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| caption = White at the ''[[Time 100]]'' gala in 2010
| caption = White at the ''[[Time 100]]'' gala in 2010
| birth_name = Betty Marion White
| birth_name = Betty Marion White
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1922|1|17}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1900|1|17}}
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| birth_place = [[Oak Park, Illinois]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Oak Park, Illinois]], U.S.

Revision as of 02:46, 8 August 2013

Betty White
White at the Time 100 gala in 2010
Born
Betty Marion White

(1900-01-17) January 17, 1900 (age 124)
Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Other namesGerrie, Betty White Ludden[1]
EducationHorace Mann School
Alma materBeverly Hills High School
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, writer
Years active1939–present
TelevisionLife with Elizabeth
Date with the Angels
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Betty White Show
The Golden Girls
The Golden Palace
Hot in Cleveland
Betty White's Off Their Rockers (host)
Spouse(s)Dick Barker (1945)
Lane Allen (1947–1949)
Allen Ludden (1963–1981; his death)
AwardsTemplate:Infobox comedian awards

Betty Marion White Ludden (born January 17, 1922), better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedian, singer, author and television personality. With a career spanning over seven decades, she currently holds the record for the longest career in American TV at 65 years.[2] To contemporary audiences, White is best known for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. Since the death of co-star Rue McClanahan in 2010, she is the only surviving Golden Girl. She currently stars as Elka Ostrovsky in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland for which she has won two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards. She currently hosts the practical-joke show Betty White's Off Their Rockers which has resulted in two Emmy nominations.

Regarded as a television pioneer for being one of the first women in television to have creative control in front of and behind the camera,[3] White has gone on to win six Emmy Awards (five for acting), receiving 20 Emmy nominations[3] over her career, including being the first woman to receive an Emmy for game show hosting (for the short-lived Just Men!) and is the only woman to have won an Emmy in all performing comedic categories. In May 2010, White became the oldest person to guest-host Saturday Night Live, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award. White also holds the record for longest span between Emmy nominations for performances—her first was in 1951 and her most recent was in 2012, a span of 61 years—and has become the oldest nominee as of 2012, aged 90. The actress is also the oldest winner of a competitive Grammy Award, which she won in 2012.

She has made regular appearances on the game shows Password and Match Game and played recurring roles on Mama's Family, Boston Legal, The Bold and the Beautiful, That '70s Show, and Community.

Early life

Born Betty Marion White in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 17, 1922, she is the daughter of Tess Curtis (née Cachikis), a homemaker, and Horace Lawrence White, a traveling salesman and electrical engineer.[4][5][6] Her mother was of Greek, English, and Welsh descent, and her father was of Danish and English ancestry.[7][8][9] White's family moved to Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression.[10] She attended Horace Mann School Beverly Hills and Beverly Hills High School. Hoping to become a writer, she wrote and played the lead in a graduation play at Horace Mann School and discovered her interest in performing.[1]

Career

1939–1973: Radio career, Life With Elizabeth and television pioneer

White began her television career in 1939, three months after high school graduation, when she and a classmate sang songs from The Merry Widow on an experimental Los Angeles channel.[11][1][12] White found work modeling, and her first professional acting job was at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre. White's career was disrupted immediately, as World War II broke out, causing her to join the American Women's Voluntary Services.[13] In the 1940s, she worked in radio appearing on shows such as Blondie, The Great Gildersleeve, and This is Your FBI. She then got her own radio show, called The Betty White Show.[14]

In 1949, she began appearing as co-host with Al Jarvis on his daily, live variety show Hollywood on Television on KLAC in Los Angeles.[3][12] White began hosting the show by herself in 1952 after Jarvis' departure,[3] spanning five and a half hours of live ad-lib television six days per week over a contiguous four-year span altogether. In all of her various variety series over the years, White would sing at least a couple of songs during each broadcast. In 1950, Betty was nominated for her first Emmy Award as "Best Actress" on television, competing with such legendary stars as Judith Anderson, Helen Hayes, and Imogene Coca (the award went to Gertrude Berg). This was the very first award and category in the new Emmy history designated for women on television.

In 1952, the same year she began hosting Hollywood on Television, White co-founded Bandy Productions with writer George Tibbles and Don Fedderson, a producer.[3] The trio worked to create new shows using existing characters from sketches shown on Hollywood on Television. White, Fedderson, and Tibbles created the television comedy Life with Elizabeth, based on a Hollywood on Television sketch.[3] White portrayed the title character on the sitcom from 1952 to 1955, which effectively boosted her career.[3] Life With Elizabeth was nationally syndicated by the mid-1950s, allowing White to become one of the few women in television with full creative control in front of and behind the camera at the time.[3] Although several sources state White won an Emmy for the show [3][5][12][15] this appears to be incorrect,[16] and may be a matter of confusing the 1950 nomination with a win.

