Betty White Birthday & Fun Facts | Kidadl

Betty White Birthday & Fun Facts

Height, Age, Net Worth, Biography & More

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Betty White Birthday Highlights

Birth Name
Betty White
Place Of Birth
Illinois, USA
Age
101 years old
Birth Date
January 17 1922

Betty White Facts

Child Star?
no
Occupation
Actress, Comedian
Education & Qualifications
Horace Mann Elementary School
Net Worth
$75,000,000
Current Partner
Lane Allen
Children
David Ludden, Sarah Ludden, Martha Ludden
Parents
Horace Logan White, Christine Tess

About Betty White

White wowed audiences for almost seven decades and was universally adored by both fans and colleagues.
Betty White had a long and distinguished career as one of the great pioneers of the entertainment business. With a career that lasted more than eight decades, she was the longest-serving TV star of all time.
White won five Primetime Emmy Awards and one competitive Daytime Emmy. She was certified by the 2014 edition of 'Guinness World Records' as the longest ever for a female entertainer.
White earned her last Emmy in 2010 for presenting the Mother's Day episode of 'SNL' She won the award for being the outstanding guest actress in a comedy series genre. White went on to have a regular part on another comedy, 'Hot In Cleveland', as well as a book deal and her own reality program after that.
Betty White was very successful in the film industry, and she has shown her variety and adaptability throughout the course of her illustrious career. Betty White died at her home on December 31, 2021, only weeks before her 100th birthday.

Betty White Net Worth, Earnings & Spending Habits

What was Betty White's net worth?

Betty White wowed audiences for almost seven decades and was universally adored by both fans and colleagues. Her net worth is $75 million. Betty White's net worth includes the money she made from shows like 'The Betty White Show,' 'The Bold And The Beautiful,' 'Boston Legal,' and ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show.’
In addition, she made millions of dollars from 'The Golden Girls' and 'Hot In Cleveland.' Betty White's net worth includes earnings from her films and guest appearances on television series such as 'Saturday Night Live.'

How much did Betty White earn per year?

Betty White made most of her money as a successful actress. Her yearly income was estimated to be $4 million approximately.

Height, Age & Physical Attributes

How tall was Betty White?

Betty White was 5 ft 4 in (162.6 cm) tall.

How old was Betty White?

Betty White was 99 years old when she died. She was born on January 17, 1922. She died on December 31, 2021.

Childhood And Education

Betty Marion Ludden White was born on January 17, 1922. She was born in Oak Park, Illinois, United States.
Christine Tess and Horace Logan White raised her as their only child. She had a mix of Danish, Greek, English, Welsh, and Canadian ancestry.
When White was a little over a year old, her family relocated to Alhambra, California.
Betty White went to Horace Mann Elementary School in Beverly Hills. She graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1939.

Family, Romance, And Relationships

Who was Betty White's family?

White's mother was Christine Tess, a housewife. Horace Logan White, a lighting industry executive from Michigan, was her father.

Who are Betty White's children?

White never had her own children or grandkids. However, she did have three stepchildren with her late husband, Allen Ludden.
They are David, Martha, and Sarah Ludden.
Sarah moved to Chicago to start a karate school, while David went on to become a published novelist and university professor. Martha graduated from law school in 1990 and now works with disabled people.

Who was Betty White's partner?

White has gone to the altar three times. She married Frederick Barker, a US Army Air Corps pilot, in 1945, but their relationship lasted less than a year.
Her second marriage to Lane Allen occurred in 1947. It lasted a year and a half before White and Canadian-born film actor divorced.
White had been married twice and divorced before the age of 30. Betty came to New York in 1961 to perform on a new TV game show called 'Password.' The famous game, hosted by bespectacled widower Allen Ludden, featured two pairs of celebrity participants competing to identify words from one-word clues first.
White and Ludden hit it off immediately, but they were on separate ends of the nation with business commitments. He ultimately persuaded White, and they both got married in 1963, after proposing twice. The couple had a happy marriage until Ludden died in 1981.

