Biography
Betty Marion White Ludden is an American actress and comedian, with the longest television career of any entertainer, spanning 80 years. Regarded as a pioneer of television, she is one of the first women to have control both in front of and behind the camera and is recognized as the first woman to produce a sitcom (Life with Elizabeth), which contributed to her receiving the honorary title Mayor of Hollywood in 1955.
White is known for her award-winning roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–77) and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985–92) – the Writers Guild of America has included both sitcoms in its list of the 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time – and Elka Ostrovsky on Hot in Cleveland (2010–15).
A staple guest of many American game shows such as Password, Match Game, Hollywood Squares and The $25,000 Pyramid, White has been dubbed the 'First Lady of Game Shows' and became the first woman to receive an Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983 for