White in The Betty White Show (1954)

In 1954, she briefly hosted and produced her own daily talk show, The Betty White Show, on NBC[3] (not to be confused with her 1970s sitcom of the same name). Following Life with Elizabeth, she appeared as Vicki Angel on the sitcom Date with the Angels from 1957 to 1958. The show later became another variety series before going off the air.[3] White performed in commercials seen on live television in Los Angeles, including a spirited rendition of the "Dr. Ross Dog Food" advertisement at KTLA during the 1950s.

She made her feature film debut as Kansas Senator Elizabeth Ames Adams in the 1962 drama, Advise & Consent. It would be her only big-screen appearance for decades.

Betty White's greatest fame during the 1960s and early 1970s with the general public was likely from her long stint as hostess and commentator on the annual Tournament of Roses Parade broadcast on NBC, often co-hosting with Lorne Greene. White began a nineteen-year run as host on the program in 1956; NBC replaced her in 1975, feeling she was too identified with rival network CBS due to her new-found success on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. White admitted to People magazine it was difficult "watching someone else do my parade",[17] although she soon would start a ten-year run as hostess of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for CBS.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, White appeared on a number of late night talkshows and daytime game shows, including Password.[3] White made many appearances on the hit game show Password as a celebrity guest from 1961 through 1975. She married the show's host, Allen Ludden, in 1963.[3] She subsequently appeared on the show's three updated versions Password Plus, Super Password, and Million Dollar Password, having been on versions of the game with five different hosts (Allen Ludden, Bill Cullen, Tom Kennedy, Bert Convy, and Regis Philbin). White made frequent game show appearances on What's My Line? (starting in 1955), To Tell the Truth (in 1961 and in 1990), I've Got a Secret (in 1972–73), Match Game (1973–1982), and Pyramid (starting in 1982). Both Password and Pyramid were created by White's friend, Bob Stewart.

1973–1985: Continued success, comedic endeavors and The Mary Tyler Moore Show

In 1973, White made a guest appearance in season four of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as The Happy Homemaker.[3] As a result of her guest appearance, White landed her most significant role at that point as the sardonic, man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens, The Happy Homemaker, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as a full-time cast member.[3] The running gag was that Sue Ann's hard-edged private personality was the complete opposite of how she presented herself on her show. "We need somebody who can play sickeningly sweet, like Betty White," Moore herself suggested at a production meeting, which resulted in casting White herself. White won two back-to-back Emmy Awards for her role in the hugely popular series.[3]

Following that show's end in 1977, she was given her own sitcom on CBS, The Betty White Show,[3] during the 1977–78 season, in which she co-starred with John Hillerman and former Mary Tyler Moore co-star Georgia Engel. It was canceled after one season. White appeared several times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson appearing in many sketches, and began guest-starring in a number of television movies and television miniseries, including With This Ring, The Best Place to Be, Before and After, and The Gossip Columnist.[3]

In 1983, she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Game Show Host, for the NBC entry Just Men!.[18] Due to the amount of work she has done on them, she has been deemed the "First Lady of Game Shows".[19]

From 1983 through 1985, she had a recurring role playing Ellen Harper Jackson on the series Mama's Family,[3] along with future Golden Girls co-star Rue McClanahan. White had originated this character in a series of sketches on The Carol Burnett Show in the 1970s. When Mama's Family was picked up in syndication after being canceled by NBC in 1985, White left the show (with the exception of one final appearance in the show's syndicated version in 1986).

1985–2000: The Golden Girls and new career heights

White at the 1989 Emmy Awards.

In 1985, she scored her second signature role and the biggest hit of her career as the St. Olaf, Minnesota-native Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls.[3] 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 starred Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan, was immensely successful and ran from 1985 through 1992. White won one Emmy Award, for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, for the first season of The Golden Girls[3] and was nominated in that category every year of the show's run (the only cast member to receive that distinction — Getty was also nominated every year, but in the supporting actress category). When Beatrice Arthur left in 1992, White, McClanahan, and Getty reprised their roles Rose, Blanche, and Sophia in the spin-off The Golden Palace.[3] The series was short-lived, lasting only one season. In addition, White reprised her Rose Nylund character in guest appearances on the NBC shows Empty Nest and Nurses, both of which were set in Miami.[3]

