Betty White - # 277

R.I.P. Betty White, the TV legend whose career spanned eight decades

The Mary Tyler Moore and Golden Girls star died at 99.

 

 She was number 277 on the list.

Weeks before her 100th birthday, Betty White has passed away, according to TMZ. She died early in the morning on December 31. She was 99.

Betty White was a national treasure. The television icon was with us for nearly a century, and her small-screen career stretched back to the earliest days of the medium.

Her stellar string of sitcom roles began in 1952, on the charming Life with Elizabeth, a series centered around a character she had performed on the talk show Hollywood on Television going back to the 1940s. The television show, which was essentially a collection of short interactions between husband and wife, helped pioneer the romantic sitcom.

She was a nominee for the first-ever Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress in 1951 and won her first Emmy in 1952, She was a nominee for the first-ever Best Actress Emmy award in 1951, and won her first Emmy in 1952, a Regional Los Angeles Emmy for her work on Life with Elizabeth, which was broadcast live out of KLAC-TV.

Two decades later, The Mary Tyler Moore Show gave White her next breakout role, Sue Ann Nivens, the seemingly cheery host of fictional WJM-TV's "The Happy Homemaker" who had far more of a bite off-camera. The darker role gave a new angle to White's career.

From there, White would go on to create unforgettable characters on Mama's Family and The Golden Girls. Because audiences had become so accustomed to White as a man-crazy character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show — the polar opposite of her early pigeonhole — the producers of Golden Girls figured the actress was ideal for the role of Blanche Devereaux. Rue McClanahan, because of her own typecasting post-Maude, was pegged as the ditzy Rose. At the last minute, the roles were brilliantly reversed. White was brilliant playing both sweet and spicy.

Thanks to reruns, a continued presence on TV, and her indomitable energy, White became an internet sensation in the 21st century. In 2010, she became the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live, performing in midnight skits at the age of 88. That earned her another Emmy.

In that long, storied career, some roles went overshadowed. She took home two Daytime Emmys in 1983 and '84 for her work hosting the game show Just Men! She would be the only woman to win the Best Game Show Host Emmy for more than two decades, until 2005. In total, her shelves were stuffed with eight Emmys, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award.

White's first career dream was to be a forest ranger. However, women were not allowed to become forest rangers at the time, so the animal lover went into show business. Throughout her television career, she was an advocate for animals. The U.S. Forest Service made her a ranger in 2010.

White has published several books during her career. In August 2010, she entered a deal with G.P. Putnam's Sons to produce two more books, the first of which, If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't), was released in 2011. In February 2012, White received her first Grammy Award ("Best Spoken Word Recording") for the audio recording of the book.

White was eight years old when she made her radio programming debut in 1930. Several years later in young adulthood she began working as a radio personality in Los Angeles under the guidance of disc jockey Al Jarvis. After making the transition to television, White became a staple panelist of American game shows, including Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, The Hollywood Squares and The $25,000 Pyramid; dubbed "the first lady of game shows", White became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show Just Men! in 1983. She is also known for her appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful, Boston Legal, The Carol Burnett Show, and Saturday Night Live.

With a television career spanning over nine decades, White has worked longer in that medium than anyone else in the television industry, earning her a Guinness World Record in 2018. White has received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and is a 1985 Television Hall of Fame inductee.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes    Ref.

1945      Time to Kill          Lou's Girl             Short film           

1951      The Daring Miss Jones    Unknown                                                   

1962      Advise & Consent             Senator Bessie Adams                   

1986      Big City Comedy               Herself                 

1996      The Story of Santa Claus                Gretchen Claus Voice    

1998      Hard Rain            Doreen Sears                    

Dennis the Menace Strikes Again               Martha Wilson                 

Holy Man             Herself                 

1999      Lake Placid          Mrs. Delores Bickerman                               

The Story of Us Lillian Jordan                     

2000      Whispers: An Elephant's Tale      Round   Voice    

Tom Sawyer       Aunt Polly           

2001      The Retrievers   Mrs. Krisper                       

The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie         Grandma Sophie               Voice    

2003      Bringing Down the House             Mrs. Kline                           

Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt        Cameo                 

2005      The Third Wish Lettie    

2006      Where's Marty?                Herself                 

2007      Your Mommy Kills Animals           Documentary    

In Search of Puppy Love               

2008      Ponyo   Yoshie   Voice    

2009      Love N' Dancing                Irene                    

The Proposal      Grandma Annie                                

Part Two: The Warm Mission      Betty     Short film           

2010      You Again            Grandma Bunny Byer                    

Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa                Mrs. Claus           Voice    

2011      Betty White: Champion for Animals         Herself Documentary    

The Lost Valentine           Caroline Thomas                              

2012      The Lorax             Grammy Norma                Voice    

2013      Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy          Narrator               Documentary    

Betty White Goes Wild   Herself

2019      Toy Story 4          Bitey White         Voice    

Trouble                Mrs. Sarah Vanderwhoozie          Voice    

2022      Betty White: 100 Years Young - A Birthday Celebration    Herself / Archive footage              Docu-movie released in theatres Jan 17, 2022; posthumous release    

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes    Ref.

