Happy birthday, Betty

Iconic actress, Betty White. File photo.

By Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

It’s January 17 and time to say a big “Happy Birthday” to our icon, Betty White. White, born in 1922, she is 97 today.

White has the longest television career of any female entertainer. She is a pioneer of television and she was one of the first women to have control both in front of and behind the camera.

Before it was cool, White defended the LGBTQ+ community in many ways saying things like, “I don't care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time - and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones - I think it's fine if they want to get married.

“I don't know how people can get so anti-something.”

She went on to say, “Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don't worry about other people so much.”

And, in a 2011 interview, White said that she always knew her close friend Liberace was gay and that she sometimes accompanied him to premieres.

This iconic actress is known for her award-winning roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–77) and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985–92) – the Writers Guild of America has included both sitcoms in its list of the 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time – and Elka Ostrovsky on Hot in Cleveland (2010–15).

White has been a staple guest of many American game shows including Password, Match Game, and The $25,000 Pyramid. She has been called the 'First Lady of Game Shows' and became the first woman to receive an Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983 for the show Just Men!

She is also known for her appearances on Boston Legal, Mama's Family, and Saturday Night Live.

In a career that has spanned 80 years, she has received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is a Television Hall of Fame inductee (class of 1995), and a Disney Legend (class of 2009).

Copyright The Gayly - 1/17/2019 @ 11:48 a.m. CST.