In this day and age, it often seems like new celebrities are rising to prominence daily. Unfortunately, former stars seem to fade away from the spotlight just as regularly. With that in mind, at times it can be hard to fathom the idea that some celebrities have remained well known for decades. Of course, it should go without saying that stars need to be extremely skilled if they want to remain relevant for that long.
Of all the stars who’ve managed to stay on top for decades on end, it could easily be argued that Betty White is the most popular. After all, White has proven how lovable she is, both as a person and actor, over and over again during her lengthy career. In fact, White has become so beloved that she has trended on Twitter in the past simply because people were posting about how much they like her.
Of course, we all know that all good things have to come to an end eventually. For example, Jack Nicholson is widely considered to be one of the most talented actors of all time, but in recent years he has basically retired from the business. With that in mind, it begs an obvious question, will Betty White retire in the near future?
Betty’s Early Years
Once Betty White decided to make acting her career, things didn’t go smoothly for her at first as she was initially turned down for roles because she was “not photogenic” according to producers. As a result, White found an alternate route into the entertainment business as she began to pay bit parts on the radio. Given how delightful Betty is as a person, it makes sense that before long she began to host a radio program called “The Betty White Show”.
After finding radio success, during the early-50s Betty White began to make headway as a television star. In fact, she would go on to star in a series called Life with Elizabeth and host a daytime talk show on NBC called The Betty White Show. Amazingly enough, on top of starring in shows during the 1950s, she served as a TV producer, which was an unheard-of job for a woman to have in that era.
Becoming A Star
After first making a name for herself in the 50s, it wasn’t until the ‘70s that Betty White truly became a star. Able to land a recurring role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s fourth season, White wound up sticking around until the series came to an end with its seventh season. Cast as Sue Ann Nivens, a seemingly cheery character who actually was inappropriate and judgemental a lot of the time, White made the most of every moment she had on screen.
After The Mary Tyler Moore Show came to an end, Betty White went on to work steadily throughout the late-‘70s and early-80s. Then White landed the role of a lifetime when she was cast as one of the leads in The Golden Girls, a show that remains popular with audiences nearly three decades since its finale aired. Absolutely pitch-perfect as The Golden Girls’ Rose Nylund, White was so consistently hilarious in the show that her portrayal turned her into a legitimate television legend.
In the years since The Golden Girls came to an end, Betty White has gone on to appear in a long list of shows and movies. Most notably, White starred in the sitcom Hot in Cleveland from 2010 until 2015. More importantly, the world at large grew to adore Betty White as a human being which is why many people can’t get enough of her as an actor and in appearances as herself. Considering all of the success White has enjoyed during her impressive life, it makes sense that she amassed a $75 million fortune.
Hollywood Future
On January 17th, 2021, Betty White turns 99-years-old according to Wikipedia. Despite White’s advanced age, she has continued to work as an actor over the last several years. For example, in 2019 White provided her voice to the 2019 movie Toy Story 4, in which she voiced the hilariously named character Bitey White.
If you think that Betty White should give up acting as she closes in on her 100th birthday, you almost certainly are going to be disappointed. After all, according to Steven J. Boettcher, the director of the documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television, she has no plans to stop working. “She told me, ‘I’m going to be in the saddle forever,'. She loves working; she loves the challenge. She’s someone that we’re all better off for that she’s lived this long.”
As for Betty White herself, during a USA Today interview from 2009, she made it very clear that she will act until the end. “I'm so pleasantly surprised when I get asked to do something, I always say yes. Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren't going to get rid of me that way.”