1939      Unknown            Unknown            White and former high school classmate, Harry Bennett, sang songs from The Merry Widow on an experimental Los Angeles channel, filmed at the Packard Building in Downtown Los Angeles.                

1949–50               Hollywood on Television               Herself                 

1953      The Eddie Albert Show                  

1953–55               Life with Elizabeth            Elizabeth              Lead role, 65 episodes  

1954      The Betty White Show   Herself From February 8, 1954 to December 31, 1954    

1955–56               What's My Line?               8 episodes         

1956      The Millionaire Virginia Lennart                Episode: "Millionaire Virginia Lennart"   

1957–58               Date with the Angels      Vickie Angel        Lead role, 33 episodes  

1958      The Betty White Show   Herself Lead role, 14 episodes  

1958–62               The Tonight Show with Jack Paar               Recurring role, 36 episodes        

1958–2001, 2016             To Tell the Truth               Appearances on CBS (Collyer), NBC (Moore), and ABC (Anderson) versions. Main panelist (2016)   

1961–2008          (Super) (Million Dollar) Password (All Stars), (Plus)             Recurring panelist; appeared on all versions of the show       

1962      The United States Steel Hour                      Episode: "Scene of the Crime"   

1963–82, 1990-91            Match Game      Herself Recurring panelist, Appeared on the first 3 versions of the show

1963–75               You Don't Say!   Recurring panelist, 10 episodes

1968      That's Life                            Episode: "Buying a House"          

1969      Petticoat Junction            Adelle Colby       Episode: "The Cannonball Bookmobile"

1971      The Pet Set         Herself Recurring role, 31 episodes        

Vanished             NBC TV mini series          

1972      O'Hara, U.S. Treasury      Episode: "Operation: Lady Luck"               

The Odd Couple                Episode: "Password"      

1973–77               The Mary Tyler Moore Show       Sue Ann Nivens                 Main cast, 46 episodes

1975      Lucas Tanner      Lydia Merrick     Episode: "The Noise of a Quiet Weekend"            

Ellery Queen      Louise Demery Episode: "The Adventure of Miss Aggie's Farewell Performance"               

The Carol Burnett Show                 Various                 Recurring role, 3 episodes           

1976–77               The Sonny and Cher Show            Herself Guest role, 2 episodes  

1976–79               Liar's Club            Recurring panelist, 48 episodes

1977–78               The Betty White Show   Joyce Whitman Lead role, 14 episodes  

1978      The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour                Voice teacher     1 episode           

Snavely (aka Chateau Snavely)    Gladys Snavely 1 episode (pilot only)     

With This Ring   TV film Evelyn Harris     

1979      The Best Place to Be        Sally Cantrell     

Before and After               Anita    

1980      The Gossip Columnist     Herself

The Love Boat    Various                 Guest role, 5 episodes  

1981      Best of the West                               Episode: "Mail Order Bride"        

1982      Eunice   Ellen      TV film

The $25,000 Pyramid      Herself Recurring panelist, 85 episodes

Love, Sidney       Charlotte             Episode: "Charlotte's Web"         

1983      Just Men!            Herself Host, 65 episodes           

Fame     Catherine            Episode: "Sunshine Again"           

1983–1984, 1986             Mama's Family Ellen Harper Jackson       Recurring role, 15 episodes        

1984      Hotel     Wilma Klein        Episode: "Outsiders"      

Trivia Trap           Herself Celebrity Week

1985      St. Elsewhere     Capt. Gloria Neal              2 episodes         

Who's the Boss?               Bobby Barnes    

1985–92               The Golden Girls               Rose Nylund       Main role, 180 episodes               

1987      Alf Loves a Mystery         Aunt Harriet       TV film

1988      Santa Barbara    Cameo Guest role, 3 episodes  

Another World Brenda Barlowe                Special Guest Star           

Days of Our Lives              Cameo Guest role          

1989–92               Empty Nest         Rose Nylund       Guest role, 3 episodes  

1990      Carol & Company             Trisha Durant     Episode: "Trisha Springs Eternal"              

1991      Chance of a Lifetime       Evelyn Eglin        TV film

Nurses Rose Nylund       Episode: "Begone with the Wind"            

