Actress and Comedian Betty White’s spunk and sass has been charming Americans for more than nine decades as the Golden Girls star recently celebrated her 97th birthday.
Some call White “national treasure.”
I mean, EVERYONE loves this woman. Ryan Reynolds, who refers to White as his “ex-girlfriend,” wished her a happy birthday on Instagram saying that she is “special.”
And that’s for sure.
But if you aren’t familiar with the awesomeness that is Betty White, we’ll fill you in.
Here Are 12 Reasons Why Betty White Is A Force To Be Reckoned With:
Betty White turns 97 today. So to celebrate, here are 5 times she was the cutest human on earth. https://t.co/GDDFS9LdZK pic.twitter.com/URavzpEINH
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 17, 2019
1) She’s The First Woman To Produce A Sitcom
Before Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, there was Betty White. According to A Mighty Girl, White was the first woman to produce a sitcom. “Life With Elizabeth” was nationally syndicated and premiered in 1952. She was one of the first women to full creative control in front of and behind the camera.
2) She’s The Mayor of Hollywood
White was deemed the honorary “Mayor of Hollywood” in 1955. She was the fourth person to hold the title. The position is appointed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
3) She’s Holds the Record For the Longest TV Career Held By A Female
White is in the Guinness Book of World Records. She holds the record for being the female with the longest TV career. She’s been on TV since 1939.
4) She Was Proposed To With An Easter Bunny
Betty White said yes to a stuffed Easter Bunny. White fell in love with her late husband Allen Ludden while the two were working in Cape Cod. He proposed to her a year later by sending her the bunny with some gold and sapphire earrings attached to it with a note that said: “Now, come on, will you marry me?” She just couldn’t say no to that bunny
5) She’s Got Mad Dough
You’d think that working in Hollywood since the 1930s would mean that you’re insanely rich. Well, you’re right. Celebrity Net Worth says that White is worth $75 million big ones.
6) She Was Supposed To Play Blanche
Most of us know White for her role as “Rose” in “The Golden Girls.” But she originally auditioned for the role of Blanche. The two actresses were asked to switch the parts they were reading because producers were afraid that White’s character might be too similar to the one she played on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
7) She Loves Junk Food
Diets? Betty White doesn’t need your stinking diets. Her co-workers say that “she eats crap, according to US Weekly. They say she loves to chow down on Red Vines (and lots of them), hot dogs, French fries, and Diet Coke.
8) She Loves Animals
Betty White has served as a trustee for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association for 40 years. She actually wanted to be a forest ranger or zookeeper before she want4ed to be an actress, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
“A couple of years ago, the Forest Service made me an honorary forest ranger. Back when I started, girls couldn’t be forest rangers. But now they made me an honorary one, made it very official, and I was deeply honored. As far as a zookeeper, I have been such a zoo nut all my life that I am practically a zookeeper!” she told the magazine.
9) She Studied To Be An Opera Singer
White also wanted to be an opera singer. She started to pursue singing when she was 14. She says she became distracted by things like boys and found her way to television instead.
10) She’s The Oldest Person To Host SNL
Fans actually petitioned to have Betty White host Saturday Night Live, according to Encyclopedia Brittanica. And the fans got they want. She was the oldest person to host the show at 88-years-old.
11) She Left Show Biz To Help The War Effort
Before White made it big she was working in theater and radio and as a model. But she put her entertainment ambitions on hold when World World II broke out. She joined the American Women’s Voluntary Services and spent her days delivering supplies and attending dances thrown for soldiers before they were shipped out. Thank goodness that didn’t last and White was able to continue her dreams of stardom.
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