Betty White, who set the record for the longest television career in history, spanning eight decades, died Friday at the age of 99.
White, born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Her first media appearance was a guest call to a radio show in 1930. She began modeling and acting after graduating high school, but she put her career on hold to serve in the American Women’s Voluntary Services during World War II.
After the war, she began appearing on television, where she would be a regular fixture for decades. Notably, in 1954, when The Betty White Show received criticism for the inclusion of black tap dance performer Arthur Duncan, White defended his appearance on the show and even expanded his role.
White was the last surviving main cast member of two notable shows, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. She was also the oldest main cast member of both shows, with all her younger castmates predeceasing her.
White would have celebrated her 100th birthday on January 17. A cinema event celebrating her birthday and documenting her career had been planned to mark the occasion; the filmmaker who created the documentary confirmed that it will still be shown in theaters on the 17th.