Career And Professional Highlights

Betty White's big break came when she joined Al Jarvis as a co-host. The show was named 'Hollywood on Television.' When Jarvis departed the program in 1952, Betty White took over as the principal presenter.
Betty White founded her own production firm in 1952, with the support of a writer and a producer. Betty White played a significant part in a program called 'Life With Elizabeth,' which was subsequently distributed by Bandy Productions.
'Life With Elizabeth' was made up of a series of comic shorts about a married couple named Elizabeth (White) and Alvin (Del Moore). White was nominated for her first Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the program.
Betty White was dubbed 'The First Lady of Game Series' in the '80s after presenting shows like 'Just Men!' When White landed the part of Rose Nylund on 'The Golden Girls,' it was a watershed event in her career.
White played Rose Nylund in the long-running NBC comedy 'The Golden Girls.' This became one of her most successful and remembered performances. 'The Golden Girls' spanned seven seasons, and the character of Rose Nylund became pretty famous.
The show's actresses each won their individual Emmy nominations. Following the program's conclusion, White, McClanahan, and Getty starred in 'The Golden Palace.' It was a one-season spinoff in which the three bought and ran a hotel.
White's first appearance was on the very famous sitcom 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' in the '70s. White, a longtime friend of Mary Tyler Moore, portrayed Sue Ann Nivens. White portrayed Nivens for four years and won two Emmy Awards for outstanding continuing performance by a supporting actress in a comedy series for her work on the show.
Betty White started to feature in a variety of ads due to her fame. In 1954, she signed a contract with NBC to launch 'The Betty White Show.' This was her own television chat show, and she took progressive moves like appointing a female director.
White had complete creative control in the making of 'The Betty White Show.' In 'The Betty White Show,' she played the role of Joyce Whitman. In the show, her character gets her dream part in the program, only to realize that her ex-husband must work with her. The program only lasted one season.
Throughout the '60s and '70s, White was a regular visitor on the famous game show 'Password' as a celebrity guest. Allen Ludden, the host of 'Password,' and White ultimately married.
White went on to star in series such as 'Yes, Dear' and 'Suddenly Susan.' White appeared in series like 'Boston Legal' and 'The Practice' in the 2000s.
After a successful Facebook campaign by fans, White became the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live in 2010. She also landed a part in the show 'Hot In Cleveland' the same year.
Betty White hosted and produced 'Betty White's Off Their Rockers.' It was a program in which older people played pranks on the younger generations. On her 90th birthday, an NBC television special was shown in 2012.

Best Known For…

She is best known for: 'The Golden Girls,' 'Life With Elizabeth,' 'Password,' 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'The Carol Burnett Show,' 'Date With The Angels,' 'The Betty White Show,' 'The Love Boat,' 'Boston Legal,' 'The Bold and the Beautiful.'

Charity Work

Betty has supported two animal organizations. They are 'Actors and Others for Animals' and the 'Morris Animal Foundation.' Since 1971, she has been a trustee and an honorary president of the Morris Animal Foundation.
White was a self-described champion for animal health and well-being. She has been a lifelong animal lover.
White was also a longtime supporter of 'The Seeing Eye.' The organization trained guide dogs for the blind. Her dog, golden retriever Pontiac, was adopted from one of her animal NGOs. She adopted him since he had a potentially pricey skin disease that wouldn't suit an ordinary pet parent's budget.
Betty White has donated to the following organizations. They are The American Heart Association, The American Humane Association, The American Stroke Association, Autism Speaks, and Red Cross.

What awards had Betty White won?

Betty White won five Prime Time Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy, a Grammy Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
She has also won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host. She received it for ‘Just Men!’
Betty White has received several honors, including the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009. She also won the Britannia Awards, Charlie Chaplin Award for Excellence in Comedy in 2010, and the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Betty White has won numerous awards for her performances. Some of them include the American Comedy Awards for Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series for her performance in 'The Golden Girls,' American Comedy Awards for Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series for 'Ally McBeal,' the Comedy Awards for Best Actress in a TV comedy for ‘Hot in Cleveland.’
In 2009, she won a Disney Legend Award. She also won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' a Gracie Allen Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for ‘Hot in Cleveland.’
She won the Golden Apple Award for Female Star of the year in 1986, the People's Choice Awards as a TV Icon in 2015, two Viewers for Quality Television' Q' Awards for ‘The Golden Girls.’
She has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards. Her other accolades include the UCLA Jack Benny Award, Teen Choice Award, Women Film Critics Circle, and others.

Betty White's Hobbies And Interests

Betty White had a strong interest in the great outdoors while still in high school. She intended to be a park ranger but abandoned her ambition since women were not permitted to hold that position at the time.
Instead, she became an ardent writer and eventually wrote a play for her high school theatre club. She played the leading part in that play. Her experience prompted her to pursue a future career as an actor.
White switched to the radio profession after World War Two. White earned a modest living as a radio artist and was quickly featured on the big radio programs of the period.
Betty White loved eating junk food. Betty's co-stars from 'Hot in Cleveland' said she enjoyed eating French fries, diet Pepsi, and hot dogs. This lifestyle is said to be unsustainable, yet it seemed to be working for Betty.
White was also an avid animal lover who cared for animals. The actress' golden retriever, Pontiac, was dubbed 'the star of the home' by her.

Other Interesting Betty White Facts And Trivia

  • White has never taken an acting class.
  • Betty White was the first woman to produce a sitcom.
  • She aspired to be an opera singer when she was younger.
  • If she wasn't going to be a singer, White wanted to be a park ranger or a zookeeper. At the age of 88, she was awarded the honorary title of a park ranger.
  • White reportedly did 58 live commercials in a single day.
  • In 1971, Betty presented 'The Pet Set.' It was a program that featured celebrities and their pets.
  • The part of Blanche on 'The Golden Girls' was first offered to White. Betty was requested to portray Blanche, while Rue McClanahan was given the part of naive Rose Nylund. When pilot director Jay Sandrich saw that they had both played similar characters before, he suggested switching roles.
  • She died due to natural causes on December 31, 2021.
  • The bulk of her income and belongings were given to her pets after her death.
  • Betty White made her feature film debut in the 1962 drama 'Advice & Consent.'
  • Her last movie was 'Dog Gone Trouble.'
  • In her native state of Illinois, a resolution was enacted after her death. The Betty White Day is observed on January 17, 2022.

Main image credits: joe seer/shutterstock 

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