Betty White

**Betty Marion White** (January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021) was an American actress, comedian, presenter, singer, author, and television personality. She acted as Sue Ann Nivens in _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_ and as Rose Nylund in the television sitcom _The Golden Girls_. She also starred as Elka Ostrovsky, in the TV Land comedy _Hot in Cleveland_.

White won seven Emmy Awards during her career. In 1983, she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host. White also holds the record for longest span between Emmy nominations for performances—her first was in 1951 and her most recent was in 2012, a span of 61 years—and became the oldest nominee as of 2013, aged 91. The actress is also the oldest winner of a competitive Grammy Award, which she won in 2012. She was host for the NBC entry _Just Men!_.

In 2011 White began hosting a new program, _Betty White's Off Their Rockers_. In the program senior citizens play practical jokes on the younger generation. A special _Betty White's 90th Birthday Party_ was on NBC a day before the star's birthday on January 16, 2012. The show had appearances of many stars with whom White has worked over the years. Betty White was 99 years old.

## Early life

White was born in Oak Park, Illinois. She was of Greek, English, Welsh and Danish ancestry. She was an only child of Horace White, a lighting company executive, and her mother was a homemaker. White's family moved to Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression. She attended Horace Mann School Beverly Hills and Beverly Hills High School. She hosted the February 10, 2014 episode of Raw.

## Personal life

In 1945, White married Dick Barker, a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot. The marriage was short-lived. In 1947, she married Lane Allen, a Hollywood agent. This marriage ended in divorce in 1949.

On June 14, 1963, White married television host and personality Allen Ludden (1917–1981). They met on his game show _Password_ when she was a celebrity guest panelist in 1961.

Allen Ludden died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981, in Los Angeles. Allen Ludden was 63 years old. They had no children together, though she is stepmother to his three children from his first marriage. White did not remarry after Ludden's death.

White was a practicing member of the Unity Church. She was also a registered Democrat. She endorsed President Barack Obama in 2012 saying she "likes how he represents us".

## Death

White died at her home in Los Angeles, California on December 31, 2021, at the age of 99. She died 17 days before her 100th birthday. The cause of death was problems caused by a stroke she had six days before her death.

## Awards

White was added to the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6747 Hollywood Boulevard alongside the star of her late husband Allen Ludden.

In 2010, the Screen Actors Guild honoured White with the Life Achievement Award. In 2010, she was chosen as the Associated Press's Entertainer of the Year.

|Year|Award|Category|Work|Result|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1951|Emmy Award|Best Actress|_Life with Elizabeth_||
|1952|Emmy Awards|Best Actress|_Life with Elizabeth_||
|1975|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Mary Tyler Moore Show_||
|1976|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Mary Tyler Moore Show_||
|1977|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Mary Tyler Moore Show_||
|1983|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Game Show Host|_Just Men!_||
|1984|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Game Show Host|_Just Men!_||
|1986|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1986|Golden Apple Award|Female Star of the Year|||
|1986|Golden Globes|Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|_The Golden Girls_||
|1987|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1987|Golden Globes|Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|_The Golden Girls_||
|1987|American Comedy Awards|Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication|_The Golden Girls_||
|1987|Viewers for Quality Television|Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1988|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1988|Golden Globes|Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|_The Golden Girls_||
|1988|Viewers for Quality Television|Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1989|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1989|Golden Globes|Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|_The Golden Girls_||
|1990|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1990|American Comedy Awards|Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication|_The Golden Girls_||
|1990|American Comedy Awards|Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy|||
|1991|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1992|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|_The Golden Girls_||
|1995|Walk of Fame|Star on the Walk of Fame|||
|1996|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series|_The John Larroquette Show_||
|1997|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series|_Suddenly Susan_||
|2000|American Comedy Awards|Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series|_Ally McBeal_||
|2003|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series|_The Practice_||
|2003|TV Land Awards|Quintessential Non-Traditional Family|||
|2004|TV Land Awards|Groundbreaking Show|||
|2008|TV Land Awards|Pop Culture Award|||
|2009|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series|_My Name Is Earl_||
|2009|Television Critics Association|Career Achievement Award|||
|2009|Disney Legends|Disney Legends|||
|2010|Screen Actors Guild|Life Achievement Award|||
|2010|MTV Movie Awards|Best WTF Moment|_The Proposal_||
|2010|MTV Movie Awards|Best Comedic Performance|_The Proposal_||
|2010|Teen Choice Award|Best Dance <small>(with Sandra Bullock)</small>|_The Proposal_||
|2010|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series|_Saturday Night Live_||
|2010|_New Now Next Awards_|Cause You're Hot|||
|2011|People's Choice Awards|Favorite TV Guest Star|_Community_||
|2011|People's Choice Awards|Favorite Web Celeb|||
|2011|Screen Actors Guild|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series|_Hot in Cleveland_||
|2011|Screen Actors Guild|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series|_Hot in Cleveland_||
|2011|Gracie Allen Awards|Best Actress in a Comedy Series|_Hot in Cleveland_||
|2011|The Comedy Awards|Best Actress in a TV Comedy|_Hot in Cleveland_||
|2011|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|_Hot In Cleveland_||
|2011|UCLA Jack Benny Award|Comedian|||
|2011|Grammy Awards|Best Spoken Word Recording|_If You Ask Me (And You Won't)_||
|2012|Screen Actors Guild|Outstanding Performance by Female Actor in a Comedy Series|_Hot in Cleveland_||
|2012|Screen Actors Guild|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie|_The Lost Valentine_||
|2012|Emmy Awards|Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program|_Betty White's Off Their Rockers_||

## Infobox (person)

- **image**: Betty White 1988 Emmy Awards (cropped 2).jpg
- **caption**: White at the 1988 Emmy Awards
- **birth name**: Betty Marion White
- **birth place**: Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
- **death place**: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- **death cause**: Problems caused by a stroke
- **education**: Horace Mann School
- **alma mater**: Beverly Hills High School
- **television**: _Life with Elizabeth_
_Date with the Angels_
_The Mary Tyler Moore Show_
_The Betty White Show_
_The Golden Girls_
_The Golden Palace_
_Boston Legal_
_Hot in Cleveland_
_Betty White's Off Their Rockers_ (host)
- **other names**: Gerrie, Betty White Ludden
- **occupation**: Actress, comedian, writer
- **years active**: 1930–2021
- **spouse**: Dick Barker (1945)
Lane Allen (1947–1949)
Allen Ludden (1963–1981; his death)
- **children**: 3 stepchildren