Betty Marion White (Jan. 17, 1922 – Dec. 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian.
Known as an early television pioneer and one of the first women to work both in front of and behind the camera, White's career in the entertainment business spanned over seven decades.
As the first woman in the United States to produce a comedy (Life with Elizabeth), she was given the honorary title of Mayor of Hollywood in 1955
For a 2018 documentary on White's life and work, the title “First Lady of Television” was adopted.
The Hollywood Squares, The $25,000 Pyramid, and Password were among White's many appearances on American game shows once he made the switch from radio to television.
When her show Just Men! won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983, White was dubbed “the first lady of game shows.” Additionally, she was noted for her appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful, Boston Legal, and The Carol Burnett Show.
Between 1973 and 1977, she starred as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show on CBS, Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls on NBC, and Elka Ostrovsky on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015), all of which garnered her acclaim.
When The Proposal (2009) was released in 2009, she garnered fresh fame as the focus of an online campaign to host Saturday Night Live in 2010, which led to her receiving a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Early Life
Oak Park, Illinois-native Betty Marion White was born on the 17th of January 1922. Betty's parents relocated to California when she was just a few months old.
While in Los Angeles during the Great Depression, her father sold crystal radios to make ends meet, frequently exchanging them for necessities.
Betty White developed a lifelong love for the great outdoors while attending high school. Her first ambition was to become a park ranger, but at the time, that was an occupation that only males could have.
Instead, she became a voracious writer and, as the star of a play she wrote for her high school's theatre troupe, she went on to star in it.
She was inspired by other well-known actresses of the period, such as Jeanette MacDonald, and became determined to pursue a career as an actor as a result of her experience.
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Early Career
As the Second World War began, Betty White finished high school in 1939. After graduating from high school, White went straight into acting and modeling jobs because the United States would not engage in the battle for several more years.
It didn't take long for the war to catch up with America, and White's early success as an actress was put on hold as she focused on serving her nation instead.
To help deliver military supplies throughout California, she served with the American Women's Voluntary Service (AWVS).
Betty White wanted to get into the Los Angeles film business after the war, but all the big studios rejected her.
As a result of this, she switched to the radio sector instead. White made a good living as a radio artist and began appearing on well-known radio shows of the day. The Betty White Show eventually became her own radio show.
Betty White's Net Worth
It is estimated that Betty White's net worth was $75 million at the time of her death. It is widely acknowledged that Betty White was an early pioneer in the entertainment industry, with a long and successful career.
For more than eight decades, she was the longest-running television performer of all time. Throughout her illustrious career, she had demonstrated her breadth and depth in the film industry as well.
Betty White, who would have turned 100 on December 31st, 2021, passed away peacefully at home, just a few weeks shy of the date.
Personal Life
Before meeting game show host Allen Ludden in 1961, Betty White was married twice and both marriages ended in divorce.
Two years later, they were married. White remained alone after the death of her first husband, Ludden, in 1981 due to stomach cancer. Ludden's three children from a previous marriage also had a mother who died of cancer in 1961, thus she behaved as their stepmother.
Real Estate
Betty and Allen Ludden spent $170,000 in 1978 for an undeveloped parcel of land in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. So they started building a 3,700-square-foot house with four bedrooms and stunning seaside views.
By the year 1981, all of the buildings had been built to their full potential. Allen died just a few days after they had moved into their new home, tragically. It was Betty's house for as long as she lived.
Betty's heirs put the house up for sale in March 2022 for little under $8 million. A month later, the house was sold for $10.775 million following a brief bidding war. Here's a look around the place in video form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Was the Cause of Death for Betty White?
Natural Causes
How Much Did Betty White's House Sell for?
Buyers who can afford it are invited to “construct [their] ideal home on a level lot in a peaceful country setting” when they purchase the property. White's Carmel, California, vacation home sold for $10.775 million in April, more than $2 million over its original $7.95 million asking price, according to public records.
