Just before the world welcomed the New Year, everyone bade farewell to a pioneer of American television as news about the passing of Betty Marion White Ludden, or better known as Betty White, came to light. White was reportedly found in her Los Angeles home and passed peacefully in her sleep at 99 years old.
White would’ve turned 100 on Jan. 17 since she was born in 1922. It would come as no surprise if the actress did reach such an age. After all, the work she had done on television, seemed that White would live forever. And she somehow did.
Apart from those close to her, those who remember White’s career and contributions to society made sure that they expressed their affection and gratitude for the actress.
Even though it’s been years since the pinnacle of White’s career, today’s generation continues to remember her for her roles on and off-screen. To be fair, who could ever forget how hilarious she was as Sue Ann Nivens in The Mary Tyler Moore Show or how sassy she was as Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls?
Yet there’s more to White than just being an actress. When she was a child, her dream job was to become either a forest ranger or a writer. But everything changed when she fell in love with performing after taking the lead in the high school senior play that she wrote.
White’s entertainment career began in the 1940s. After graduating college, White began working in radio and later got her show, The Betty White Show.
In 1949, she co-hosted Hollywood on Television with Al Jarvis in Los Angeles. The pair later delved into local television, landing White her first role in the sitcom Life with Elizabeth.
Despite the show’s low budget and minimal sets, it was evident that White was passionate about her role, which eventually landed her first Emmy.
White continued to appear in sitcoms over the years. She earned her second and third Emmy nominations for her role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s.
As White’s work pace accelerated, her career culminated in her role in The Golden Girls where she starred alongside Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. She played the lovable widow Rose Nylund. Throughout her portrayal of the character, White had a secret technique that helped her delve deeper into her character.
In 1961, White appeared as a celebrity player on the daytime game show Password hosted by Allen Ludden. Two years later, the host proposed to the actress. Sadly, Ludden passed in 1981 due to stomach cancer. White considered Ludden to be the love of her life, and while his death brought her much grief, she bravely carried on with her life.
She eventually put her affection and longing for her late husband to use when she played the widow Rose.
Whenever her character reminisces about her late husband, Charlie Nylund, White simply substitutes Charlie for Ludden. The gesture was so endearing that White sometimes finds herself pining for her departed husband even more so.
After The Golden Girls, White continued to star in various TV series and movies. In 2010, she starred in Hot in Cleveland, proving that, after all these years, she still has what it takes to make audiences laugh.
Her long and fruitful career landed her three nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series in 2011, 2012, and 2013, where she won the first two times. White was also nominated for 21 Primetime Emmys and won a total of five.
After about 70 years of performing on television and appearing in movies, White left a remarkable impact on society. All’s that left to say is, Betty, “thank you for being a friend.”