White was originally offered the role of Blanche in The Golden Girls, and Rue McClanahan was offered the role of Rose (the two characters being similar to roles they had played in Mary Tyler Moore and Maude, 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 was originally scared to play Rose, feeling that she would not be able to play the role—until the show's creator took her aside and told her not to play Rose as stupid but to play her as someone "terminally naive, a person who always believed the first explanation of something." Despite being the eldest of the four women, White is the only surviving regular cast member, following the deaths of Estelle Getty in July 2008, Bea Arthur in April 2009, and Rue McClanahan in June 2010.[20]

After The Golden Girls[3] ended, White guest-starred on a number of television programs including Ally McBeal, The Ellen Show, My Wife and Kids, That '70s Show, Everwood, Joey, and Malcolm in the Middle. She received Emmy Award nominations for her appearances on Suddenly Susan, Yes, Dear and The Practice. She won an Emmy in 1996 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, appearing as herself on an episode of The John Larroquette Show. In that episode, titled "Here We Go Again", a spoof on Sunset Boulevard, a diva-like White convinces Larroquette to help write her memoirs. In one bit, Golden Girls co-stars McClanahan and Getty appear as themselves. Larroquette is forced to dress in drag as Beatrice Arthur, when all four appear in public as the "original" cast members. White comically envisions her Rose as the central character with the other cast members as mere supporting players.

The actress has lent her voice to several animated shows, including The Simpsons, King of the Hill, The Wild Thornberrys, Family Guy, and Father of the Pride.[3] In 1999, she had a supporting role in the monster film Lake Placid, as a widow who later is revealed to have raised the giant crocodile (which accidentally ate her husband).

2000–present: Hollywood mainstay and career resurgence

White at the premiere for The Proposal in June 2009

White's career has been in revival throughout the first decades of the 2000s, and her continuing cultural relevance is reflected in the numerous television and film projects she has been a part of. In December 2006, White joined the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful in the role of Ann Douglas, the long-lost mother of the show's matriarch Stephanie Forrester, who was played by Susan Flannery. In February 2007, White returned as Ann, who had an intent to move to Los Angeles to be near her daughters.[21] The characters of Ann and Pamela Douglas (Alley Mills) disappeared after their March 27, 2007, appearance and were not mentioned again until October 19, 2007, when Ann appeared briefly. White would go on to appear in three more episodes following that, one on December 10, 2007; August 28, 2008; and October 28, 2008. She returned to the show on November 18, 2009 and in the November 19, 2009 episode her character revealed that she was dying of advanced pancreatic cancer. To date she has made 22 appearances as Ann Douglas. In the November 23, 2009 episode Ann passes away due to complications from her illness, with both of her daughters at her side on the beach at Paradise Cove.

In the broadcast of the 2007 TV Land Awards, White starred in a parody of Ugly Betty, aptly titled Ugly Betty White, in which she played America Ferrera's title character, with Charo playing White's sister Hilda, and Erik Estrada playing her father Ignacio.[22] Her performance earned her a part on Ugly Betty as herself, the victim of Wilhelmina Slater's temper as they vie for a cab in the episode "Bananas for Betty", which aired December 6, 2007.

White had a recurring role in ABC's Boston Legal from 2005 to 2008 as the calculating, blackmailing gossip-monger Catherine Piper, a role she originally portrayed as a guest star on The Practice in 2004.[3]

White appeared as a roaster on the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner in 2006. On May 19, 2008, White appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, taking part in the host's Mary Tyler Moore Show reunion special alongside every surviving cast member of the series.

Beginning in 2007, White was featured in television commercials for PetMeds, highlighting her interest in animal rights and welfare.[23]

She was honored at the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards with the Pop Culture Award on June 8, 2008. She accepted it along with co-stars Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan.

White returned to Password in its latest incarnation, Million Dollar Password, on June 12, 2008, (episode #3), participating in the Million Dollar challenge at the end of the show. Her quick correct responses helped the contestant win $100,000. White returned to the show again on December 28, 2008 (episode #9), helping the contestants win $25,000 each. White has made a number of appearances in skits on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, playing the part of an Exxon representative, a Girl Scout, an accountant with a briefcase full of cocaine, a nurse who just got her medical license from El Salvador, a newspaper delivery girl, a prison guard, and an Apple representative. She appeared as herself with a shoe box full of receipts, explaining that she was doing her taxes. She appeared as herself to promote Together: A Story of Shared Vision by her and Tom Sullivan. On July 18, 2008, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in a skit entitled "Can You Make Betty White Flinch".

