Betty White’s Career Highlights

By Brent Furdyk. 17 Jan 2019 4:01 PM

On Jan. 17, the great Betty White celebrates her 97th birthday. To mark this momentous occasion, we take a look back at the legendary television star’s extraordinary career, beginning in the earliest days of television and spanning eight decades. From such triumphs as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to “The Golden Girls” to a successful Facebook campaign that led her to host “Saturday Night Live”, here’s a look back at the star’s show-biz career highlights.

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'If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't)'

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'Life With Elizabeth'
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After hosting local programming in Los Angeles as early as the late 1940s, Betty White became one of TV's first sitcom stars when she landed the lead role as a housewife in "Life With Elizabeth", which ran locally in Los Angeles in 1951 and was nationally syndicated 1952-1955 and won the actress the first of many Emmy Awards. White followed that up by hosting a short-lived talk show.
Tournament of Roses
BonanzaBoomers.com
In the late 1950s, Betty White began hosting the annual Tournament of Roses parade in conjunction with the annual Rose Bowl. Joined for many years by Canadian-born "Bonanza" star Lorne Greene, White hosted the Tournament of Roses for 19 years.
Husband Allen Ludden
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Throughout the 1960s, Betty White was a frequent guest on TV game shows, and began appearing as a regular on "Password" in 1961. Two years later, in 1963, she married the show's host, Allen Ludden. They were married until Ludden's death in 1981.
"The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
MTM Enterprises Inc./Entertainment Pictures. (©) Copyright 1970 by Courtesy of MTM Enterprises Inc.
In 1973, Betty White made several guest-starring appearances on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" as "Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens. The character became so popular that White joined the cast of the iconic sitcom, with her performance winning her two more Emmys. Following the end of the show's run, she went on to star in the short-lived "The Betty White Show", along with frequent appearances on "The Carol Burnett Show" — the latter leading to appearing on the spin-off "Mama's Family".
"The Golden Girls"
Touchstone Television/Entertainment Pictures. (©) Copyright 1985 by Crtsy. of Touchstone Television
In 1985, Betty White scored her next big television triumph with "The Golden Girls", playing naive Rose Nyland alongside longtime friends Rue McClanahan and Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty. Interestingly enough, producers wanted White to play man-hungry Blanche (McClanahan's character), but White insisted it was too similar to her "Mary Tyler Moore Show" role and instead held out to play Rose. The show ran until 1992, when Arthur left the show, with White reviving the character in the short-lived spinoff "The Golden Palace".
"Golden Girls" Emmy
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Posing with fellow winner Michael J. Fox at the 1986 Emmy Awards, Betty White proudly displays her Emmy for best actress in a comedy series, beating out co-stars Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan, who were also nominated in the same category.
Betty White: Author
ZUMApress.com/Keystone Press
In 1987, Betty White published "Betty White: In Person", the first book White wrote entirely by herself. Written during the second season of "The Golden Girls", the book sees White sharing "about the people she had been closest to, about what in this world makes her laugh, what makes her cry, what she hates and what she loves."
TV Guest Star
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Throughout the 1980s and '90s, Betty White appeared on numerous TV game shows, variety shows and sitcoms as a guest star (she even reprised her "Golden Girls" character, Rose Nyland, in sitcoms "Empty Nest" and "Nurses"). She was also known to sing and dance on variety shows, such as appearing in this musical number with Donald O'Connor and Tony Randall.
Sitcom Guest Star
Ron P. Jaffe/Entertainment Pictures. (©) Copyright 2002 by Courtesy of CBS
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Betty White received Emmy nominations for guest-starring appearances on "Suddenly Susan", "The Practice" and "Yes, Dear", winning an Emmy in 1996 for a guest role (playing herself) on "The John Larroquette Show".
'Boston Legal'
20th Century Fox/Entertainment Pictures. (©) Copyright 2004 by Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Betty White continued to be a frequent TV guest star throughout the 2000s, including reviving her Emmy-nominated role from "The Practice" in the spinoff, "Boston Legal", as a recurring guest star.
'The Proposal'
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Betty White appeared in the 2009 comedy "The Proposal" alongside Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock in the hit rom-com.
'Saturday Night Live'
NBC
In 2010, a grassroots movement began on Facebook to have White host "Saturday Night Live". On May 8, 2010, she finally took the stage at Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center — at age 88, the oldest person to ever have hosted the show.
SAG Award
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In 2010, Betty White was honoured by her peers with a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild.
'You Again'
Entertainment Pictures/Keystone Press
Betty White hit the big screen again in 2010 with "You Again", playing Grandma Bunny alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Kristen Bell.
'Hot In Cleveland'

Shortly after her "SNL" triumph, Betty White was cast as Elka Ostrovsky in TV Land sitcom "Hot in Cleveland". While the character was only intended to appear in the pilot, producers were so happy with her performance that she was asked to be a full-fledged cast member, and starred in the show throughout its run until the show's end in 2015.
'If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't)'
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In 2011, White authored her autobiography, "If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't)".
"I'm Still Hot"
Luiz Martinez / Broadimage/Luiz Martinez / Broadimage. (©) Copyright 2011 by BDG
Betty White expanded her roster of career highlights in 2011 when she partnered with electro dance artist Luciana for the rap single "I'm Still Hot". Here, White poses with Luciana and some shirtless bodybuilders at the video's premiere.
90th Birthday Celebration
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In January 2012, Betty White celebrated her 90th birthday with a star-studded NBC special, including an array of celebs including former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Later that year, she would also meet the current Commander in Chief, Barack Obama.
'Off Their Rockers'
Rick Floyd/NBC
From 2012 until 2014, Betty White was host and exec producer of "Off Their Rockers", an NBC hidden-camera show in which a crew of elderly pranksters pulled practical jokes on unsuspecting young whippersnappers.
'Bones'
Fox
In the final season of "Bones" in 2017, White reprised her role as Dr. Beth Mayer on the forensic detective drama, the world's most experienced forensic anthropologist.

Betty White’s Career Highlights

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