allow White out of her contractual agreement and required her to fill the remaining thirteen weeks in their deal. Instead of a retooled version of the sitcom, White rebooted her old talk/variety show,The Betty White Show,which aired until her contract was fulfilled. "[39]

The sitcom did give White some positive experiences: she first metLucille Ballwhile working on it, as bothDate With the AngelsandI Love Lucywere filmed on the sameCulver Studioslot. The two quickly struck up a friendship over their accomplishments in taking on the male-dominated television business of the 1950s. They relied on one another through divorce, illness, personal loss, and even competed against one another on various game shows.[42][43]In July 1959, White made her professional stage debut in a week-long production of the play,Third Best Sport,at the Ephrata Legion Star Playhouse inEphrata, Pennsylvania.[44]

Game and talk show appearances

By the 1960s, White was a staple of network game shows and talk shows: including bothJack Paarand laterJohnny Carson's era ofThe Tonight Show.She made many appearances on the hitPasswordshow as a celebrity guest from 1961 through 1975. She married the show's host,Allen Ludden,in 1963.[33]She subsequently appeared on the show's three updated versions,Password Plus,[45]Super Password,[46]andMillion Dollar Password.[47]White made frequent game show appearances onWhat's My Line?(starting in 1955),To Tell the Truth(in 1961, 1990, and 2015),I've Got a Secret(in 1972–73),[48]Match Game(1973–1982), andPyramid(starting in 1982).[49]She made her feature film debut as fictional Kansas Senator Elizabeth Ames Adams in the 1962 dramaAdvise & Consent;[50]in 2004, on talk showQ&A,hostBrian Lambremarked on White's longevity as an actress besides the fact she was playing a strong female senator in 1962. He andDonald A. Ritchienoted that viewers would have seen the Senator Adams character to reflectMargaret Chase Smith.[51]In 1963, White starred in a production ofThe King and Iat theSt. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre,withCharles Korvinco-starring as the king.[52]

NBC offered her an anchor job on their flagshipbreakfast televisionshowToday.She turned the offer down because she did not want to move permanently to New York City (whereTodayis produced). The job eventually went toBarbara Walters.[53]Through the 1950s and 1960s, White began a nineteen-year run as hostess and commentator on the annualRose Paradebroadcast on NBC (co-hosting withRoy Nealand laterLorne Greene), and appeared on a number of late-night talk shows, including Jack Paar'sThe Tonight Show,and various other daytime game shows.[33]

1973–1992: Established star

White as Sue Ann Nivens inThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,1973

The Mary Tyler Moore Show(1973–1977)

Main article:The Mary Tyler Moore Show

White made several appearances in the fourth season (1973–74) ofThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,as the "man-hungry"Sue Ann Nivens.[33]Although considering the role a highlight of her career, White described the character's image as "icky sweet", feeling she was the very definition of feminine passivity, owing to the fact she always satirized her own persona onscreen in just such a way.[14]The Mary Tyler Moore Show'sproducers made Sue Ann Nivens a regular character and brought White into the main cast starting with the fifth season, afterValerie Harper,who playedRhoda Morgenstern,left the program.[54]

Arunning gagwas how Sue Ann's aggressive, cynical personality was the complete opposite of her relentlessly perky TV persona on the fictional WJM-TV show,The Happy Homemaker."We need somebody who can play sickeningly sweet, like Betty White", Moore suggested at a production meeting, which resulted in casting White herself. White won two Emmy Awards back-to-back for her role in the hugely popular series, in 1975 and 1976.[33]

Mary Tyler Mooreand her husbandGrant Tinkerwere close friends with White and her husband Allen Ludden. In a 2010The Interviews: An Oral History of Televisioninterview, Moore explained that producers, aware of Moore and White's friendship, were initially hesitant to audition White for the role, for fear that if she hadn't been right, it would create awkwardness between the two.[54]

A scene from the final episode ofThe Mary Tyler Moore Show(from left): White as Sue Ann Nivens,Gavin MacLeodas Murray Slaughter,Ed Asneras Lou Grant,Georgia Engelas Georgette Franklin Baxter,Ted Knightas Ted Baxter, andMary Tyler Mooreas Mary Richards, 1977