White guest starred as the "Witch Lady" on an episode of My Name Is Earl, and starred on Chelsea Handler's late night show Chelsea Lately. Some of her other most recent television credits in the 2000s include Stealing Christmas, Annie's Point and The Retrievers.[3] Her film credits in the late 1990s and early 2000s included Hard Rain, Dennis the Menace Strikes Again and Bringing Down the House, in which she co-starred with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah.[3]

White appeared in the 2009 motion picture The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.[3] White provided the English-language voice of Yoshie in the anime film Ponyo,[3] which was released in Japan in 2008 and in the United States and Canada on August 14, 2009. She co-starred with Kristen Bell in the 2010 film, You Again.[3]

White appeared alongside Abe Vigoda in an advertisement for Snickers during the 2010 Super Bowl XLIV. The ad won the top spot on the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter. The slogan was, "You're not you when you're hungry".

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 host Saturday Night Live on May 8. The appearance made her, at age 88, the oldest person to host the show, beating Miskel Spillman, the winner of SNL's "Anybody Can Host" contest, who was 80 when she hosted in 1977.[24] The May 8 SNL episode garnered the show's highest ratings since November 1, 2008, when Ben Affleck hosted.[25] 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."[26] The appearance earned her a 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series, her seventh Emmy win overall.

In June 2010, White took on the role of Elka Ostrovsky the house caretaker on TV Land’s original sitcom Hot in Cleveland.[27]

A Betty White calendar for 2011 was published in late 2010. The calendar features photos from her career and her pictured with various animals.[28] She also debuted her own clothing line on July 22, 2010, which features shirts with her face on them. All proceeds will also go to various animal charities she supports.[29]

White with President Obama in the Oval Office in June 2012.

She guest-starred in the second-season premiere of NBC's Community as an anthropology professor.[30] In 2010 she also guest starred in The Middle and 30 Rock. She also had a role as Mrs. Claus in Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa, the sequel to Disney's Prep & Landing, and began providing the voice for recurring character Agatha McLeish on The Hub's Pound Puppies.

White also starred in the Hallmark Hall of fame presentation of The Lost Valentine on January 30, 2011. This presentation garnered the highest rating for a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation in the last four years and according to the Nielsen Media Research TV rating service won first place in the prime time slot for that date.[31]

White has published several books over the span of her career. In August 2010, she entered a deal with G.P. Putnam Sons to produce two more books, the first of which, If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't), was released in 2011.[32] In December of 2011, White received her first ever Grammy Award ("Best Spoken Word Recording") for the audio recording of the book.

NBC announced in early 2011 that White would be host and executive producer of a new show, Betty White's Off Their Rockers, in which senior citizens play practical jokes on the younger generation.[33]

In 2011, White appeared in the Visit California promotional film aimed at boosting tourism from the UK.

In September 2011, she teamed up with English singer Luciana to produce a remix of her song "I'm Still Hot". The song was released digitally on September 22, 2011[34] and the video later premiered on October 6, 2011. It was made for a campaign for a life settlement program, The Lifeline. White served as a judge alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Wendy Diamond for the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Awards airing on The Hallmark Channel on November 8, 2011 at 8PM ET/PT.[35]

A special Betty White's 90th Birthday Party aired on NBC a day before the star's birthday on January 16, 2012. The show featured appearances of many stars with whom White has worked over the years.[36] Betty White's Off Their Rockers aired following the celebratory event, and returned in April 2012 as a recurring show which resulted in an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. White’s success continued in 2012 with her first Grammy Award for a spoken word recording for her best seller If You Ask Me. She also won the UCLA Jack Benny Award for Comedy, recognizing her significant contribution to comedy in television, and was roasted at the New York Friars' Club.[37] Hot In Cleveland continued its rating success, with White receiving her third consecutive Screen Actor's Guild Award nomination. In January 2013 NBC once again celebrated Betty White's birthday with a TV special featuring celebrity friends, including former president Bill Clinton; the special aired on February 5.[38]

In 2013, she voiced a character on the Disney Channel show Mickey Mouse.

Charity

White is a pet enthusiast and animal health advocate who works with a number of animal organizations, including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, the Morris Animal Foundation, and Actors & Others for Animals. Her interest in animal rights and welfare began in the early 1970s while she was both producing and hosting the syndicated series, The Pet Set, which spotlighted celebrities and their pets.[3]

As of 2009, White is the president emerita of the Morris Animal Foundation, where she has served as a trustee of the organization since 1971.[3] She has been a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1974.[3] Additionally, White served the zoo association as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years.[3]

According to the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Garden's "ZooScape" Member 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.

Betty White served as a presenter at the 2011 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 1, 2011 in Los Angeles.[39]

Personal life

White and Ludden in 1968.

In 1945, White married Dick Barker, a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot. The marriage was short-lived. In 1947, she married Lane Allen, a Hollywood agent. This marriage ended in divorce in 1949.

On June 14, 1963, White married television host and personality Allen Ludden, whom she had met on his game show Password as a celebrity guest in 1961,[40] and her legal name was changed to Betty White Ludden. He proposed to White at least twice before she accepted. The couple appeared together in an episode of The Odd Couple featuring Felix's and Oscar's appearance on Password. Ludden appeared as a guest panelist on Match Game, with White sitting in the audience. (She was prompted to criticize one of Ludden's wrong answers on camera during an episode of Match Game '74). The two appeared together on the Match Game panel in 1974, 1975, and 1980.

Allen Ludden died from stomach cancer[41][42] on June 9, 1981, in Los Angeles.[43] They had no children together, though she is stepmother to his three children from his first marriage. White has not remarried since Ludden's death.

When asked about her real-life heroes, White told Vanity Fair, "Charles Darwin".[44]

White is a practicing member of the Unity Church.[45]

She is also a registered Democrat.[46] She endorsed President Barack Obama in 2012 saying she "likes how he represents us".[47]

In a 2011 interview, White said that she always knew her close friend Liberace was gay and that she sometimes accompanied him to premieres.[48] A supporter of gay rights, White said that "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".[49]

Awards, honors and nominations

White at the 1992 Emmy Awards

White has won six Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990), and two Viewers for Quality Television Awards. She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6747 Hollywood Boulevard alongside the star of her late husband Allen Ludden.

White was the recipient of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Golden Ike Award and the Genii Award from the American Women in Radio and Television in 1976.[3] The American Comedy Awards awarded her the award for Funniest Female in 1987 as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990.[3] She was formally inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2009, White received the Career Achievement Award from the Television Critics Association.[3]

The American Veterinary Medical Association awarded White with its Humane Award in 1987 for her charitable work with animals.[3] The City of Los Angeles further honored her for her philanthropic work with animals in 2006 with a bronze plaque near the Gorilla Exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo.[3] The City of Los Angeles named her "Ambassador to the Animals" at the dedication ceremony.[3]

Walk of Fame

In September 2009, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced plans to honor White with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Sandra Bullock presented White with the award on January 23, 2010, at the ceremony, which took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.[3] She is a Kentucky Colonel.[50] In 2009, White and her now-deceased Golden Girls cast mates Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty were awarded honorary Disney Legend awards. Betty was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December 2010. In 2010 she was chosen as the Associated Press's Entertainer of the Year.[51]

On November 9, 2010, the USDA Forest Service, along with Smokey Bear, made actress Betty White an honorary forest ranger, fulfilling her lifelong dream.[52] 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. Today’s United States Forest Service is 38 percent female, including rangers, scientists, and leaders at every level.

In January 2011, White received a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Elka Ostrovsky in Hot in Cleveland. The show itself was also nominated for an award as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, but lost to the cast of Modern Family.[53] She won the same award again in 2012, and has received a third nomination.[54]

A 2011 poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos revealed that White was considered to be the most popular and most trusted celebrity among Americans, beating out the likes of Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, and Tom Hanks.[55]

In October 2011, White was awarded an honorary degree and white doctors coat by Washington State University at the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association’s centennial gala in Yakima, Washington.

In 2012, White won her first Grammy, aged 90 for the audio version of her best selling book.

