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From Grammy Award winner to comedy icon, a look back at the career of Betty White
The TV legend, activist, comedian and actress has had one of the longest careers in television history, transforming into a national treasure over the decades.
It’s a golden opportunity for one lucky fan of Betty White.
The living legend will turn 100 years young on January 17, 2022. In celebration of her milestone, Choice Mutual Insurance Agency wants to hire one person to watch 10 hours of her best work — if the person hasn’t already — and get paid $1,000.
The agency said applicants need to be 18 years or older and a U.S. resident.
Whoever gets the job will have 24 hours to watch 10 hours of pre-selected Betty White film and TV appearances and document the viewing on social media platforms.
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The deadline to apply is November 22. The winner will also get a DVD showcasing White’s work throughout the eight decades of her career.
White has had one of the longest careers in television history and has become a national treasure over the years. She is best known for her iconic roles in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls," both sitcoms which have been included on the list of the 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time by the Writers Guild of America.
Her work, always marked by top-drawer comedic timing, has earned her five Emmy Awards, including a 2010 trophy for a guest-host appearance on "Saturday Night Live."
White was born on Jan. 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois. She was the only child of Horace Logan White, an electrical engineer, and Christine Tess, a homemaker. When she was 2, White and her family moved to Alhambra, California and later to Los Angeles. She attended Beverly Hills High School, graduating in 1939. Before pursuing a career in acting, White had a passion for wildlife and the outdoors. She expressed in interviews throughout her career that she wanted to become a forest ranger but at the time women were not allowed in the profession. It wasn’t until 2010 that the United States Forest Service made her an honorary forest ranger.
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Before White’s career in television, she worked in theater, radio and as a model, but her aspirations of stardom were put on pause when World War II broke out. White hung up her ambitions and joined The American Women’s Voluntary Services driving PX trucks throughout Los Angeles delivering military supplies. She would also participate in song and dance shows for soldiers before they were sent overseas.
After the war, White started working in radio reading for commercials and doing whatever she could to get her foot in the door. She would eventually appear on several game shows as co-host with Al Jarvis on his television variety show "Hollywood on Television." White would eventually go on to host the show on her own. There she met the series' pianist George Tibbles, and together they formed their own production company, Bandy Productions. Taking from sketches previously written for "Hollywood on Television," White and Tibbles developed a 30-minute-long sitcom called "Life With Elizabeth." White received her first Emmy Award nomination for her work on the series, before going on to star in the series "Date with the Angels," a comedic portrayal of domestic life.
White was married to game show host and producer Allen Ludden from 1963 until his death in 1981.
Austin Williams and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.