Remembering Betty White

Betty White, the Queen of Television, with a career spanning over seven decades has passed away at the grand age of 99. 

Betty White will be remembered for numerous roles including Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, but more recently as Elka Ostronsky on Hot in Cleveland. What made White a household name is her style of comedy, she knew how to deliver a line, with just an extra drawn out pause or slight variation in a tone and it would cause the audience to burst into rapturous laughter, as was the case with her appearance on Saturday Night Live at the age of 88.

Betty White in the course of her career won five Primetime Emmys and one Daytime Emmy as well as a lifetime achievement Emmy in 2015. 

Generations will remember her for her work as Sue Ann Nivens from her breakout role in the 1970s, Sue Ann was the sex positive and very upbeat who was proud of her sexpot reputation. White won two Emmys for this role.

But younger generations will remember White for her memorable role as Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. The show is a staple on numerous networks and on constant repeat. You can always catch an episode and what made the series is the characters on the series, especially dimwitted and ever so lovable Rose.

Born in 1921 in Oak Park Illinois, Betty Marion White moved for Los Angeles California when she was just a baby. Her father Horace and Tess White instilled her love for animals, kindness and an overarching sense of positivity that helped her throughout a long rich life.

Starting out her career in radio in the 1940s she moved into television in 1949 on a local talk show, before we moved into the position of host. In the 1950s Betty White had a number of television shows of her own including two sitcoms and a variety show. Coincidentally, in the variety show Betty White fought to include Black tap dancer, Arthur Duncan, who at the time was one of the best in the business, but censors were quite to issue criticism, but it didn’t stop White from featuring him regularly on the show.

By the 1960s Betty White had moved into hosting TV game shows and had married producer Allen Ludden. Their marriage lasted until 1981 when Ludden passed away. White always attributed Ludden as the love of her life. They had no children together but White helped raise his three children from a previous marriage.

Following the end of The Golden Girls and its spinoff The Golden Palace, White continued her impressive career appearing in Ally McBeal, That ‘70s Show, Boston Legal, Community and had a recurring role in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.

Betty White was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a lifetime achievement award by the Screen Actors Guild in 2010.