Betty White Popular Books

Betty White Biography & Facts

Betty Marion Ludden (née White; January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021) was an American actress, comedian and producer. A pioneer of early television with a career spanning almost seven decades, she was noted for her vast number of television appearances acting in sitcoms, sketch comedy, and game shows. She produced and starred in the series Life with Elizabeth (1953–1955), thus becoming the first woman to produce a sitcom.After moving from radio to television, White became a staple panelist of American game shows such as Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, The Hollywood Squares, and The $25,000 Pyramid. Dubbed "the first lady of game shows", she became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show Just Men! in 1983. She then became more widely known for her guest and recurring appearances on shows such as The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, The Bold and the Beautiful and Boston Legal. White's biggest roles include Sue Ann Nivens on the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–1977), Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992), and Elka Ostrovsky on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015). She had a late career resurgence when she starred in the romantic comedy film The Proposal (2009) and hosted Saturday Night Live the following year, garnering her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The 2018 documentary Betty White: First Lady of Television detailed her life and career.For her lengthy work in radio, television, and film, White twice earned the Guinness World Record for the longest TV career by a female entertainer in both 2014 and 2018. She received various awards and nominations, including seven Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. Early life Betty Marion White was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 17, 1922. She later clarified that "Betty" was her legal name and not a shortened version of "Elizabeth" as some people had assumed. She was the only child of housewife Christine Tess (née Cachikis) and lighting company executive Horace Logan White. Her father was from Michigan. White's maternal grandfather was Greek, her paternal grandfather was Danish, both of her grandmothers were Canadians of English descent, and her other ancestry included Welsh. When she was one year old, her family moved to Alhambra, California, and later to Los Angeles during the Great Depression. To make extra money, her father built crystal radios and sold them wherever he could. Since it was the height of the Depression and hardly anyone had a sizable income, he would trade the radios for other goods, which sometimes included dogs.White was educated in Beverly Hills, where she attended Horace Mann Elementary School and Beverly Hills High School, graduating from the latter in 1939. Her interest in wildlife was sparked by family vacations to the Sierra Nevada. She initially aspired to become a forest ranger, but was unable to do so because women were not allowed to serve as rangers at the time. She instead pursued an interest in writing; she wrote and played the lead in a graduation play at Horace Mann School and discovered her interest in performing. Inspired by her idols Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, she decided to pursue a career as an actress.One month after White graduated from high school, she and a classmate sang songs from The Merry Widow on an experimental television show, at a time when the medium of television itself was still in development. She found work as a model, and her first professional acting job was at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre. After the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, she volunteered for the American Women's Voluntary Services. Her assignment included driving a PX truck with military supplies to the Hollywood Hills. She also participated in events for troops before they were deployed overseas. Commenting on her wartime service, she later said that it was "a strange time and out of balance with everything". Career 1951–1969: Early career and breakthrough After the war, White made the rounds to movie studios looking for work, but was turned down because she was "not photogenic". She started to look for radio jobs, where being photogenic did not matter. Her first radio jobs included reading commercials and playing bit parts, and sometimes even doing crowd noises. She made about five dollars a show. She would do just about anything, like singing on a show for no pay. She appeared on shows such as Blondie, The Great Gildersleeve, and This Is Your FBI. She was then offered her own radio show, called The Betty White Show. In 1949, she began appearing as co-host with Al Jarvis on his daily live television variety show Hollywood on Television, originally called Make Believe Ballroom, on KFWB and then on KLAC-TV (now KCOP-TV) in Los Angeles.White began hosting the show by herself in 1952 after Jarvis's departure, spanning five and a half hours of live ad lib television six days per week, over a continuous four-year span. In all of her various variety series over the years, White would sing at least a couple of songs during each broadcast. In 1951, she was nominated for her first Emmy Award as "Best Actress" on television, competing with Judith Anderson, Helen Hayes, and Imogene Coca; the award went to Gertrude Berg. At this point, the award was for body of work, with no shows named in nominations. The Betty White Show (1952–1954) From 1952 to 1954, White hosted and produced her own daily talk/variety show, The Betty White Show, first on KLAC-TV and then on NBC (her first television, but second show to feature that title). Like her sitcom, she had creative control over the series, and was able to hire a female director. In a first for American network variety television, her show featured an African-American performer, but the show faced criticism for the inclusion of tap dancer Arthur Duncan as a regular cast member. The criticism followed when NBC expanded the show nationally. Local Southern stations in the Jim Crow era threatened to boycott unless Duncan was removed from the series. In response, White said "I'm sorry. Live with it", and gave Duncan more airtime. Initially a ratings success, the show repeatedly changed time slots and suffered lower viewership. By the end of the year, NBC quietly cancelled the series. Life with Elizabeth (1953–1955) In 1952, the same year that she began hosting Hollywood on Television, White co-founded Bandy Productions with writer George Tibbles and Don Fedderson, a producer. The trio worked to create new shows using existing characters from sketches shown on Hollywood on Television. White, Fedderson, and Tibbles created the television comedy Life with Elizabeth, with White portraying the title character. The show was originally a live production on KLAC-TV i.... Discover the Betty White popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Betty White books.

