Well, it’s about time. Betty White, who’s made her mark on everything from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to The Golden Girls to The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson to My Name is Earl, is getting a lifetime achievement award.
The Screen Actors Guild will honour her at that 16th annual SAG Awards on Jan. 23, reports Variety.
"Whether creating some of television's most indelible characters, plunging into film roles with joyous gusto or perfecting the art of the quip as a television panelist and host, Betty White has entertained audiences with her impeccable comic timing and remarkable wit for more than 60 years," said SAG president Alan Rosenberg.
"Her lifelong devotion to the welfare of animals, manifest in her work as an author, producer and philanthropist, is further evidence of her tremendous humanity and meaningful contributions in so many important areas."
White, 87, has already racked up six Emmys and 18 nominations. She started out in 1949, when she joined the KLAC-TV variety show Hollywood on Television and eventually became its host.
On Moore, White played Sue Ann Nivens (a.k.a. "The Happy Homemaker") while she played naïve Rose Nylund on Golden Girls. She’s also appeared on series including Mama’s Family, That ‘70s Show and The Bold and the Beautiful. Her big-screen credits include Lake Placid and The Proposal.
Her feigned In addition to being a regular on late-night talk shows hosted by Jack Paar, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson, she also became a game show staple, popping up on Match Game, To Tell the Truth, I've Got a Secret, Liar's Club and Password. (She married the latter’s host, Allen Ludden.)
Her feigned naivety and razor-sharp humour – and in her later years, dotty senior citizen persona – have made her beloved in the industry and among fans.
In 1952, she formed Bandy Prods. and created the comedy Life With Elizabeth (which garnered her an Emmy) and later produced and hosted The Betty White Show.
melissa@tvguide.ca
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