In 1975, NBC replaced White as commentator hostess of the Tournament of Roses Parade, feeling that she was identified too heavily with rival network CBS'sThe Mary Tyler Moore Show.White admitted toPeoplethat it was difficult "watching someone else do my parade",[55]although she would soon start a ten-year run as hostess of theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Paradefor CBS. Following the end ofThe Mary Tyler Moore Showin 1977, White was offered her own sitcom on CBS, her fourth, entitledThe Betty White Show[33](the first of the name running a quarter century earlier), in which she co-starred withJohn Hillermanand formerMary Tyler Mooreco-starGeorgia Engel.Running up againstMonday Night Footballin its timeslot, the ratings were poor and it was canceled after one season.[56][57]

Cast photo fromThe Betty White Showof 1977, from left:John Hillermanas John Elliot, Betty White as Joyce Whitman,Georgia Engelas Mitzi Maloney

White appeared several times onThe Carol Burnett ShowandThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsonappearing in many sketches, and began guest-starring in a number of television movies and television miniseries, includingWith This Ring,The Best Place to Be,Before and After,andThe Gossip Columnist.[33]In 1983, White became the first woman to win aDaytime Emmy Awardin the category ofOutstanding Game Show Host,for the NBC entryJust Men![58]Due to the amount of work she did on them, she was deemed the "First Lady of Game Shows".[59]

The Golden Girls(1985–1992)

Main article:The Golden Girls
Photograph of White smiling
White at the1989 Emmy Awards

From 1983 to 1984, White had a recurring role playingEllen HarperJackson on the seriesMama's Family,[33]along with futureGolden Girlsco-star Rue McClanahan. White had originated this character in a series of sketches onThe Carol Burnett Showin the 1970s.[60]In 1985, White scored her second signature role and the biggest hit of her career as theSt. Olaf, MinnesotanativeRose NylundonThe Golden Girls.[33]The series chronicled the lives of four widowed or divorced women in their "golden years" who shared a home in Miami.The Golden Girls,which also starredBea Arthur,Estelle Getty,andRue McClanahan,was immensely successful and ran from 1985 through 1992. White won onePrimetime Emmy Award,for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series",for the first season ofThe Golden Girls[33]and was nominated in that category every year of the show's run[60](Getty was also nominated every year, but in the supporting actress category).[61]

White had a strained relationship with herThe Golden Girlsco-starBea Arthuron and off the set of their television show, commenting that Arthur "was not that fond of me" and that "she found me a pain in the neck sometimes. It was my positive attitude – and that made Bea mad sometimes. Sometimes if I was happy, she'd be furious."[62][63]After Arthur's death in 2009, White said, "I knew it would hurt, I just didn't know it would hurt this much." Despite their differences,The Golden Girlswas a positive experience for both actresses and they had great mutual respect for the show, their roles, and the achievements made as an ensemble cast.[64][65]

White was originally offered the role of Blanche inThe Golden Girls,and Rue McClanahan was offered the role of Rose (the two characters being similar to roles they had played inMary Tyler MooreandMaude,respectively).Jay Sandrich,the director of the pilot, suggested that since they had played similar roles in the past, they should switch roles, Rue McClanahan later said in a documentary on the series. White originally had doubts about her ability to play Rose, until Sandrich explained to her that Rose was "terminally naive". White says "if you told Rose you were so hungry you could eat a horse, she'd call theASPCA."[66]

The Golden Girlsended in 1992 after Arthur announced her decision to depart the series. White, McClanahan, and Getty reprised their roles as Rose, Blanche, and Sophia in the spin-offThe Golden Palace.[33]The series was short-lived, lasting only one season. In addition, White reprised her Rose Nylund character in guest appearances on the NBC showsEmpty NestandNurses,both set in Miami.[33]

1993–2009: Continued roles

AfterThe Golden Palaceended,[33]White guest-starred on a number of television programs includingSuddenly Susan,The Practice,andYes, Dearwhere she received Emmy nominations for her individual appearances. She won an Emmy in 1996 forOutstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series,appearing as herself on an episode ofThe John Larroquette Show.[67]In that episode, titled "Here We Go Again", a parody onSunset Boulevard,a diva-like White convincesLarroquetteto help write her memoir. At one pointGolden Girlsco-stars McClanahan and Getty appear as themselves. Larroquette is forced to dress in drag as Bea Arthur, when all four appear in public as the "original" cast members.[60]White also appeared in films such asLake Placid(1999) andBringing Down the House(2003) during this time.