Best Seller Betty White Books of 2024

  • Betty White Biography synopsis, comments

    Betty White Biography

    Real Facts

    Real Facts is back with another riveting biography, this time focusing on none other than America's sweetheart, Betty White. Get ready to embark on a captivating journey throu...

  • Betty White in Person synopsis, comments

    Betty White in Person

    Betty White

    "I reread Betty White in Person and I was fascinated, naturally―because it was about ME. But I was also intrigued by my perspective of TV twentyfive years ago, little dreaming that...

  • When Women Invented Television synopsis, comments

    When Women Invented Television

    Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

    New and Noteworthy  New York Times Book ReviewMustRead Book of March  Entertainment WeeklyBest Books of March  HelloGiggles“Leaps at the throat of tel...

  • Long White Con synopsis, comments

    Long White Con

    Iceberg Slim

    Iceberg Slim, bestselling author of Pimp and Trick Baby, brings us yet another riveting classic about the most incredible con man ever to have risen.Picking up where Trick Baby lef...

  • Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted synopsis, comments

    Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted

    Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

    "Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's deft weave of social history and sharp entertainment reporting explains how [The Mary Tyler Moore Show] made the world safe for Lena Dunham" (Peter Bi...

  • Betty White synopsis, comments

    Betty White

    Ray Richmond

    This visual salute to the First Lady of Television spans Betty White’s more than 80 years as a performer and star of such legendary series as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The...

  • Betty synopsis, comments

    Betty

    Tiffany McDaniel

    A stunning, lyrical novel set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians about a young girl and the family truths that will haunt her for the rest of her life. “A girl comes of a...

  • Golden Girls Forever synopsis, comments

    Golden Girls Forever

    Jim Colucci

    Includes 30 pages of bonus material!The complete, firstever Golden Girls retrospective, packed with hundreds of exclusive interviews, behindthescenes and neverbefore...

  • If You Ask Me synopsis, comments

    If You Ask Me

    Betty White

    The New York Times bestseller from the beloved actress and Hollywood icon who's made us laugh on shows from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Golden Girls to Saturday Night Live!I...

  • The Story of Betty White synopsis, comments

    The Story of Betty White

    Tam Minton

    Discover the life of Betty Whitea story about confidence, imagination, and being silly for young readers ages 6 to 9Betty White was a comedian, producer, and TV star. Before she be...

  • The Third Gilmore Girl synopsis, comments

    The Third Gilmore Girl

    Kelly Bishop

    A candid and captivating memoir from awardwinning and beloved actress Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from Broadway to Hollywood with A Chorus Line, Dirty D...

  • White Butterfly synopsis, comments

    White Butterfly

    Walter Mosley

    The police don't show up on Easy Rawlins's doorstep until the third girl dies. It's Los Angeles, 1956, and it takes more than one murdered black girl before the cops get interested...

  • Betty White Biography synopsis, comments

    Betty White Biography

    Emily Whiteman

    Who Was Betty White? Discover the Untold Story of America's Sweetheart!Have you ever wondered about the incredible life and career of America's beloved Betty White? Dive into the p...

  • I, Witness synopsis, comments

    I, Witness

    Niki Mackay

    'A cracking thriller and a great female protagonist.' C.J. Tudor, author of Sunday Times Bestseller The Chalk Man'I couldn't put I,Witness down, this is a 2018 mustread' Phoebe Mor...

  • White Water Terror synopsis, comments

    White Water Terror

    Carolyn Keene

    Nancy sets out to have a fun and exciting white water rafting trip, but sabotage causes events to take a dangerous turn, and it’s up to Nancy to rapidly investigate.

  • My Little Golden Book About Betty White synopsis, comments

    My Little Golden Book About Betty White

    Deborah Hopkinson & Margeaux Lucas

    Help your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about America's First Lady of Television, Betty White! The perfect introduction to nonfiction for young read...

  • A Boy and His Bunny synopsis, comments

    A Boy and His Bunny

    Sean Bryan & Tom Murphy

    A humorous way to show kids that being different can be a lot of fun! How would you feel if one morning you woke up with a bigeared, wetnosed bunny on your head?Would you be surpri...

  • Betty White American Actress and Comedian synopsis, comments

    Betty White American Actress and Comedian

    Dr. Heady Delpak

    An actress and comedian from the United States, Betty Marion White Ludden, is known for having appeared in a number of films, and not only that even she also had massive influencin...

  • I, Rhoda synopsis, comments

    I, Rhoda

    Valerie Harper

    The heartwarming memoir of beloved television actress Valerie Harper, best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and on Rhoda.Valerie Harper was an u...

  • Death Wish synopsis, comments

    Death Wish

    Iceberg Slim

    This is the original mafia story that spawned all the restthe story of Chicago’s ruthless and tireless mafia.Power hungry Don, Jimmy Collucci, is out to become the kingpin of Chica...

