Few people can say they’ve been in the same career for more than 80 years. One person who can is Betty White, who after 82 years in the industry, holds the record for the longest TV career in history. (1)
Betty White Holds Record For Longest TV Career in History
The actress famous for her quick comebacks and seemingly endless longevity has set a new record for the longest career in TV history. Betty White, nicknamed “The Queen of Television”, recently celebrated 82 years in the industry. (2)
Her Career
Born in 1922, the almost 100-year-old actress from Oak Park, Illinois started her career in the late 1930s. (2) Some of her career highlights include (1):
- 1950s Life With Elizabeth
- 1970s The Mary Tyler Moore Show
- 1980s Golden Girls
- 2010 Hot in Cleveland
- 2010, became the oldest-ever host of Saturday Night Live
In fact, White not only starred in Life With Elizabeth, but she produced it. She was one of the first female producers in Hollywood. She later won two Emmy awards for her role as Susan Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. (1)
After her success in Golden Girls, she continued to guest-star and work on a number of projects. In 2010, she appeared in a SuperBowl ad that re-sparked audiences’ love for her humor and wit This resulted in a Facebook campaign to have White host SNL, which worked. (1)
Of her experience hosting the show, she said:
“[hosting SNL] was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. It was really funny stuff, but it was a challenge.” (1)
She’s done a number of things since then, including voicing a tiger toy on 2019’s Toy Story 4 named Bitey White. (1)
Why Does She Keep Working?
White has a heart just as big as her funny bone. She loves animals and does plenty of charity work surrounding animal welfare. For more than 40 years she has worked with the Morrison Animal Foundation and the Los Angeles Zoo. (1)
“I have to keep acting so that I can afford to keep doing my charity work!” she told The Hollywood Reporter. (1)
White has also written four books (1):
- Betty White In Person
- Here We Go Again: My Life In Television
- If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t)
- My Life At The Zoo: Betty And Her Friends
White was married three times. Her first husband was theatre agent Lane Allen, who she later divorced. She later married and divorced WWII Fighter Pilot Dick Barker. Her third husband, Allen Ludden, in 1963. They were married until he died of cancer in 1981. (2) White says that Ludden was the love of her life. (1)
On January 17th, she will be 99 years old! Who knows what Betty White will do next! One thing is for sure, we can all only hope to have the same longevity that she has.
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