White at the premiere forThe Proposalin June 2009

In December 2006, White joined the soap operaThe Bold and the Beautifulin the role of Ann Douglas (where she would make 22 appearances), the long-lost mother of the show's matriarch,Stephanie Forrester,played bySusan Flannery.[68]She also began a recurring role in ABC'sBoston Legalfrom 2005 to 2008 as the calculating, blackmailing gossip-monger Catherine Piper, a role she originally played as a guest star onThe Practicein 2004.[33]

White appeared several times onThe Tonight Show with Jay LenoandThe Late Late Show with Craig Fergusonappearing in many sketches and returned toPasswordin its latest incarnation,Million Dollar Password,on June 12, 2008, (episode #3), participating in the Million Dollar challenge at the end of the show. On May 19, 2008, she appeared onThe Oprah Winfrey Show,taking part in the host'sMary Tyler Moore Showreunion special alongside every surviving cast member of the series. Beginning in 2007, White was featured in television commercials forPetMed Express,highlighting her interest in animal welfare.[69]

The Proposal(2009)

Main article:The Proposal (2009 film)

In 2009, White starred in the romantic comedyThe ProposalalongsideSandra BullockandRyan Reynolds.[70]Also in 2009, the candy companyMars, Incorporatedlaunched a global campaign for theirSnickersbar; the campaign's slogan was: "You're not you when you're hungry". White appeared, alongsideAbe Vigoda,in the company's advertisement for the candy during the 2010Super Bowl XLIV.The advertisement became very popular, and won the top spot on theSuper Bowl Ad Meter.[71][72]

2010–2021: Career resurgence

Photograph of an elderly white woman laughing
White at the 2010Time100gala

Following the success of the Snickers advertisement, a grassroots campaign on Facebook called "Betty White to Host SNL (Please)" began in January 2010. The group was approaching 500,000 members when NBC confirmed on March 11, 2010, that White would in fact hostSaturday Night Liveon May 8. The appearance made her, at age 88, the oldest person to host the show, beatingMiskel Spillman,the winner ofSNL's "Anybody Can Host" contest, who was 80 when she hosted in 1977.[73][74]In her opening monologue, White thanked Facebook and joked that she "didn't know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time."[21]The appearance earned her a 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.[75]White andJean Smartare the only actresses to have wins in all three comedy Emmy categories.[76]

White with PresidentBarack Obamain the Oval Office, June 2012

Hot in Cleveland(2010–2015)

Main article:Hot in Cleveland

In June 2010, White took on the role of Elka Ostrovsky, the house caretaker onTV Land's original sitcomHot in Clevelandalong withValerie Bertinelli,Jane Leeves,andWendie Malick.Hot in Clevelandwas TV Land's first attempt at a first-run scripted comedy (the channel hasrerunother sitcoms since its debut). White was only meant to appear in the pilot of the show but was asked to stay on for the entire series.[77]In 2011, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Seriesfor her role as Elka, but lost toJulie BowenforModern Family.[78]The series ran for six seasons, a total of 128 episodes, with the hour-long final episode airing on June 3, 2015.[79]

White also starred in theHallmark Hall of Famepresentation ofThe Lost Valentineon January 30, 2011 (this presentation garnered the highest rating for aHallmark Hall of Famepresentation in the previous four years and according to theNielsen Media ResearchTV rating service won first place in the prime time slot for that date),[80]and from 2012 to 2014, White hosted and executive producedBetty White's Off Their Rockers,in which senior citizens play practical jokes on the younger generation.[81]For this show, she received three Emmy nominations.

