Betty White, Iconic Actress, Dies At 99

Betty White, the beloved comic actress who career spanned the history of television, died Friday at the age of 99.

Early Years: Betty Marion White was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on Jan. 17, 1922. Her family relocated to California when she was 1, and she made her show business debut at the age of 8 on a radio show called “Empire Builders.”

In 1939, the 17-year-old White had her first small screen appearance in an experimental television broadcast from Los Angeles that included her singing songs from “The Merry Widow.”

White sought a career in modeling and acting, but when World War II began she enlisted in the American Women's Voluntary Services, with assignments that included transporting military supplies in California. After the war, she tried unsuccessfully to break into films, but had more success in radio and by 1949 she hosted her own program.

Early TV Stardom: In 1949, White had her first big break in the nascent television medium as co-host of the daily “Hollywood on Television.” After her co-host Al Jarvis departed the show, White took on the solo hosting duties.

In 1952, White co-founded a production company that created “Life With Elizabeth,” a syndicated sitcom that ran for three years; she was the first woman producer in the television industry.

In 1954, she began a second program, “The Betty White Show,” as a combination talk show and variety revue. The program generated headlines when White refused to kowtow to the demands of several stations in the South that demanded that White remove Arthur Duncan, a Black dancer, from the show’s ensemble.

White starred in another sitcom, “Date with the Angels,” from 1957 to 1958. Into the 1960s, her television work was primarily in guest appearances on game shows and talk shows — NBC offered her the opportunity to host “Today,” which she declined because she did not want to relocate to New York City, although she would visit the city every November to co-host NBC’s coverage of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

During the 1960s, she made her film debut as a U.S. senator in Otto Preminger’s political drama “Advise and Consent” and headlined several musicals in regional theaters.

A Second Wind: In the 1970s, White’s star ascended again when she was cast as Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” White’s role had a split personality dimension, with Nivens pretending to be sugary-sweet as the host of the “Happy Homemaker” cooking show, while her off-screen behavior was oversexed and sharp-tongued.

The 1970s also gave White recurring appearances on “The Carol Burnett Show” (playing the mean sister Ellen opposite Burnett’s Eunice in “The Family” sketches) and the popular “Match Game” quiz show.

In the 1980s, White gained her greatest popularity as Rose Nylund, the good-natured but somewhat dim member of “The Golden Girls.” White was originally considered for the role of the man-hungry Blanche, but switched roles with Rue McClanahan because she did not want the character to be a continuation of her Sue Ann Nivens role.

The success of “The Golden Girls” gave White a degree of pop culture superstardom, and for the remainder of her career her television appearances were always lauded, even when the material wasn't up to her standards. In 2010, NBC acknowledged a grassroots campaign calling on White to host “Saturday Night Live,” and her appearance at the age of 88 made her the oldest host in the show’s history. Also in 2010, she joined the TV Land sitcom “Hot in Cleveland” and was part of the series through 2015.

Legacy: White was one of the most award-winning entertainers in history. Among her honors were eight Emmy Awards across various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Grammy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

White was married three times, most notably to her third husband, “Password” host Allen Ludden, in 1963. Outside of show business, she was a prominent figure in the animal rights and wildlife conservation movements.

White passed away 17 days before what would have been her 100th birthday.

Photo: Betty White at the 1988 Emmy Awards, courtesy of Images Alight/Flickr Creative Commons