Looking Back At Betty White's Outstanding Career & Details Fans Might Not Know

Jan 03, 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 to 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 and fascinating career. Read on to take a closer look at the life of America's Sweetheart and maybe learn some facts about her that you do not already know while remembering this outstanding actress we will all mourn.

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 is 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.

White graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1939, where she showed an interest in writing. Later, she would discover her love for performing after writing and playing the lead in a graduation play at Horace Mann School. However, initially, she 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. What a different world we might have had if she had been able to pursue her childhood dream!

White's television career began in 1939, right after she graduated from high school, when she sang songs for an experimental TV show. She then went on to get her first professional role in the Bliss Hayden Little Theater, which is now known as the Beverly Hills Playhouse. 

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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. 

After the war, work was hard to find, so White pursued jobs in the world of radio. Later, she would appear on such shows as "Blondie" and "The Great Gildersleeve." 

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," which she made appearances on from 1961 until 1975.

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 99-year-old actress has played the same character named Rose Nylund on four different television series over the course of her career. The shows she has portrayed the character on are "The Golden Place," "The Golden Girls," as well as guest appearances on "Nurses" and "Empty Nest." 

It came to no surprise that good-hearted White was viewed as incredibly trustworthy by many people. She was even voted as the most trusted celebrity in the United States by a Washington Times poll in 2011.

Did you know these facts about White? What is your favorite project of hers? Let us know and be sure to pass this on to all of the Betty White fans you know!