Betty White’s Remarkable Career

By Corey Atad. 17 Jan 2022 6:28 PM

On what would have been legendary actress Betty White’s 100th birthday, we’re looking back on her amazing life and career.

From her early days in radio in the 1940s, to her fan-favourite role in “The Golden Girls”, we’re remembering the beloved TV icon.

Plus, watch ET Canada’s special Celebrating Betty White on Monday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Global.

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Beloved Betty White
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Betty White's amazing career stretched all the way back to the late 1930s and continued into the late 2010s. Along the way she became one of America and the world's most beloved celebrities.
Young Ambition
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Fresh out of high school in 1939, Betty White got her first job on television on a then-experimental TV show, singing songs with a classmate. Her acting career was put on pause by the Second World War, during which she helped transport military supplies for the war effort.

After the war, White became a successful radio show host, leading to her first TV hosting gig in 1949 with "Hollywood on Television".

By the '50s, she was a TV staple, earning her first Emmy nod for Best Actress in 1951, and went on to star in the comedy series "Life with Elizabeth". In 1954, she hosted the daily variety talk show "The Betty White Show" on NBC.
Game Show Mainstay
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Throughout the 1960s, White became a mainstay of TV game shows, appearing on programs like "Password", "What's My Line?", "To Tell the Truth", "Match Game" and "Pyramid".
'Advise and Consent'
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In 1962, White made her feature film debut in Otto Preminger's classic political drama "Advise and Consent", starring Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton and many more.

Though White was praised for her performance, it would be several decades before she appeared in another film: the 1998 thriller "Hard Rain".
'The Happy Homemaker'
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White's career continued to blossom into the '70s, with a number of appearances on the legendary sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", in which she played the cynical and aggressive Sue Anne Nivens, the star of a perky fictional show called "The Happy Homemaker".

In the latter part of the decade White starred in her fourth sitcom, "Th eBetty White Show", but it only lasted one season.
Golden Girl
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In 1983, White became the first woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show "Just Men!"

Then, in 1985, White landed her most memorable role, as Rose Nylund in the classic sitcom "The Golden Girls", co-starring Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan. The series was a huge success, running until 1992 and becoming a staple of TV reruns.
Even More Golden Years
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After "Golden Girls", White reprised her role in the spinoff "The Golden Palace", as well as in guest appearances on "Empty Nest" and "Nurses".

She also made numerous appearances in TV shows like "Suddenly Susan", "The Practice", "The John Larroquette Show" and more.
Elder Stateswoman
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By the 2000s, White had established herself as one of America's most beloved entertainers, frequently appearing on late-night talk shows, guest-starring on "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Boston Legal", and pursuing more film roles.

In 2009, she turned in a memorable role alongside Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in the romantic comedy "The Proposal".
'Saturday Night Live' Record
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A grassroots campaign on Facebook calling on Betty White to host Global's "Saturday Night Live" eventually led her to actually host the weekend variety sketch show on May 8, 2010.

At 88, White was the oldest person to have ever hosted "SNL".
'Hot In Cleveland'
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2010 also saw White return to sitcoms, starring in the TV land comedy "Hot in Cleveland", with Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Reeves, and Wendie Malick.

White was only intended to appear as a guest in the pilot, but ended up starring through the series' entire run.
'Toy Story' Tiger
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In one of her final acting roles, Betty White gave her voice to the Pixar hit "Toy Story 4", playing a toy tiger named after her.

Betty White’s Remarkable Career

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