Betty White has been a steady TV presence since the early 1950s, but she's known to most viewers for two popular roles: as Sue Ann Nivens in the 1970s hit
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and as Rose Nyland in the 1980s hit
The Golden Girls. She grew up in Los Angeles and got her start there on radio and television. Her locally-produced comedy show
Life with Elizabeth was developed into a national TV series and ran from 1953 to 1955. Since then she's been in dozens of guest roles on TV, both as a comic actress and as a hostess/panelist on TV game shows. It was on a game show that she met her third husband,
Password host Allen Ludden. Ludden and White were married from 1963 until his death in 1981, and together they became known for their work in charities that supported animals and pets, especially the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA). White won two Emmys on
The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Sue Ann Nivens, a man-hungry TV hostess whose acid barbs where dipped in honey. She was on the show from 1973 to 1977. Her next series,
The Betty White Show (1977-78) and
Mama's Family (1983-85) were short-lived, but White could still be seen on shows like
The Love Boat (1980-85), and as a regular in game shows such as
Liar's Club (1976-78),
Match Game PM (1975-82) and
Just Men (1983). She won another Emmy on
The Golden Girls (1985-92) as Rose Nyland, a guileless scatterbrain. Despite her steady work in television, a new audience discovered her in 2010 and her career got another boost. White appeared in a popular commercial for Snickers candy bar that debuted during the Super Bowl, and a fan-based Facebook campaign led to White hosting
Saturday Night Live, a gig that earned her another Emmy Award. She also began another sitcom in 2010, the cable series
Hot in Cleveland.
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