I can’t think of many American celebrities as universally beloved as Betty White. The news that the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and more recent “Hot in Cleveland” actress passed away of natural causes just weeks before reaching her 100th birthday sent shock waves through Hollywood, where it seemed she would return in wonderful new ways forever.
Stars from Robert Redford to Carol Burnett to LeVar Burton expressed their admiration and the loss they felt. Betty White was a household name, and lots of us regular folks raised a glass to her on New Year’s Eve, too.
White, who was born in 1922, lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the New Frontier, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and the turn of a century, even if she did not quite complete one of her very own. She was from Illinois but began her radio career in Los Angeles at age eight. After hosting her own radio show in the 1940s, she moved on to become a television pioneer as sets became common in American homes. There she produced, wrote for, and starred in a comedy show called “Life with Elizabeth.” She appeared on the Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s and became the “First Lady of Gameshows,” but I didn’t get to know her until the ’80s.
It was her endearing portrayal of Rose Nylund that brought her into my family’s home when I was growing up. Nobody fought over the remote when Golden Girls were on, and everybody loved Rose. After all, she could be anything from a nun to a lady of the night all in the same sweet, hysterically oblivious character and she was voted “most likely to get stuck in a tuba.” Sometimes my friends still use the phrase “When I was a little girl in St. Olaf….”
White wasn’t one to blow her own vertubenflugen, but she could dance and sing, too. She was singing beautifully about being in love in the ’50s and rapping about Lifeline in her nineties. I’ve heard that lady perform “It’s a Good Day” like a sweetheart and show out with Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” I’ve heard her say words I still won’t say in front of my father, but she remains a picture of both sincere innocence and forthright grit that I’ve spent my lifetime trying to emulate.
Betty White was ahead of her time. She made progress for women and didn’t tap-dance around her intention to feature Arthur Duncan on her show no matter who threatened to boycott it because he wasn’t white. She was a sensational icon who spoke up for others and her broad, generationspanning audience showed their adoration in an extended standing ovation at the Emmys in 2018.
She was nominated for 21 Emmy Awards and won five during her career, according to Emmys.com. She was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1995 and won multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series. As an author, she won a Grammy for the reading of her memoir and even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for her years as an entertainer. Her hilarious appearances on Saturday Night Live and even in a Snickers commercial were unforgettable. White was named an honorary forest ranger
White was named an honorary forest ranger at age 88. She supported animal rescue charities and served on the board of the Los Angeles Zoo Association. The San Antonio Zoo honored her on her 99th birthday “for being a friend” to animals.
People Magazine had already created a cover toasting her centennial birthday and a documentary called “Betty White: 100 Years Young” was produced for screening on Jan. 17, 2022, though the title has now been changed to “Betty White: A Celebration.” It will feature interviews with Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jay Leno and others who knew her and provide “a backstage look at her career.”
Dan Rather, Henry Winkler and Mel Brooks rang in the new year sharing memories of their experiences with her. So did Viola Davis, Dionne Warwick, Gloria Gaynor, Cher, Lizzo and Jenny Lewis. These are people I’ve looked to for inspiration, but Betty White inspired me and them, too. For girls like me, she’ll always be golden.
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