Betty White Research Papers

Sara Madrid
Humanities: Renaissance to Modern
Shelton
November 24, 2014
Betty White You might be living under a rock if you’ve never heard of Betty White in 2014. As a highly acclaimed actress she has made her mark in television and film with a career beginning in the 1950’s and still going strong today. You may know her best as Rose Nylund on the Golden Girls, a popular television series form the eighties. Along with being a reknown actress and television star she is also an avid animal rights activist. Betty White was born on January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois to a homemaker and a lighting company executive. At the age of 2 she moved to Los Angeles with her family. White’s desire for acting was so strong that she wrote a play giving
herself the lead role just as a high school student. During the war her career was put on hold and resumed when she worked as an assistant at a local television station and made her way to work in her first series, Life With Elizabeth, which she also helped produce.
Her next move as an actress would be the one that really jet set her career. She was given the role of Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. A television series that showcased White’s ability to capture wit and deliver it with a smile. Her character was very unlike her sweet and ditzy character in The Golden Girls. The show started in 1985 and ran until 1992. After her consistent role in television, White began to take on a more fluid participation in the show business gaining major success through guest starring on various shows. After a steady career she did not truly reach her peak until she began to expand her audience’s demographic with her supporting role in 2009 when she played a supporting role alongside stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
She then appeared in a Snicker’s Super Bowl commercial in 2010. After the commercial her fame spread and her growing number of fans began to desire Betty’s work and took it into their own hands to campaign for her to host the show Saturday Night Live through a Facebook page. She was hesitant to take on the role and later deemed it one of the scariest things she has ever done. Her most recent works include Hot in Cleveland and is the host to her very own hidden camera show Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (Bio). From all her Television success and success in films White is the recipient of 27 awards and 31 nominations.
She was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, an award for outstanding work in television and film. She is also the winner of five Emmy Awards, a very prestigious award in the field of television. White’s success undoubtedly comes from her amazing contributions to comedy through whimsical characters in television (IMDb). Along with being an incredibly successful and established actress, White is also known for her contributions to literature having written several books in the eighties and nineties and her re-release of her 1955 book, Here We Go Again: My Life in Television in 2010. She most recently came out with a two book deal in 2011 with the titles, If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t) and My Life at the Zoo: Betty and Her Friends. Even in her nineties Betty White continues to act saying that she needs to continue so that she can continue supporting her charities and what she loves the most. Actors and Actresses and most importantly, people with the resources, take on charities and support causes of importance either locally or globally. White’s passion and love lies with animals. She is a very active animal rights activist with many other platforms besides her wild success in show business. Betty White has also served the Morris Animal Foundation for more than forty years. She also serves on the board of directors at the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
(Cragg). http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/10/betty-white-golden-girl All of her success and earnings has earned her the title as the highest paid actress in the world. She holds the position with about 82 million dollars in earnings as of 2014. Although a lot of her success comes from her success as an actress and a writer she also gained incredible earnings through investments and her own products (Kearney). As a comedian Betty White most definitely trumps out the old saying that girls aren’t as funny as men. She is a renowned comedian, actress and advocate for animals. She has truly gotten better with age. With roles that leave you rolling with laughter her contributions to the world of books, television, and film not only cater to audiences of all ages but will withstand the test of time just as gracefully and with as much class as she has. She is known for roles where her character says and does what she wants not unlike White in her personal day to day life. With her platform as a celebrity she refuses to talk politics and instead takes a carefree position in life. She is however a supporter of Obama but says she doesn’t “do” politics. In a world full of scandal and celebrities who get their fame by having an absolute lack of talent, i.e., every single one of the Kardashians, White created her career with an honest desire for acting. She truly embodies the essence of old Hollywood with her tasteful sharing of information and classy withholding of controversial opinion. Whatever mood you are in it can only get better with Betty. She is the Grandma that all of us wish we had. Even as an established comedian and actress that could retire comfortably, she continues to work for her love and passion of her profession and to maintain the platform of advocacy for her animals. It is always humbling to see a person with every right to be conceited and self-interested, maintain a selfless approach to life spending her time and resources so that she can support a cause that she is passionate about. When I am in my nineties I can only hope to be the kind of old lady that Betty White is. She inspires and encourages a happy and carefree lifestyle focusing on the good in the world. Someone who in her own right is one of the best actresses and people of all time. It is a rare person indeed who can say the crudest and hilarious things and yet remain nothing but a sweet little old lady that everyone loves. In conclusion I leave you with this quote by the amazing starlet herself, “I can credit my folks for my genes. That said, I can't get over that at this age I don't feel this age. I'm not trying to be any younger. I'm not lying about my age. If I were lying about my age, I would say I was 89. I'm just at one of those good times in one's life. I'm at one of the high spots. I'm healthy enough to enjoy it. I'm surrounded by friends I adore. Isn't that kind of the best way to sign off?”