The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today
announced that television icon, Betty White, will be honored with the
Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards
broadcast on Sunday, April 26, 2015. The awards ceremony will be
televised live on Pop at 8:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. PDT from the Warner
Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA.
“Betty White is an American institution,” said Bob Mauro, President,
NATAS. “Betty’s career as a female pioneer has followed television from
literally the beginning of the medium, winning her first Emmy Award in
1952, to the digital-streaming future, winning again in 2010. She is one
of the most beloved female performers in the history of television and
the National Academy is proud to be honoring her with a most
well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.”
“Betty White is the ‘First Lady of Game Shows,’” said Senior Vice
President, Daytime, David Michaels. “Betty was the darling of ‘Password,
where she met the love of her life, Allen Ludden, and a favorite on
‘Match Game,’ ‘The $25,000 Pyramid,’ and countless others. She was the
first woman to receive an Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in
1983 for the show, ‘Just Men.’ From her iconic dramatic turn as Ann
Douglas on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ to her classic sitcom
performances, to her movies and books, Betty is a woman who has excelled
in everything she has ever done. She is also one of the nicest women in
show business and we are proud to be bestowing this honor on such an
exemplary role model for our entire industry.”
Ms. White will be joining an illustrious group of previous Lifetime
Achievement Honorees including, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Merv
Griffin, Dick Clark, Bob Barker, Phil Donahue, Regis Philbin, Alex
Trebek and many others.
Betty White
Betty White has had a legendary career that has spanned more than 70
years. Along with her seven Emmy Awards, she has created unforgettable
roles in television and film, authored eight books and won numerous
awards, including those for her lifelong work for animal welfare.
White’s first comedy series, “Life with Elizabeth,” brought her first
Emmy Award in 1952, followed by a daily NBC talk/variety show called
“The Betty White Show.” She was a recurring regular with over 70
appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jack Paar,” and appeared on “The
Merv Griffin Show” and “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” She also
subbed as host on all three talk shows. White was a regular with Vicki
Lawrence on “Mama’s Family,” as her sister Ellen, a role she created
with the rest of the company on “The Carol Burnett Show.”
Her recurring role as “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens in the classic
series “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” brought two Emmys for Best Supporting
Actress in 1974-75 and 1975-76. She received her fourth Emmy for Best
Daytime Game Show Host for “Just Men.” Nominated seven times for Best
Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Rose Nylund in “The Golden
Girls,” White won the Emmy the first season in 1985, and later appeared
in the spin-off “The Golden Palace” for one season. She earned her next
Emmy Award as Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series on “The John
Larroquette Show.”
White was nominated for an Emmy in 2011 for her portrayal of “Elka,” the
snarky but lovable caretaker on the TV Land series “Hot in Cleveland,”
in which she stars alongside Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie
Malick. Betty also won back-to-back Screen Actors Guild Awards for
Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Comedy Series in 2011 and 2012.
In addition, Betty won a 2015 People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Icon.
When she hosted NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 2010, it was one of the
highest-rated episodes in the show’s history, and earned her an Emmy
Award for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Betty hosted the New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses Parade for 20 years,
and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 10 years. Her big-screen
credits include the Warner Brothers hit “The Proposal,” with Sandra
Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, as well as “You Again,” “Bringing Down the
House,” “The Story of Us,” “Lake Placid” and “Hard Rain.”
The most recent of her eight books include “If You Ask Me (And of Course
You Won’t”), released in May 2011 which earned Betty a Grammy Award.
“Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo,” was released in November 2011.
Betty has also been named the world’s Most Trusted Celebrity
according Reuters for back-to-back years.
White’s awards are numerous, and include the Career Achievement Award in
2009 from the Television Critics Association, a Lifetime Achievement
Award by the Jane Goodall Institute in 2009, the Screen Actors Guild
Life Achievement Award in 2010, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in
Acting in 2010 from the American Women in Radio and Television. She was
voted AP Entertainer of the Year in 2010, and was given the Lifetime
Achievement Award in addition to being inducted into the Broadcasting
and Cable Hall of Fame in 2011.
A passionate supporter of animal health & welfare, White was recently
named Chairman of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, has served on
the board since 1974 and as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years. In 2006,
White was honored by the City of Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Zoo as
“Ambassador to the Animals” for her lifelong work for animal welfare.
Betty also serves as President Emeritus of Morris Animal Foundation and
has been a trustee since 1971.
She was married for eighteen years to Allen Ludden, host of the game
show “Password,” until his death in 1981. Betty resides in California
with her golden retriever, Pontiac.
About The National Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a
professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the
arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership
for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the
television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the
coveted Emmy® Award for News & Documentary, Sports,
Daytime Entertainment, Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment, Public &
Community Service, and Technology & Engineering. NATAS membership
consists of over 13,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in
19 regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has
extensive educational programs including Regional Student Television and
its Student Award for Excellence for outstanding journalistic work by
high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major
activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public. For
more information, please visit the website at www.emmyonline.tv
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