White with herHot in Clevelandco-starsValerie Bertinelli,Wendie Malick,andJane Leevesat theHollywood Walk of Famein August 2012

A Betty White calendar for 2011 was published in late 2010. The calendar features photos from White's career and with various animals.[82]She also launched her own clothing line on July 22, 2010, which features shirts with her face on them. All proceeds go to various animal charities she supported.[83]

White's success continued in 2012 with her firstGrammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recordingfor her bestsellerIf You Ask Me.She also won theUCLAJack BennyAward for Comedy, recognizing her significant contribution to comedy in television, and wasroastedat theNew York Friars Club.[84]A television special,Betty White's 90th Birthday Party,aired on NBC a day before her birthday on January 16, 2012. The show featured appearances of many stars whom White worked with over the years as well as a message from then sitting presidentBarack Obama.[85]In January 2013, NBC once again celebrated White's birthday with a TV special featuring celebrity friends, including former presidentBill Clinton;the special aired on February 5.[86]

On February 15, 2015, White made her final appearance onSaturday Night Livewhen she attended the40th Anniversary Special.She participated in "The Californians"sketch alongside members of the currentSNLcast as well asBill Hader,Taylor SwiftandKerry Washington.In the memorable sketch White ends up kissingBradley Cooper.[87]

On August 18, 2018, White's career was celebrated in aPBSdocumentary calledBetty White: First Lady of Television.[88]The documentary was filmed over a period of ten years, and featured archived footage and interviews from colleagues and friends.[35]In 2019, White appeared inPixar'sToy Story 4,providing the voice of Bitey White, a toy tiger that was named after her.[89]The other toys she shared a scene with were named and played byCarol Burnett,Carl Reiner,andMel Brooks.White commented that "It was wonderful the way they incorporated our names into the characters... And I'm a sucker for animals, so the tiger was perfect!"[89]

Betty White: A Celebration(2022)

Main article:Betty White: A Celebration

In December 2021, before White's death, it was announced that a new documentary-style film about her,Betty White: A Celebrationwould be released in U.S. theatres on what would have been her100thbirthday, January 17, 2022.[90]It features a cast of friends includingRyan Reynolds,Tina Fey,Robert Redford,Lin-Manuel Miranda,Clint Eastwood,Morgan Freeman,Jay Leno,Carol Burnett,Craig Ferguson,Jimmy Kimmel,Valerie Bertinelli,James Corden,Wendie Malick,andJennifer Love Hewitt.[91]In addition to the planned documentary,Peoplemagazine featured her as the cover story of its January 10, 2022, newsstand publication and a separate commemorative edition to celebrate the anticipated milestone, which were released days before her death.[92]

Following White's death, producers Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein of the event distributorsFathom Eventsannounced in a Facebook post that the pre-filmed production would be going ahead as scheduled.[93]

Achievements and honors

Main article:List of awards and nominations received by Betty White

White won fivePrimetime Emmy Awards,twoDaytime Emmy Awards(including the 2015 Daytime Emmy for Lifetime Achievement), and received aLos Angeles Emmy Awardin 1952.[94]White was the first woman to have received an Emmy in all performing comedic categories,[95]and also holds the record for longest span between Emmy nominations for performances—her first was in 1951 and her last was in 2014, a span of over 60 years.[96]In 2015, she received the Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy. She also won threeAmerican Comedy Awards(including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990), and twoViewers for Quality TelevisionAwards. She was inducted into theTelevision Hall of Famein 1995 and has a star on theHollywood Walk of FameatHollywood Boulevardalongside the star of her late husband Allen Ludden.[97][98]In 2009, White received theTCA Career Achievement Awardfrom theTelevision Critics Association.[33]

White's star on theHollywood Walk of Fame

In 1955 she was named thehonorary Mayor of Hollywood.[99]White was the recipient of The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Golden Ike Award and the Genii Award from theAlliance for Women in Mediain 1976.[33]The American Comedy Awards awarded her the award for Funniest Female in 1987 as well as thelist of lifetime achievement awardsin 1990.[33]

TheAmerican Veterinary Medical Associationawarded White with its Humane Award in 1987 for her charitable work with animals.[33]The City of Los Angeles further honored her for her philanthropic work with animals in 2006 with abronzecommemorative plaquenear the Gorilla Exhibit at theLos Angeles Zoo.[33]The City of Los Angeles named her "Ambassador to the Animals" at the dedication ceremony.[33]

In September 2009, theScreen Actors Guild(SAG) announced plans to honor White with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award at the16th Screen Actors Guild Awards.ActressSandra Bullockpresented White with the award on January 23, 2010, at the ceremony, which took place at theShrine Auditoriumin Los Angeles.[33]She was aKentucky Colonel.[100]In 2009, White and herGolden Girlscast mates Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty were awardedDisney Legendsawards. White was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December 2010. In 2010, she was chosen as theAssociated Press's Entertainer of the Year.[101]

On November 9, 2010, theUSDA Forest Service,along withSmokey Bear,made White an honorary forest ranger, fulfilling her lifelong dream.[102][103]White said in previous interviews that she wanted to be a forest ranger as a little girl but that women were not allowed to do that then. When White received the honor, more than one-third of Forest Service employees were women.[104]

In January 2011, White received a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role asElka OstrovskyinHot in Cleveland.The show itself was also nominated for an award as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, but it lost to the cast ofModern Family.[105]She won the same award again in 2012 and later received a third nomination.[106]

In October 2011, White was awarded an honorary degree and a white doctor's coat byWashington State Universityat the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association's centennial gala inYakima, Washington.[107]

A 2011 poll conducted byReutersandIpsosrevealed that White was considered the most popular and most trusted celebrity among Americans, beating the likes ofDenzel Washington,Sandra Bullock, andTom Hanks.[108]

In 2017, after 70 years in the industry, White was invited to become a member of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.At age 95, this made her the oldest new member at the time.[109]

Personal life

White andAllen Luddenin 1963

While volunteering with theAmerican Women's Voluntary Services,White metAir ForceP-38pilot Dick Barker.[65][110]After the war, they were married in 1945 and moved toBelle Center, Ohio,where Barker owned a chicken farm; he wanted to embrace a simpler life, but White did not enjoy doing so. They returned to Los Angeles and divorced within a year.[60][111]She married Hollywoodtalent agentLane Allen in 1947,[110]and they divorced in 1949 because he wanted to start a family but she wanted to focus on her career rather than having children.[112]

On June 14, 1963, White married television hostAllen Ludden,whom she had met as a celebrity guest on his game showPasswordin 1961.[113]Her legal name was changed to Betty Marion Ludden.[114]He proposed to her at least twice before she accepted, and they remained married until he died fromstomach cancerin Los Angeles on June 9, 1981.[13]The couple appeared together in an episode ofThe Odd Couplefeaturing Felix's and Oscar's appearance onPassword.[115]

WriterJohn Steinbeckwas in White and Ludden's group of high-profile friends, and White wrote about the friendship in her 2011 bookIf You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't).Ludden had attended the same school as actressElaine Anderson(Steinbeck's future wife) and Steinbeck later gave an early draft of hisNobel Prize in Literatureacceptance speech to Ludden as a birthday gift.[53][116]The couple also had a close friendship with blind musician and motivational speakerTom Sullivan,whom they had met in 1968 while Sullivan was singing in a small club at the same time that White and Ludden were performing in a play onCape Cod.[117]White and Sullivan co-wrote a book,Leading Lady,about Sullivan's firstseeing eye dog,who lived with White after being retired.[117][118][119]

White and Ludden had no children together, though she was the stepmother of his three children with Margaret McGloin Ludden, who had died of cancer in 1961.[120][121]During an interview onLarry King Live,she was asked why she never remarried after Ludden's death. She replied, "Once you've had the best, who needs the rest?"[122]When asked byJames LiptononInside the Actors Studioin 2010 what she would like God to say to her ifHeavenexists, she replied, "Come on in, Betty. Here's Allen."[123]

White attended theUnity Church,part of theNew Thoughtmovement.[124]

Death

On December 25, 2021, White suffered astroke.[125][126]On the morning of December 31, she died in her sleep at her home in theBrentwoodneighborhood ofLos Angelesat the age of 99.[127]Her remains werecremated.[114]

White's death was met with statements of sympathy and tributes from many people and organizations around the world. TheUnited States Armyreleased a statement as White had volunteered with theAmerican Women's Voluntary ServicesduringWorld War II.[128]TheMartin Luther King Jr. Centeralso offered their condolences and praised White for her early support of racial equality.[129]There were additional tributes from numerous media organizations,[130]entertainers,[131][132]political commentators,[133]sports teams,[134]politicians,[135]and other public figures.[131]White's star on theHollywood Walk of Famewas flooded with flowers and tributes within hours of the announcement of her death.[136]

