Betty Marion White entered the world on January 17th, 1922 in Oak Park Illinois, and on that day, a legend was born. Betty’s pursuit of her dreams as an actress and comedian were quickly established, and with each step she took towards the evolution of her career, her fan base grew exponentially, as did her overall net worth. At the time of her death, on December 31, 2021, Betty White had received more accolades than she could count, worldwide recognition as a multi-talented actress and comedian, and global fame. She won over the hearts of the millions of fans that absolutely adored her, and she left behind her astounding net worth of $75 million -a true reflection of her 8 decades of over-achievement.
The Early Days
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Betty White began her career in entertainment by exploring the world of radio. After a brief stint behind the microphone, she parlayed her experience into an on-screen career, which she began in the late 1930s ad continued to build throughout the remainder of her life and career.
During her time on Life With Elizabeth in the 1950s, she began to make history – something she would continue to do, seemingly effortlessly throughout her career. In 1951 she cofounded Bandy Productions and became free to develop her own projects. While working to develop Life With Elizabeth with George Tibbles, a winning formula was unfolding. He wrote for the show, and White began to produce. She was one of the first women to ever become a producer in Hollywood, making a mark for women everywhere.
Betty White’s popularity with fans had already been established, and she continued to elevate to new heights of fame by appearing on a wide variety of talk shows, game shows, and variety shows. She appeared on The United States Steel Hour, Petticoat Junction, Password, and Tonight Show, to name a few. Betty White was already a household name, yet the best was yet to come.
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A Huge Surge In Popularity
Betty White’s career was based on following her heart. She passionately threw herself into her craft for over 8 decades, and it was obvious to her fans that to White, acting wasn’t a job, or career pursuit at all. It was the element in which she truly thrived, shone, and came to life. Her talents were evident throughout her explorations and adventures in the world of television.
Betty White had many shows under her belt, but the two that truly defined her fame and highlighted her incredible versatility as an actress were The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Golden Girls.
She began to appear in The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1973, and before long, her incredible depiction of the devious Sue Ann Nivens earned White three Emmy Award nominations. She took the win in 1975 and 1976, and the series wrapped the following year.
Never one to sit idle for too long, Betty White starred on The Betty White Show in 1977 and then took on memorable recurring roles in The Love Boat and on Mama’s Family.
It was 1985 when Betty White took the role that would forever define her. She played the iconic character of the ever-innocent and often naive Rose Nylund, and truly mesmerized fans with each episode.
Working alongside the all-star cast which consisted of Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, White’s character continued to add comedic antics to The Golden Girls and White’s notoriety saw boundless heights. The show was a huge success, and aired until 1992, earning White 7 Emmy nominations in the process. She clinched the award in 1986, and continued to rise to fame with each successful season on the show.
White then went on to play Nylund on the spin-off series called The Golden Palace, and continued to pursue opportunities to lend her celebrity status by appearing on a variety of prominent shows such as The Bold and Beautiful, That ’70s Show, and Boston Legal.
Making Movies
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Adding even more diversity to her already robust resume was the fact that Betty White also appeared in a series of movie roles, in addition to her time on the small screen. Her movie debut came with Advise & Consent in 1962, and then after a break from the movie industry, she returned for a role in Lake Placid in 1999. That was followed by a role in The Proposal and You Again. White demonstrated a whole other level of impressive talent when she voiced Bitey White, an animated teething ring, in Toy Story 4 in 2019.
Success In Her Older Years
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Many actors in Hollywood fade away with age, but not Betty White. In fact, her popularity continued to soar in her later years. This was sparked by her now infamous Super Bowl commercial in 2010, which fueled fan interest and saw a surge in interest. Fans from all over the world started vying to see White appear in more frequent forms of entertainment, which led to her iconic May 2010 appearance as the host of Saturday Night Live. She went on to receive an Emmy award for that contribution and became the show’s oldest host in history.
Hot In Cleveland and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers were additional experiences that White dove in to as well as Betty White’s Smartest Animals In America.
Mega Millions
Betty White continued to gain traction well into her 90s and raked in enormous paychecks for each appearance. Her success spanned well over 8 decades and her mega wealth was a direct reflection of her tremendous contributions to the world of entertainment.
During her time on The Golden Girls, White kept her income details low key, but it was later reported that she was earning an astronomical $3 million per year from reruns alone. To put these earnings into perspective, the show ended in 1992 and currently continues to rerun. She would have made roughly $87 million from Golden Girls reruns alone between the 1992 finale and her death on December 31st, 2021. This doesn’t include her pay for her actual time on the show.
White is also reported to have earned $75,000 per episode of Hot in Cleveland, which computes to an estimated $9.6 million in earnings from this show, alone.
Betty White truly embraced every opportunity to put smiles on the faces of all her fans. Seemingly ageless in her last years, she continued to entertain the masses, as she passionately threw herself into her work. She died peacefully in her home on December 31st, 2021 of natural causes and will forever be remembered as an iconic figure in the worlds of comedy and entertainment.
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Sources: Biography, Collider, Stylecaster
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