Remembering Betty White: Inside Her Life as a TV Icon

it truly is a sad day in hollywood as we remember a star who brought us so much joy the remarkable betty white her career spanned 80 years she had a hit tv show at the age of 93. you know betty has been a part of our lives for so long it really is hard that we now have to say goodbye you don't think of accomplishing things but you also subconsciously you work for the things you really believe in that was september 2017 our final et sit down with betty who was 95 years young at the time what is the secret to your longevity blessed with good health really good health i love a cocktail i love i love peanut butter and jelly and stuff but i don't abuse the things that that i know if if you're blessed with this good health you should take advantage of it this is one of the icons last public appearances she was all smiles running errands the day before her 98th birthday betty continued working doing mostly voice over work she maintained her sassy and irreverent sense of humor i mean remember this dab it remains one of the best gifts ever are you ever going to retire no of course not i don't think so what you are the most remarkable woman in the business who no i'm the luckiest old brother in the business when you figure i'm still working at this age you are a woman who loves to work what is it that makes you want to come to work every single day oh i just love i'm so lucky to be in this business i never take it for granted at my age i should have been thrown out a long time ago but i uh i love to work you work with the nicest people in the world and they take such good care of you i want to offer you a traditional scandinavian wedding blessing deflector fluffing flapping person the golden girl's life secret she said see the funny side not the downside i get bored with people that complain it's such a waste of time and as for how she's viewed death it was actually quite beautiful it's lovely to think there is something we don't know and as as a human race we have learned so much and we've gained so much knowledge but that's something nobody knows what happens afterwards it's a secret let's go back to betty's comedy career because as we've seen she's been part of some game-changing sitcoms but she credits the mary tyler moore show for helping her get her groove back nobody misses a vain selfish egotistical middle-aged true of course we do sure turned my career around because if that character hadn't been written usually the the star's friend was somebody on her side where suanne came in you know and just caused a little habit being fired is like being violated leave it to murray to find a bright spot suanne nivens the happy man hungry homemaker didn't appear until the fourth season of the show betty was only hired for a one-time guest spot at the suggestion of her close personal friend mary tyler moore that must be lars mark mylar he offered to take me home wasn't that nice of him but betty's sharp comedic timing and skillful delivery of saucy one-liners impressed producers enough to bring her back oh mary really if i had a date would i be coming to your party and while she only appeared in 45 of the 168 episodes of the classic 70s sitcom betty turned suan into one of tv's most memorable characters suan became sort of an entity you know it was oh it was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me reuniting for a cbs special in 1991 it was easy to see betty and her co-stars were bonded for life it is heaven i tell you we all walked into the makeup trailer together and the the sides bulged we haven't stopped talking since it's just i cannot tell you the thrill it is to be back together but the true legacy of the show and betty was the groundbreaking portrayal of working women something betty was immensely proud of it was the first time that it was all right for a lady over 30 single uh to be in business and independent for herself that seems like a formula now but that it hadn't been done before betty was breaking barriers throughout her career winning over a new generation of fans well into her 80s we love you we love you i love you i'm here tonight because you wanted me to be in 2010 at the age of 88 betty became the oldest person ever to host snl she got the gig after fans campaigned for her on facebook i didn't know what facebook was and now that i do know what it is i have to say it sounds like a huge waste of time when the whole thing came about i said thank you so much but no i can't and my agent said yes you will you have to do that it was the scariest thing i've ever done but it was a lovely challenge i'm betty freaking white and this is jay-z i'm the bodyguard i can brag to all my friends who think i'm you know over the hill well i did a sketch with jay-z feisty fearless and forever young at heart betty was always ready to take on a new challenge like this tv land ugly betty spoof they came and took a mold in my mouth and now i've got braces i hope they come off if you must know it feels terrible i've been in this silly this lovely business for 62 years and they haven't caught on to me yet they will any minute and i've been abusing the privilege lately but as long as they keep asking i keep saying okay she even signed on to do a sitcom hot in cleveland with valerie bertinelli in 2010. when the show wrapped in 2015 betty was 93. so what are you like a hundred i don't like you i've been around so long kevin but it's all of a sudden things kind of exploded and i'm just riding the wave and having a wonderful time i screwed up a line right but that wasn't one line betty loved a good martini just as much as she loved acting and not just on tv betty made her mark in movies too alongside a-listers like kristen bell in you again so grandma is there anything i can help you with oh dear and ryan reynolds and sandra bullock in the proposal proving you're never too old to be sassy let's see if we can find your boobs they're in there somewhere you know what i love we go out to dinner she pulls up in her caddy she pulls up they've got her table ms white right here you know everyone sort of bows to miss white they sit her down they give her her drink they know what she likes and she just commands the room it's our last day of shooting on the proposal she's walking out the door and the crew is just giving her this insane standing ovation and she sort of raises her hand and she's the best exit i've ever seen for any entertainer she was like this is the most fun i've ever had and they all went oh and she went standing up and then walked out of the room and it just was the best it was like she invented the mic drop betty's second act redefined aging in hollywood and secured her status as a beloved icon so it's no surprise when her 98th birthday came around everyone wanted to send her their heartfelt well wishes happy birthday dear baby happy birthday betty white i love you you're such an inspiration for all of us i got to present at the emmys with betty white did you really and i had to do a quick change in like a little curtained off area she was standing right next to me how about our sexual chemistry back in that quick change room betty i hope you enjoyed that and happy birthday what advice would you have for people that want to have not just a career in hollywood but a long and happy career in hollywood don't take yourself too seriously you know keep keep your eye on the other guy and try to fit in with there don't think it's all about you because it isn't

Channel: Entertainment Tonight

Views: 210,028

Keywords: Betty White, Golden Girls, Obituaries

Id: bnJ85lm0K24

Length: 8min 52sec (532 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 01 2022