1992–93               The Golden Palace           Lead role, 24 episodes  

1993      Bob        Sylvia Schmidt   Main role, 8 episodes    

1994      Diagnosis: Murder           Dora Sloan          Episode: "Death by Extermination"          

1995      The Naked Truth               Herself 2 episodes         

Maybe This Time              Shirley Wallace Main role, 18 episodes

1996      A Weekend in the Country           Martha TV film

Suddenly Susan                 Midge Haber      Episode: "Golden Girl Friday"     

The John Larroquette Show         Herself Episode: "Here We Go Again"    

1998      The Lionhearts Dorothy (voice) 5 episodes         

L.A. Doctors        Mrs. Brooks        Episode: "Leap of Faith"               

Noddy   Annabelle (Mrs. Santa Claus)       Special: Anything Can Happen At Christmas         

1999      Hercules               Hestia (voice)     Episode: "Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus"       

Ally McBeal         Dr. Shirley Flott                 Episode: "Seeing Green"              

Ladies Man         Mitzi Stiles          Main role, 30 episodes

King of the Hill   Dorothy / Ellen / Delia (voice)     Guest role, 3 episodes  

2000      The Wild Thornberrys     Sophie Hunter (voice)     3 episodes         

Intimate Portrait: Betty White    Herself                 

The Simpsons    Episode: "Missionary: Impossible"           

2001      The Ellen Show Connie Gibson   Episode: "Missing the Bus"          

2002      Teacher's Pet     Granny (voice)   Episode: "The Turkey That Came for Dinner"       

Yes, Dear             Sylvia     Episode: "Kim's New Nanny"      

Providence         Julianna                Episode: "The Heart of the Matter"         

2002–03               That '70s Show Bea Sigurdson    Recurring role, 4 episodes           

2003      The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy               Mrs. Doolin (voice)          Episode: "Who Killed Who?"      

Gary the Rat       Gary's Mother (voice)     Episode: "This Is Not a Pipe"       

I'm with Her       Herself Episode: "Meet the Parent"        

Stealing Christmas           Emily Sutton       TV film

2003–04               Everwood            Carol Roberts     2 episodes         

2004      The Practice       Catherine Piper                 3 episodes         

My Wife and Kids             Mrs. June Hopkins           Episode: "The Maid"      

Malcolm in the Middle   Sylvia     Episode: "Victor's Other Family"               

2004–05               Complete Savages           Mrs. Riley            2 episodes         

2005      Joey       Margaret Bly      Episode: "Joey and the House"  

Annie's Point      Annie Eason       TV film

2005–08               Boston Legal       Catherine Piper                 Main role, 16 episodes

2006      My Name Is Earl                Mrs. May Rose Weezmer              Episode: "The Witch Lady"          

Family Guy          Herself Episode: "Peterotica"    

2006–09               The Bold and the Beautiful           Ann Douglas       Recurring role, 23 episodes        

2007      Higglytown Heroes          Grandma (voice)               Episode: Calling All Heroes          

Ugly Betty           Herself Episode: "Bananas for Betty"      

The Simpsons    Episode: "Homerazzi"    

2009      30 Rock                Episode: "Stone Mountain"         

2009–10               Glenn Martin DDS            Grandma Shelia Martin (voice)   Guest role, 2 episodes  

2010      The Middle         Mrs. Nethercott                Episode: "Average Rules"             

Saturday Night Live         Herself Episode: "Betty White/Jay-Z"     

Community         Professor June Bauer      Episodes: "Anthropology 101" & "The Psychology of Letting Go"

2010–15               Hot in Cleveland               Elka Ostrovsky   Main role, 128 episodes               

2010–13               Pound Puppies Agatha McLeish (voice) Main role, 13 episodes

2011      The Lost Valentine           Caroline Thomas               TV film

2012–17               Betty White's Off Their Rockers Herself Host      

2012      The Client List    Ruth Hudson      Episode: "Past Is Prologue"         

2013      Save Me               God        Episode: "Holier Than Thou"       

Mickey Mouse   Old Lady (voice)                Episode: "New York Weenie"     

2014      The Soul Man     Elka Ostrovsky   Episode: "All the Way Live"         

2015      Saturday Night Live         Grandmother    Episode: "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special"

2015–present    Fireside Chat with Esther              Rose / Lady Bette             3 episodes         

2015–17               Bones    Dr. Beth Mayer 2 episodes         

2015      Betty White's Smartest Animals in America           Herself Host      

2016      SpongeBob SquarePants               Beatrice (voice)                 Episode: "Mall Girl Pearl"             

Crowded              Sandy    Episode: "The Fixer"       

2017      Young & Hungry               Ms. Bernice Wilson          2 episodes         

If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast    Herself TV film

2018      Betty White: First Lady of Television        Documentary    

2019      Forky Asks a Question    Bitey White         Episode: "What Is Love?"