Aspects Of Betty White’s Career Highlighting The Beloved Actress’s Legacy

Mar 01, 2022 by apost team

Betty White was one of the remaining legendary actors from the golden age of television. Her passing on December 31, 2021, has left fans and fellow celebrities all over the world reeling from grief. She was the queen of sitcoms and had been working in show business for most of her life, since 1939. She was best known for her roles in the hit sitcoms "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Golden Girls" and "Hot in Cleveland." With her career spanning over 80 years, White has been recognized by the "Guinness Book of World Records" for having the longest-running career in the film and television industry.

White received eight Emmy awards in multiple categories over the course of her long life. She also won three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actor Guild Awards and one Grammy. In 1985 she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and even received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. White's accomplishments in her field really can't be understated.

Outside of acting, White dedicated her life to advocating for animal health and welfare. She was a devoted pet enthusiast, had three dogs of her own and worked with a number of animal organizations, including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, Actors and Others for Animals, African Wildlife Foundation and The Morris Animal Foundation.    

White married television personality Allen Ludden in 1963. The couple met when White was a contestant on Ludden's game show "Password" in 1961. They were together for 20 years until Ludden's sudden death from cancer in 1981.

White had a long, fascinating career and personal life. Read on to learn some lesser-known details about White's early life, career and what she was passionate about.

Betty White was born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois. The star would have turned a respectable 100 years old in early 2022. A special film event was planned to celebrate the occasion called "Betty White: 100 Years Young – a Birthday Celebration." The special was still set to go forward after her sudden death, instead celebrating the life of an outstanding icon of American television.

White's parents were Christine Tess and Horace Logan White; she was their only child. Her father was a lighting company executive and her mother was a homemaker. The family moved to the Los Angeles area in 1923 when White was a little over a year old. To make extra money during the Great Depression, her father would make and sell radios.

Initially, White dreamed of becoming a forest ranger after her many family vacations spent in Sierra, Nevada. Unfortunately, women were not allowed to be forest rangers at that time, so she shifted her goals and pursued acting instead. In 2010, White was made an honorary US forest ranger at the age of 88, and she thought it would have pleased her parents. "They would be more proud of this than of any other award I have won," she said.

White's television career began in 1939, right after she graduated from high school when she danced on an experimental TV show. "I danced on an experimental TV show, the first on the west coast, in downtown Los Angeles. I wore my high school graduation dress and our Beverly Hills High student body president, Harry Bennett, and I danced the 'Merry Widow Waltz,'" White said.

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White's career was put on hold during World War II when she served in the American Women's Voluntary Services. Her work included transporting military supplies throughout California and participating in events designed to entertain the troops before they left on deployment. White told Cleveland Magazine, "It was a strange time and out of balance with everything."

In 1954, White hosted and produced her own variety show called "The Betty White Show" on NBC. She had creative control over the series, making her one of the first women to succeed both in front of and behind the camera. At the time, she faced criticism for including African-American actor Arthur Duncan in the series and was pressured to remove him from the show in order to raise its ratings. Standing by her fellow actor, White resolutely refused.

By the 1960s, White had made many appearances on television game shows. She met her husband, Ludden, on the set of the show "Password." Ludden was White's third husband, and she was glad she didn't stay married to her second husband Lane Allan. "He didn't want me to be in show business," White shared. "When you have a calling you have to follow it, so I made the choice, blew the marriage and I've never regretted it."

Despite being cast as Rose Nylund on "The Golden Girls," White had originally auditioned for the role of Blanche and Rue McClanahan was going to play the part of Rose. However, the director worried about type-casting, resulting in the two actresses switching roles.

The actress had an extraordinary love for animals. "Animals don't lie. Animals don't criticize," White said in her book "If You Ask Me." "If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do."

Did you know these facts about Betty White? What is your favorite project she starred in? Let us know and be sure to pass this along to all of the fans of the actress in your life.