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When a beloved celebrity passes, the world stops for a moment. When news broke on Dec 31 that America’s cherished grandma Betty White passed away, not only did the world stop, but it wept. White touched everyone in some way, whether it was one of her iconic characters, her humanitarian work with animals, or a hilarious quote you kept close to you. She died at age 99, nearly two weeks from turning 100 — a milestone she desperately wanted to hit.
Everyone in Hollywood seemed to have a fond memory of White, remembering the good times throughout this tragic one. Her dress designers Pol’ Atteu and his husband, Patrik Simpson, recalled their times with her, and how she was on the last legs of her life. They told HollywoodLife, “Betty was the sweetest person… I have celebrated many, many birthdays with Betty and even made her cakes a couple of times. For a long time, Betty and I had a phone conversation every single Wednesday, and we talked for so long…She always asked how I was doing and how my husband was doing.”
He added, “In October, we had contacted her management about doing a gown for her 100th birthday. We were told her health was failing and that a gown would not be needed.”
She lived 99 years of life, yet it still didn’t feel like enough to us. White had an incredible life, both professionally and personally. She experienced true love, accomplished her dreams, fought for human rights, and became a trailblazer for women in the entertainment industry — all while being kind and hilarious through it all.
Her life was an extraordinary one, through and through. In honor of what would’ve been her 101st birthday, check out Betty White’s amazing life and career through photos below.
A version of this post was originally published on Jan 2022.
Humble Beginnings
Born in Illinois, Betty White’s family moved to California when she was only one year old. She quickly grew a knack for writing and performing in high school, leading her to act in shorts, plays, and even on the radio in the 1930s.
Life With Elizabeth
Despite never taking a single acting class, Betty White got her first big break in 1952 when she starred in the hit show Life With Elizabeth, where she played a newlywed doing wacky day-to-day shenanigans. Before her big break, producers said her face wasn’t photogenic, so she originally went to radio. But in 1953, she co-founded Bandy Productions, becoming a trailblazer in the industry, thus creating Life With Elizabeth and being the first female producer.
The Betty White Show Talk Show
Betty White transitioned to a daily talk show with The Betty White Show on NBC, which led to her having a lot of control over the show. She not only hired a female director, but she had an African American man be a regular cast member named Arthur Duncan. When told to take him off the show, she said “I’m sorry. Live with it.” and then gave him more screen time. Truly, truly a queen.
Date With the Angels & Lifelong Friendship
Soon after Life With Elizabeth, Betty White went on to star in the show Date With the Angels ― and hated it. Per an archived post from WFMU, White said, “I can honestly say that was the only time I have ever wanted to get out of a show.” Luckily, the show lasted a year and she started a life-long friendship with Lucille Ball since they worked in the same studio.
Betty White & Allen Ludden
So Betty White was married two times before meeting television host Allen Ludden. She was married to men named Dick Barker and Lane Allen, both of whom wanted her to be a housewife instead of following her dreams. White and Ludden married in 1963 and were together until his death in 1981. She never remarried, quoted saying per Country Living, “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?”
Birdwatching
Betty White and her husband Allen Ludden loved gardening, birdwatching and playing games during their downtime together.
Social Butterfly
Betty White was a frequent guest on Dinah Shore’s variety show Dinah! White was friends with so many in the industry like Shore, some of which being industry titans like Vicki Lawrence, Mary Tyler Moore, Lucille Ball, and more.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
From 1973 to 1977, Betty White starred alongside lifelong friend Mary Tyler Moore in the hit show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where she played the character Sue Ann Nivens. Per Television Academy Foundation, White talked about how they were all “devastated” that the show was ending because they loved it so much.
Avid Animal Lover
Betty White has always been an avid animal lover and supporter. Since the 1970s, she supported organizations like the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, the Morris Animal Foundation, Actors & Others for Animals, and Friends of Animals, to name a few.
Allen Ludden Was the Love of Her Life
Betty White frequently referred to Allen Ludden as the love of her life. In an interview with The Actor’s Studio per NY Daily News, she told them that if Heaven existed, she’d want God to say one thing when she died, “Hello Betty. Here’s Allen.”
Primetime Emmy Winner
Across her career, Betty White won five Primetime Emmys and was nominated over 20 times. She won for her roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, The John Larroquette Show, and her hosting skills in a 2010 episode of SNL.
Mama’s Family
Before her legendary role in The Golden Girls, Betty White played one of the leads in the hit show Mama’s Family. She starred alongside lifelong friend Vicky Lawrence and future Golden Girls alum Rue McClanahan.
Golden Girls
Betty White then starred in her most notable role as Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls. She starred alongside Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, and Bea Arthur during the show’s seven-year run. In a 1991 interview per Outsider, White said the show was amazing for changing people’s perspective on aging. “Oh, I think it’s great. You don’t fall off the planet once you pass a given age. You don’t lose any of your sense of humor or your zest for life. If you were a dull young person, you’re going to be a dull old person. But I don’t think, just because the years go by, that you have to be that way.”
Becoming a Household Name
Betty White never took herself too seriously, and that’s why we all loved her. She frequently guest-starred on hit shows like The Love Boat, That 70’s Show, Who’s the Boss, and more. She truly loved show business, quoted one time as saying per USA Today, “What could be better than show business?”
Stepmother Betty White
Betty White didn’t have children of her own biologically, but she was the proud stepmother of her third husband Allen Ludden’s three children: David Ludden, Martha Ludden, and Sarah Ludden. They were Allen Ludden’s children from his first marriage to Margaret McGloin. She felt blessed being their stepmom, per People, “It turned out great.”
Actors and Others for Animals
Along with being a trailblazer in the entertainment industry, Betty White truly loved animals and worked with Actors and Others for Animals, with friend Whoopi Goldberg and co-star Bea Arthur.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 1988, Betty White showed her support for her late husband posthumously being awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, alongside White’s. Seven years later in 1995, White was then inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Disney Legend
In 2009, Betty White and her Golden Girls co-stars were honored with the Disney Legends awards, an award given to people who’ve given a lot of contributions to the Walt Disney Company. During her acceptance speech, she joked, “I want to put to rest the rumor that somebody started that I used to babysit for Walt when he was a little boy. I didn’t!”
But then she remembered a touching memory of wanting a Mickey Mouse doll, “I needed that Mickey Mouse doll. My parents, bless their hearts, bought him for me—and he still stands on my desk at home.”
Forever Friendships
Like with her friend Dinah Shore, Betty White frequented her pal Vicki Lawrence’s talk show Vicki! White took her friendships seriously, as told in her 2012 biography If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t). “Friendship takes time and energy if it’s going to work. You can luck into something great, but it doesn’t last if you don’t give it proper appreciation. Friendship can be so comfortable, but nurture it-don’t take it for granted.”
Mayor of Hollywood
With her impressive producing, acting, and humanitarian work mentioned, she was honored as an honorary Mayor of Hollywood in 1955. She really lived her best life throughout it all.
Embracing Old Age
With every passing year, Betty White embraced growing older. She frequently made jokes about it in interviews, talk shows, award shows, and her biography. Her most iconic quote though was “It’s [old age] not a surprise, we knew it was coming – make the most of it. So you may not be as fast on your feet, and the image in your mirror may be a little disappointing, but if you are still functioning and not in pain, gratitude should be the name of the game.”
Guinness World Record Holder
While Betty White is the queen of television, she also was an amazing, comedic actor in films such as Lake Placid, The Proposal, and You Again, to name a few. Even though she dabbled in film, television was her true home and she worked longer in the industry, earning a Guinness World Record in 2018 for the “longest TV career by an entertainer (female).”
Honorary Park Ranger
Per Yahoo, Betty White frequently said that if she wasn’t going to be an entertainer, she’d be a park ranger or a zookeeper. At age 88, she became an honorary park ranger, something she said was unheard of when she was a girl. She told ABC News, “Back then, girls were not allowed to become forest rangers… [My parents] would be more proud of this than of any other award I have won.”
Never Retiring & Hot in Cleveland
Then in 2010, Betty White came back to TV as the ever-so iconic Elka Ostrovsky in the hit show Hot in Cleveland, where she starred alongside Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick. Many asked her when she planned on retiring, to which she said, per Daily Actor, “I’m just happy as a lark. People say are you thinking about retiring, I don’t have time to think about retiring.”
Animal Lover Forever
Along with never retiring from acting, Betty White never planned on retiring her love for animals. In her biography, she said, “Animals don’t lie. Animals don’t criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do.”
Award Winner
In 2010, Betty White won some of the most prestigious awards, a BAFTA in Excellence in Comedy, the Life Achievement Award from the SAG Awards, a Grammy for her Best Spoken Word Album, and in 2021, she won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women Film Critics Circle Awards. She was a winner until literally the very end.
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