  • This Is Your Captain Speaking synopsis, comments

    This Is Your Captain Speaking

    Gavin MacLeod

    The remarkable life, career, and faith journey of Gavin MacLeod, the beloved star of The Love Boat and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.For 16 years, millions of Americans ...

  • Trick Baby synopsis, comments

    Trick Baby

    Iceberg Slim

    The author that brought black literature to the streets is back. Weaving stories of deceit, sex, humor, and race, bestselling author Iceberg Slim brings us the story of a hustler w...

  • How to Be Golden synopsis, comments

    How to Be Golden

    Paula Bernstein

    If there's one thing the nation can agree onwe all love Betty White! This spirited homage to Betty captures her unique humor, timeless wisdom, and impish irreverence that's made he...

  • Betty Crocker Cookbook, 12th Edition synopsis, comments

    Betty Crocker Cookbook, 12th Edition

    Betty Crocker

    One of the bestselling cookbooks of all time, updated for a new generation of home cooks. Few books have stood the test of time like the Betty Crocker Cookbook; none have kept up a...

  • Betty White - 2nd Edition synopsis, comments

    Betty White - 2nd Edition

    Ray Richmond

    This visual salute to the First Lady of Television spans Betty White’s more than 80year career as a performer and star of such legendary series as The Mary Tyler Moore Show an...

  • In On the Joke synopsis, comments

    In On the Joke

    Shawn Levy

    “A sensitive and vivid study of early female standups… [Levy is a] painstaking, knowledgeable guide.”  New York Times Book Review A hilarious and moving account of the tr...

  • Pimp synopsis, comments

    Pimp

    Iceberg Slim

    “[In Pimp], Iceberg Slim breaks down some of the coldest, capitalist concepts I’ve ever heard in my life.” Dave Chappelle, from his Nextflix special The Bird RevelationPimp sent sh...

  • Sam Harris Ingram v. Betty Ann White synopsis, comments

    Sam Harris Ingram v. Betty Ann White

    Supreme Court of Texas

    As a part of the divorce decree awarding the appellee a divorce on the statutory ground of three years separation, T.C.A. § 364101(12), the trial Judge divided the marital propert...

  • Here We Go Again synopsis, comments

    Here We Go Again

    Betty White

    A memoir of Betty White's first five decades on televisionas irreverent and irresistible as the beloved actress herselffilled “with inspiring cheerfulness” (The New York Times).Bet...

  • Betty White synopsis, comments

    Betty White

    Andrew E. Stoner

    Betty White: A Century of Love and Laughs looks back at one of America's most loved and most endearing stars. Look inside and roam Betty's roles from her snarky, unforgettable app...

  • Sisters in Captivity synopsis, comments

    Sisters in Captivity

    Colin Burgess

    The incredible account of Sister Betty Jeffrey OAM and the Australian war nurses who survived the bombing of evacuation ship SS Vyner Brooke in February 1942, and subsequently spen...

  • The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim synopsis, comments

    The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim

    Iceberg Slim

    Iceberg Slim described himself as “ill…from America’s fake façade of justice and democracy,” an illness that may have been a detriment, but evolved into the tales that serve as a c...

  • Betty Jo Deese v. White Belt Dairy Farms synopsis, comments

    Betty Jo Deese v. White Belt Dairy Farms

    Second District Court of Appeal of Florida

    Appellant Betty Jo Deese was plaintiff in a personal injury action wherein she obtained a verdict. She is aggrieved by an order of the trial court which granted judgment for the de...

  • Lady Bird and Lyndon synopsis, comments

    Lady Bird and Lyndon

    Betty Boyd Caroli

    This “smartly written…stunning” (The Boston Globe) portrait of Lady Bird as the essential strategist, fundraiser, barnstormer, and ballast for her husband Lyndon offers “a penetrat...

  • Together synopsis, comments

    Together

    Tom Sullivan & Betty White

    One misstep on a mountain climbing trip plunged Brenden into darkness by stealing his sightand everything else he held dear. But an independent guide dog named Nelson might just br...

  • Some of My Best Friends synopsis, comments

    Some of My Best Friends

    Tajja Isen

    A fearless, “funny, poignant, and supersmart” (Ms. magazine) essay collection about race, justice, and the limits of good intentions.In this “inspiring, determined work of personal...

  • Mama Black Widow synopsis, comments

    Mama Black Widow

    Iceberg Slim

    “Iceberg Slim breaks down some of the coldest, capitalist concepts I’ve ever heard in my life.” Dave Chappelle, from his Netflix special The Bird RevelationThe most gritty and real...

  • The Trouble with White Women synopsis, comments

    The Trouble with White Women

    Kyla Schuller & Brittney Cooper

    An incisive history of selfserving white feminists and the inspiring women who’ve continually defied themWomen including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Margaret Sanger, and Sheryl Sandber...