Betty Marion Ludden White was a beloved American actress, comedian and producer whose wide-ranging career spanned seven decades. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of her life was the tremendous success she achieved in her later years.

Born in 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois, White’s family moved to California during the Great Depression when she was just one year old. After serving in the Women’s Voluntary Services in World War II, she worked briefly in radio before moving on to television. Here she would find her greatest success. She is credited as the first woman to host a talk show for her work on “Hollywood on Television.” 

Betty White went on to win five Primetime Emmy Awards as well as two Daytime Emmy Awards (including the 2015 Daytime Emmy for Lifetime Achievement). She was the first woman to receive an Emmy in all performing comedic categories, and also holds the record for longest span between Emmy nominations for performances—her first was in 1951 and her last was in 2014, a span of over 60 years. She also won 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 Hollywood Boulevard alongside the star of her late husband Allen Ludden. In 2009, White received the TCA Career Achievement Award from the Television Critics Association. In 2010, she was chosen as the Associated Press’s Entertainer of the Year.

Betty White’s notable roles included happy homemaker Sue Anne Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,”  the St. Olaf, Minnesota native Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls” and house caretaker Elka Ostrovsky on “Hot in Cleveland.” She played each of these roles after her 50th birthday. She would pass away in 2021, just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday.