By Jenn Arias ’23
Staff Writer
ariasjri@lakeforest.edu
Nobody could wear as many hats as Betty Marion White brandished throughout her long lifetime. She is known by several generations through different mediums, be it her show business career, acting in many sitcoms and films, through her charity work with animals, or simply being a strong woman who paved the way for future women in the industry. Either way, you have heard of her.
White was born Jan 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, “five years before television made its debut,” according to Forbes.com. “You could say that she and the new medium grew up together.”
During the Great Depression, her family moved to Los Angeles and enjoyed camping in the Sierra Nevada mountains once a year. There she had her first career aspiration to become a park ranger. Luckily for the entertainment industry, that ambition didn’t stick, but it helped her realize her love and respect for animals.
White’s love for acting sprung up during high school, where she starred in the senior play that she also wrote. She decided to skip college and jump right into show business. One of her first gigs was hosting Hollywood on Television, which aired six days a week, five hours a day, from 1949 to 1953. In 1951, she was nominated for an Emmy for best actress on television, “the first award and category in the new award show designed specifically for women in television,” according to People.com.
Wielding her extreme work ethic, White was already making a name and paving her path when she went on to host a variety show, and many credit her with being the first solo female talk show host.
One of her characters in a skit became so popular that it led to a spinoff called “Life with Elizabeth.” She was one of the few women in creative control in front of and behind the camera, producing each episode herself. This fueled her desire to open her own production company named Bandit, after her dog, and added her name to a very short list of women, including Lucille Ball, who had taken control of their futures.
Two years later, White created The Betty White Show in 1954, allowing her the freedom to hire a female director. She also showcased Arthur Duncan, a black dancer, sparking outrage from some of her viewers, but allowed Duncan to “become the first Black regular on a variety show,” according to Forbes.com.
In the ’70s, White earned her second and third Emmy nominations for her work on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and was also the first woman to earn a Daytime Emmy for outstanding game show host.
In the following decade, White segued from variety show into sitcom acting. One of her most well-known roles was as Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls, which ran from 1985 to 1992.
“In middle school, my mom and I would watch Golden Girls reruns on TV a few times a week,” said Frances Paldi, a 19-year-old Lake Forest College sophomore. “She said when she was my age, she would watch them with my great- grandma. I knew that as an actress, she had been in the industry for a long time.”
Not only did White’s work connect generations, but her roles are characters that people of all generations can relate to. Maintaining her sweet demeanor proved that you didn’t have to press people’s buttons to enact social change, you simply needed to be yourself and keep pushing for the future. Hollywood doesn’t have to change your personality.
“I know that off camera, she was described as an incredibly caring person,” Paldi said, “who would try to make everyone feel comfortable and have a good laugh. She was incredibly passionate about animal rights. Her diehard fans called themselves ‘Bet’s Pets.’”
In her later life, White continued to work on sitcoms, films, animal advocacy, and even a Snickers commercial for the 2010 Super Bowl. She has also been nominated three times for “the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series in 2011, 2012, and 2013,” according to People.com.
Betty White may have passed peacefully in her sleep December 31 of last year, but her legacy, work ethic, and lighthearted spirit will live on through her many contributions to the entertainment industry.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Oak Park residents held a “Betty White Centennial Celebration” to honor her life at the Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre. A century is hardly a number any of us expect to see, but White will prosper as future generations continue to fall in love with her charm and wit.
“She is a role model for many generations of actors,” said Paldi. “She was born before television was even a thing and has made an incredibly impressive résumé for herself in the industry. She pioneered for many women. She is important to younger generations because she will always be considered a first.”
When you live just 17 days shy of your centennial birthday and the consensus is that you passed too soon, that is clearly quite a life.
