Betty White: America’s Favorite TV Actor with Record-Breaking 73-Year Career

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Betty White, known for her iconic roles in shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, is a true legend of American television. Even four years after her passing at age 99, she continues to be the most beloved TV actor in the United States, according to recent polls.

Betty White was already a well-known television actress when she found enduring fame as Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls in 1985. Before that, she’d starred in and even produced the 1950s sitcoms Life with Elizabeth and Date with the Angels, and had a memorable role as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Best known for her role on The Golden Girls, Betty White also starred in the sitcom Mama’s Family alongside Vicki Lawrence throughout the 1980s – a show that started as a spin-off of The Carol Burnett Show. She later gained a new following with the more recent series Hot in Cleveland. While she also had a successful film career, television was where she truly shined.

Betty White Is America’s Favorite TV Actor According To Polls

According to the latest YouGov poll results from late 2025, Betty White is the most well-known and liked TV actor in the United States. Danny DeVito, known for his roles in Taxi and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, is her closest competitor in terms of popularity among TV actors.

It’s no surprise that Betty White was so beloved – with an impressive 80% popularity rating, she truly was one of a kind. After becoming a star on the classic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and continuing to shine throughout the 1980s, she firmly established herself as a television legend.

Even today, The Golden Girls is incredibly popular, and it’s easy to see why. Betty White’s work with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty changed how older women were portrayed on television. By the end of the show’s seven-season run in 1992, White and Arthur had become beloved figures across the country.

White Made Her TV Debut 77 Years Ago

Betty White’s television career remains unmatched, even compared to other legends like Arthur. She began on TV in 1949, hosting Hollywood on Television for KLAC-TV. Because of her talent, the show quickly grew beyond just talk and included funny skits, eventually leading to her own program, The Betty White Show.

I was always so impressed by her early TV appearances – those comedy sketches were brilliant! They really paved the way for Life with Elizabeth, which she not only starred in, but also co-created and produced. It’s amazing to think she was a true pioneer, the first woman to really take the lead creatively and as a producer on a TV series. She was so ahead of her time!

Her TV Career Spanned A World-Record 73 Years

Betty White’s last acting part was as Bitey White in the 2019 film Toy Story 4, but she continued working on television until her death in December 2021. Just about ten days before she passed away, she filmed an interview looking back on her career. This interview aired on January 17, 2022, which would have been her 100th birthday.

Her last television role marked an incredible 73-year career – a record no other performer has ever matched. She actually set the world record during her 64th year on TV, while working on the show Hot in Cleveland in 2013, when she was 91 years old.

As a lifelong movie and TV fan, I can honestly say Betty White’s career was something truly special. She worked for so many years, and it wasn’t just luck – she was incredibly talented as a comedian and actress, and she just never stopped working! Her warm and funny personality always shone through on screen, and I think her record for a career spanning so many decades will be incredibly hard, if not impossible, for anyone to ever beat. She was a true icon.

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2026-02-21 14:48