Betty White: Golden Girls Star and Television Legend Dies at 99

Betty White was an American actress and comedian whose television career spanned more than seven decades, best known for playing the sweet-natured Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. Born Betty Marion White on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, she was a pioneer of the industry and a beloved animal welfare advocate.

White produced and starred in Life with Elizabeth from 1953 to 1955, becoming the first woman to produce a sitcom. In 1983 she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host. She played Rose on The Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992, earning a Primetime Emmy, and in 2010 she won another for hosting Saturday Night Live at age 88, the oldest host in the show's history.

White married Allen Ludden in 1963, and he died in 1981; she was stepmother to his three children. As a child she wanted to be a forest ranger, and in 2010 the USDA Forest Service made her an honorary ranger. She voiced Bitey White in Toy Story 4. She died in her sleep at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on December 31, 2021, at age 99, days after a stroke. She was 17 days short of her 100th birthday.

Achievements: First woman to produce a sitcom (1953-1955), first woman to win a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host (1983), played Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985-1992), won an Emmy for hosting Saturday Night Live (2010).

Birth: January 17, 1922 - Oak Park, Illinois.

Profession: Actress and comedian.

Interesting Facts: She wanted to be a forest ranger as a child but was told women could not serve. In 2010 the USDA Forest Service made her an honorary ranger.