White's two California homes in Brentwood andCarmelwere sold in April and June 2022 respectively, with her personal belongings sold atauctionthat September and proceeds donated to several charities.[137]Her estate also donated a substantial portion of her television memorabilia to theNational Comedy Center,including wardrobe pieces, annotated notes, and five of her Emmy Awards.[138]

Causes and advocacy

Animal welfare

White was a pet enthusiast andanimal welfareadvocate, who worked with organizations including theLos Angeles ZooCommission, TheMorris Animal Foundation,African Wildlife Foundation,and Actors and Others for Animals. Her interest in animal welfare began in the early 1970s while she was producing and hosting the syndicated seriesThe Pet Set,which spotlighted celebrities and their pets.[33][139]As of 2009, White was the presidentemeritaof the Morris Animal Foundation, where she served as atrusteeof the organization beginning in 1971.[33]She was a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1974.[33]Additionally, White served the association as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years.[33]

According to the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Garden'sZooScapemember newsletter, White hosted "History on Film" from 2000 to 2002. White donated nearly $100,000 to the zoo in the month of April 2008 alone.[140]White served as a judge at the 2011American HumaneHero Dog Awards ceremony.[141]

White served as a judge alongsideWhoopi GoldbergandWendy DiamondforAmerican Humane's Hero Dog Awards on theHallmark Channelon November 8, 2011.[142]

Racial equality

In 1954, asThe Betty White Showbecame national across the United States, White was criticized by many in the Southern states for havingArthur Duncan,a Black tap dancer, on her variety show and was asked to remove him. In the 2018 documentaryBetty White: First Lady of Television,White recalled threats to take the show off-air "if we didn't get rid of Arthur, because he was Black." She refused, saying "he stays, live with it".[143]

In 2017, sixty-three years after the show was canceled, Duncan appeared as a surprise guest on the series premiere of the reality talent seriesLittle Big Shots: Forever Young,where he performed and reunited with White, later thanking her again for her support.[144]

LGBT rights

A supporter and advocate ofLGBT rights,White said in 2010, "If a couple has been together all that time – and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I think it's fine if they want to get married. I don't know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don't worry about other people so much."[145]In a 2011 interview, she revealed that she always knew her close friendLiberacewas gay and that she sometimes accompanied him to premieres tohelp him hide it.[62]

Discography

In September 2011, White teamed up with English singerLucianato produce a remix of her song "I'm Still Hot".The song was released digitally on September 22 and the video later premiered on October 6.[146]It was made for a campaign for alife settlementcompany, The Lifeline Program, and it is her only commercial single to date, peaking at number 1 on theDance Club Songschart. White 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' ".[147]

Filmography

Main article:Betty White filmography

Bibliography

White published several books. In August 2010, she entered a deal withG.P. Putnam's Sonsto produce two more books, the first of which,If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't),was released in 2011.[148]In February 2012, White received aGrammy AwardforBest Spoken Word Recordingfor the audio recording of the book.[149]

Books

  • Betty White's Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us.W. Morrow. 1983.
  • Betty White in Person.Doubleday. 1987.
  • The Leading Lady: Dinah's Story.Bantam Books. 1991.ISBN9780385421683.(withTom Sullivan)
  • Here We Go Again: My Life In Television.Scribner. 1995.ISBN9780684800424.
  • Together: A Novel of Shared Vision.Center Point Pub. 2008.ISBN9781602852488.(withTom Sullivan)
  • If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't).Penguin. 2011.ISBN9781101514467.
  • Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo.Penguin. 2011.ISBN9781101558928.

Audiobooks

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Further reading

  • Tucker, David C. (2007).The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms.Jefferson, NC: McFarland.ISBN978-0-7864-2900-4
  • Armstrong, Jennifer (2021).When women invented television: the untold story of the female powerhouses who pioneered the way we watch today.New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.ISBN978-0-06-297330-6.OCLC1241185819.
  • Bernstein, Paula (October 5, 2021).How to Be Golden: Lessons We Can Learn from Betty White.Running Press.ISBN978-0-7624-7460-8.
  • Stoner, Andrew E. (2012).Betty White: The First 90 Years.Blue River Press.ISBN978-1-935628-23-1.
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