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Early Life
Born in Oak Park, Illinois, her family moved to Alhambra, California in 1923, then to Los Angeles, where she would end up going to elementary and high school. After high school, she briefly appeared on an experimental television show before volunteering to assist the war effort in 1941. As a member of the American Women's Voluntary Services, she was tasked with transporting military supplies around Los Angeles. -
"Hollywood on Television", "The Betty White Show", and Bandy Productions
In 1952, she became the sole host of the variety show "Hollywood on Television" (which she began co-hosting in 1949), began hosting and producing a talk show called "The Betty White Show," and co-founded Bandy Productions. -
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National run of "Life with Elizabeth"
Bandy Productions' first show was the comedy "Life with Elizabeth," which earned White a Los Angeles Emmy Award in 1952, then ran nationally during this period. -
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Appearances on gameshows
Beginning in 1955 and primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, White appeared on various gameshows, leading to her becoming known as The First Lady of Gameshows. These included the various "Password" shows, "What's My Line?", "To Tell the Truth", "I've Got a Secret", "Match Game", and "Pyramid". -
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"Date with the Angels"
After the end of "Life with Elizabeth", White appeared on another sitcom, "Date with the Angels" for the year it aired. It was quickly cancelled, however, and she used the remaining time on her contract to reboot "The Betty White Show". -
Feature Film Debut
In 1962, she starred in the drama "Advise & Consent", appearing in a movie for the first time in her career, and playing a strong female senator to boot.
Photo: IMDb's "Advise & Consent" page -
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"The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
White began appearing on this popular sitcom in 1973, during its fourth season, and would become a member of the main cast with the fifth season. Her performance on the show won her two back-to-back Emmy Awards in 1975 and 1976. After the show ended, White was offered her own sitcom, again called "The Betty White Show", though it fared very poorly. -
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Time on "Golden Girls"
One of White's biggest roles, and the one she is likely best known for today, is that of Rose Nylund on the sitcom "Golden Girls". During her time on the cast, White won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for the first season, and was nominated in that category every following season. After the show's end in 1992, White would star as Rose in the spin-off "The Golden Palace", as well as appearing in shows such as "Empty Nest" and "Nurses". -
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Guest Starring
After "The Golden Palace", White found work guest starring on various shows, from soap operas to sitcoms to dramas. She also picked up a recurring role in "Boston Legal", appeared on a few talk shows and game shows, and participated in Oprah Winfrey's "Mary Tyler Moore Show" reunion with the other living cast members. -
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"Hot in Cleveland", "Betty White's Off Their Rockers", and "If You Ask Me"
White spent this period playing a supporting role in the sitcom "Hot in Cleveland," but also hosted and produced her own show from 2012-2014. Her show, "Betty White's Off Their Rockers," focused on senior citizens playing pranks on younger people. She also earned a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording for her bestseller "If You Ask Me" in 2012. -
Appearance on SNL
White became the older person to ever host SNL in 2010, after a grassroots petition to have her host successfully got her on the show. This appearance won her an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. -
"Betty White's 90th Birthday Party"
The day before her birthday, NBC aired a special television program to celebrate with her, bringing on many of the stars White had previously worked with and featuring a message from then-president Obama. The next year, in February, NBC aired a similar program, this time with a message from Bill Clinton. -
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End of Career
On February 15, 2015, White returned to SNL for their 40th anniversary episode, participating in the memorable "The Californians" sketch. On August 18, 2018, a PBS documentary about her life, titled "Betty White: First Lady of Television," was released after 10 years of filming. And in 2019, White appeared in Toy Story 4 as Bitey White, alongside Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, and Mel Brooks. -
Death
Betty White died of a stroke December 31, 2021, aged 99. Just before her death, People Magazine had released commemorative issues celebrating her 100th birthday, and it had been confirmed that a documentary about her, titled "Betty White: A Celebration," would be released on her birthday.