Year Award Category Work Result
1951 Emmy Award Best Actress Life with Elizabeth Nominated
1975 Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series The Mary Tyler Moore Show Won
1976 Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series The Mary Tyler Moore Show Won
1977 Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series The Mary Tyler Moore Show Nominated
1983 Emmy Awards Outstanding Game Show Host Just Men! Won
1984 Emmy Awards Outstanding Game Show Host Just Men! Nominated
1986 Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The Golden Girls Won
1986 Golden Apple Award Female Star of the Year Won
1986 Golden Globes Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy The Golden Girls Nominated
1987 Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The Golden Girls Nominated
1987 Golden Globes Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy The Golden Girls Nominated
1987 American Comedy Awards Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication The Golden Girls Won
1987 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series The Golden Girls Won
1988 Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The Golden Girls Nominated
1988 Golden Globes Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy The Golden Girls Nominated
1988 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series The Golden Girls Won
1989 Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The Golden Girls Nominated
1989 Golden Globes Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy The Golden Girls Nominated
1990 Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The Golden Girls Nominated
1990 American Comedy Awards Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication The Golden Girls Nominated
1990 American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy Won
1991 Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The Golden Girls Nominated
1992 Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The Golden Girls Nominated
1995 Walk of Fame Star on the Walk of Fame Won
1996 Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series The John Larroquette Show Won
1997 Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Suddenly Susan Nominated
2000 American Comedy Awards Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series Ally McBeal Won
2003 Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series The Practice Nominated
2003 TV Land Awards Quintessential Non-Traditional Family Won
2004 TV Land Awards Groundbreaking Show Won
2008 TV Land Awards Pop Culture Award Won
2009 Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series My Name Is Earl Nominated
2009 Television Critics Association Career Achievement Award Won
2009 Disney Legends Disney Legends Won
2010 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award Won
2010 MTV Movie Awards Best WTF Moment The Proposal Nominated
2010 MTV Movie Awards Best Comedic Performance The Proposal Nominated
2010 Teen Choice Award Best Dance (with Sandra Bullock) The Proposal Won
2010 Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Saturday Night Live Won
2010 NewNowNext Awards Cause You're Hot Nominated
2011 People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Guest Star Community Nominated
2011 People's Choice Awards Favorite Web Celeb Nominated
2011 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Hot in Cleveland Nominated
2011 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Hot in Cleveland Won
2011 Gracie Allen Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Series Hot in Cleveland Won
2011 The Comedy Awards Best Actress in a TV Comedy Hot in Cleveland Nominated
2011 Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Hot In Cleveland Nominated
2011 UCLA Jack Benny Award Comedian Won
2011 Grammy Awards Best Spoken Word Recording If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) Won
2012 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by Female Actor in a Comedy Series Hot in Cleveland Won
2012 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie The Lost Valentine Nominated
2012 Emmy Awards Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program Betty White's Off Their Rockers Nominated
2013 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by Female Actor in a Comedy Series Hot in Cleveland Nominated
2013 Emmy Awards Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program Betty White's Off Their Rockers Pending

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1945 Time to Kill Lou's Girl (short)
1949–50 Hollywood on Television Phone Girl
1953–55 Life with Elizabeth Elizabeth 52 episodes

Nominated-Emmy Award for Best Actress (1951)

1955-66 What's My Line? Herself 6 episodes as Guest Panelist

2 episodes as Mystery Guest

1955 Make the Connection Herself-Panelist 3 episodes
1956 The Millionaire Virginia Lennart Episode: "The Virginia Lennart Story"
1957–58 Date with the Angels Vickie Angel 33 episodes
1958–59 The Jack Paar Show Herself 21 episodes
1961-63 To Tell the Truth Herself 39 episodes
1962 Advise and Consent Senator Bessie Adams
1961–75 Password Herself 24 episodes
1962 The United States Steel Hour Episode: "Scene of the Crime"
1963-69 The Match Game Herself 10 episodes
1963-75 You Don't Say Herself 10 episodes
1963 Your First Impression 1 episode
1964 The Mike Douglas Show Herself
1964-66 Girl Talk Herself 3 episodes
1964 The Steve Allen Playhouse Herself 1 episode
1965 That Regis Philbin Show Herself 1 episode
1965-85 The Merv Griffin Show Herself 8 episodes
1966 Chain Letter Herself
1967-68 Snap Judgement Herself 2 episodes
1968 That's Life 1 episode
1969 Petticoat Junction Adelle Colby Episode: "The Cannonball Bookmobile"
1973–77 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Sue Ann Nivens 42 episodes

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1975, 1976)

Nominated- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1977)

1974–78 Tattletales
1977 The Jacksons
1977–78 The Betty White Show Joyce Whitman 14 episodes
1978 Liar's Club
1978 A Different Approach
1978 The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Betty White
1979 With This Ring Evelyn Harris
1979 The Gossip Columnist
1979 The Best Place to Be
1980 The Hollywood Knights
1980 Before and After
1979–82 Password Plus Herself
1982–88 The (New) $25,000 Pyramid Herself
1982 Eunice Ellen
1983 Just Men! Hostess Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host (1983)

Nominated- Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host (1984)

1983 Doctor Detroit
1984 Kill Me If You Can
1985 Santa Claus: The Movie
1983–84, 1986 Mama's Family Ellen Harper-Jackson 15 episodes
1984–85 Body Language Herself
1985 Trivia Trap Herself
1985 Who's the Boss? Bobby Barnes
1985–87, 1991 The $100,000 Pyramid Herself
1985–92 The Golden Girls Rose Nylund 180 episodes

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1986)

Golden Apple Award for Female Star of the Year (1986)

American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication (1987)

Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series (1987, 1988)

Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1986-1989)

Nominated- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1987-1992)

1984–89 Super Password Herself
1988 Santa Barbara Waitress 3 episodes
1988 Another World Brenda Barlowe
1990–91 To Tell the Truth Herself
1991 Chance of a Lifetime Evelyn Eglin
1992–93 The Golden Palace Rose Nylund 24 episodes
1993 Bob Sylvia Schmidt
1994 Diagnosis: Murder Dora Sloan
1995 Family Feud Herself
1995–96 Maybe This Time Shirley Wallace
1996 The Story of Santa Claus Mrs. Claus
1996 A Weekend in the Country
1997 Hard Rain Doreen Sears
1998 Hercules: The Animated Series Hestia
1998 Me & George
1998 Dennis the Menace Strikes Again Martha Wilson
1998 Holy Man
1998–99 The Lionhearts (voice)
1999 The Betty White Show Reunion - The Big Talk Herself
1999 Gaia Symphony II
1999 Lake Placid Mrs. Deloris Bickerman
1999 The Story of Us Lillian Jordan
1999–2000 Ladies Man Mitzi Stiles
2000 Ally McBeal Dr. Shirley Flott
2000 The Simpsons Herself (voice)
2000 Whispers: An Elephant's Tale Round
2000 Tom Sawyer Aunt Polly
2001 The Wild Thornberrys Sophie Hunter
2001 The Retrievers Mrs. Krisper
2001 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
2002–03 That '70s Show Bea Sigurdson
2003 Bringing Down the House Mrs. Kline
2003 Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt Woman in Window
2003 The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy Mrs. Doolin
2004 Stealing Christmas Emily Sutton
2004 My Wife and Kids Mrs. June Hopkins Episode: "The Maid"
2004 Malcolm in the Middle Sylvia
2004 Hollywood Squares – Game Show Week Part 2
2004–05 Complete Savages Mrs. Riley
2005 The Practice Catherine Piper
2005 The Third Wish Lettie
2005 Annie's Point Annie Eason
2005–08 Boston Legal Catherine Piper 16 episodes
2006 Family Guy Herself (voice)
2006 Gameshow Marathon
2006 The Golden Girls: Their Greatest Moments Herself
2006 Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner Herself
2006-09 The Bold and the Beautiful Ann Douglas
2007 Back to the Grind
2007 The Simpsons Herself (voice)
2008 Ugly Betty Herself "Bananas for Betty" (Season 2, Episode 10)
2009 The Proposal Grandma Annie
2009 My Name Is Earl Mrs. Weezmer Episode: "Witch Lady
2009 Ponyo Yoshie English version (voice)
2009 Love N' Dancing Irene
2009 30 Rock Betty White 1 episode
2009–10 Glenn Martin, DDS Dora / Grandma Shelia Martin 2 episodes
2010 Saturday Night Live Herself (Host)

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2010)

2010 The Middle Mrs. Nethercott Episode: "Average Rules"
2010 Inside the Actors Studio Herself Interview
2010 Operation Secret Santa (voice)
2010–present Hot in Cleveland Elka Ostrovsky Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (2011, 2012)

Gracie Allen Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (2011)

Nominated- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (2013)

Nominated- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2011)

Nominated- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011) Nominated- The Comedy Award for Best Actress in a Television Comedy Series (2011)

2010 You Again Grandma Bunny
2010 Community Professor June Bauer 2 episodes
2010–present Pound Puppies Agatha McLeish (voice) recurring role
2011 The Lost Valentine Caroline Thomas Nominated- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (2012)
2012–13 Betty White's Off Their Rockers Herself/Hostess Nominated- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program (2012)
2012 The Lorax Grammy Norma (voice)
2012 The Client List Ruth Hudson 1 episode
2012 Cake Boss Herself 1 episode
2013 Mickey Mouse Women Episode: "New York Weenie"

Books

  • 1983: Betty White's Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us
  • 1987: Betty White In Person
  • 1991: The Leading Lady: Dinah's Story
  • 1995: Here We Go Again: My Life In Television
  • 2011: If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)
  • 2011: Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo

References

  1. ^ a b c Archive of American Television interview for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, 0:0:47-50
  2. ^ "Betty White Talks About The Live TV Experience That Made Her Want To Flee The Country (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap Kilday, Gregg (September 15, 2009). "Betty White to receive SAG lifetime award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  4. ^ "Betty White Biography (1922–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  5. ^ a b "The Paley Center for Media: Betty White". Shemadeit.org. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  6. ^ Inside the Actors Studio. Betty White, Season 16, Episode 16.6. September 28, 2010.
  7. ^ Smolenyak-Smolenyak, Megan (June 16, 2010). "Betty White: White-Hot in Cleveland or Not". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 4, 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Scott, Walter (December 21, 1986). "Personality Parade". Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved April 29, 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ "Betty White Draws Line With Nudity & Marijuana But Hopes For Beer Pong Rematch On 'SNL'". StarPulse. May 5, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Stated on Saturday Night Live, May 8, 2010
  11. ^ "According to an oral history interview White conducted in 1994 for the Archive of American Television, she broke into the business three months after graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1938 at an early age, as part of an experimental television show." at http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/02/09/betty.white.super.bowl/index.html?hpt=C2
  12. ^ a b c O'Neil, Tony. "Betty White reflects on a golden career" Los Angeles Times, June 17, 2010.
  13. ^ Video on YouTube
  14. ^ "BETTY WHITE HONORED WITH 2009 SCREEN ACTORS GUILD LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD | Screen Actors Guild Awards". Sagawards.org. September 15, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2010. [dead link]
  15. ^ "WHITE, BETTY – The Museum of Broadcast Communications". Museum.tv. January 17, 1922. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  16. ^ Awards for Betty White
  17. ^ Windeler, Robert (December 20, 1976). "MTM Is Ending and Stumpers Is Dumped, but Betty White & Allen Ludden Still Have Each Other". People.com. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  18. ^ "It's Evening in America". Vanity Fair. May 2012. Page 157.
  19. ^ Conradt, Stacy (February 23, 2010). "10 reasons we love Betty White". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2010.[dead link]
  20. ^ "Golden Girl Rue McClanahan dies at 76". BBC News. June 3, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  21. ^ "Returning". Soap Opera Weekly. February 13, 2007. p. 5.
  22. ^ "Guadalajara Girl: Yes, it's Ugly Betty White." TowleRoad.com. 2007-04-07
  23. ^ 1800PetMeds – Press Releases 01
  24. ^ "Betty White to Host Saturday Night Live May 8". People. March 11, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  25. ^ "Betty White Leads "Saturday Night Live" To Monster Rating". May 9, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  26. ^ NBC.com
  27. ^ "The Hot In Cleveland Official Site Starring Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick". Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  28. ^ "Veteran star poses for calendar". BBC News. July 8, 2010.
  29. ^ "Betty White, 88, Debuts New Clothing Line". UsMagazine.com.
  30. ^ "Betty White to Guest-Star on Community". TVGuide.com.
  31. ^ "CBS's 'The Lost Valentine' starring Betty White wins time slot". Radio & Television Business Report. January 31, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  32. ^ Nichols, Michelle (August 18, 2010). "Betty White books to reflect on sex, aging, animals". Reuters. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  33. ^ Roxborough, Scott (March 31, 2011). "Betty White to Host 'Off Their Rockers' for NBC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  34. ^ "iTunes – Music – I'm Still Hot (feat. Betty White) – Single by Luciana". Itunes.apple.com. September 22, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  35. ^ "Hero Dog Awards Judges". Hallmark Chanel.
  36. ^ "Betty White turns 90 with star-studded celebrity bash – 01/16/2012 | Entertainment News from". OnTheRedCarpet.com. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  37. ^ The Roast of Betty White
  38. ^ "NBC.com | Movies, Specials & More". NBC. June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  39. ^ It's Hotter In Hollywood
  40. ^ White, Betty (1995). Here We Go Again: My Life In Television 1949–1995. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80042-X.
  41. ^ Betty White, interviewed on Inside the Actors Studio.
  42. ^ Betty White: Avoiding The Plague of Women Who Lunch
  43. ^ "Allen Ludden, TV Host, Is Dead; On 'College Bowl' and 'Password'". The New York Times. June 10, 1981. p. B6.
  44. ^ "Proust Questionnaire: Betty White". Vanity Fair. August 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  45. ^ White, Betty (2011). If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) (First ed.). Putnam Adult. pp. 110–112. ISBN 978-0-399-15753-0.
  46. ^ White, Betty (2011). If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) (First ed.). Putnam Adult. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-399-15753-0.
  47. ^ Brett Zongker (May 12, 2012). "Betty White reveals her presidential preference – Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  48. ^ "CNN Official Interview: Betty White: Bea Arthur was not fond of me". youtube. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  49. ^ Moritz, Robert (October 31, 2010). "Life's a Scream for Betty White". Parade. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  50. ^ Kentucky Colonels, Honorable Order of. "Colonels website". Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  51. ^ "Betty White Voted AP Entertainer Of The Year". NPR. Associated Press. December 20, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.[dead link]
  52. ^ "USDA Forest Service – Caring for the land and serving people". Fs.fed.us. November 9, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  53. ^ The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards
  54. ^ "Betty White Nominated for Third Consecutive Screen Actors Guild Award for TV Land's 'Hot in Cleveland'". TV by the Numbers. December 12, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  55. ^ "America loves Betty White best". CNN. August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.

Further reading

  • Tucker, David C. The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.
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