© Getty Images

Betty was her full name -

Betty Marion White was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 17, 1922. It turns out Betty isn't short for Elizabeth!

© Getty Images

Started her career at around 17 years old -

White's career as an entertainer began in 1939 when she and a classmate danced and sang songs from 'The Merry Widow' live on TV, just a few months after graduating high school.

© Getty Images

The war put her ambitions on pause -

When World War II broke out, White decided to volunteer for the American Women's Voluntary Services and put her career on hold.

© Getty Images

She faced rejection early on -

After the war, White sought work at movie studios but was rejected because she was “not photogenic,” according to Cary O'Dell's in his book 'Women pioneers in television.'

© Getty Images

So, she turned to radio -

Instead, White took various radio jobs, playing bit parts or reading commercials, until she was offered her own radio show, 'The Betty White Show.'

© Getty Images

Finally her TV break -

In 1949, she began co-hosting with Al Jarvis on his daily live television variety show 'Hollywood on Television.'

© Getty Images

She inherited the show -

When Al Jarvis left the show in 1962, White began hosting solo, and did so for about five hours a day, six days a week, for four consecutive years.

© Getty Images

She co-founded a production company -

White co-founded Bandy Productions with writer George Tibbles and producer Don Fedderson. Together they created 'Life with Elizabeth,' of which White was the star and which was nationally syndicated from 1952-1955.

© Getty Images

'Life with Elizabeth' -

The show won White her first Emmy, and it was her first success as both an actress and producer. At the time, she was one of the only female producers in Hollywood, then a woman in her late twenties who still lived with her parents!

© Getty Images

“Pioneer of television” -

White was dubbed so because she was one of the first women to exert power in front of and behind the camera, and she was also the first woman to produce a sitcom.

© Getty Images

Her second eponymous show -

In 1954, she hosted and produced her own daily talk/variety show, 'The Betty White Show,' on NBC, marking her second (and not her last) show to feature that title. She had creative control and hired a female director.

© Getty Images

Standing up for racial equality - The show faced criticism, particularly when it expanded nationally, for the inclusion of Arthur Duncan, an African-American performer, as a regular cast member. In response to Southern stations' threats to boycott the show, White famously said, "I'm sorry. Live with it," and gave Duncan more airtime.

© Getty Images

She was voted Mayor of Hollywood -

The Mayor of Hollywood was an honorary position in Hollywood appointed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. White earned the honor in 1955.

© Getty Images

Dubbed “the First Lady of Game Shows” -

Over the years, White made a name for herself appearing on the panels of game shows, including 'Password,' 'Match Game,' 'Tattletales,' 'The Hollywood Squares,' and 'The $25,000 Pyramid.'

© Getty Images

First film role - In 1962, White made her film debut as Kansas Senator Elizabeth Adams in 'Advise & Consent,' but though it was well-received it would be her last film stint for years.

© Getty Images

Longtime Rose Parade host -

Through the 1950s and 1960s, White had a 19-year streak as a host and commentator on the annual Rose Parade broadcast on NBC.

© Getty Images

'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' (1973-1977) -

Betty White's TV high point was during the '70s, when she joined 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' in its fourth season as Sue Ann Nivens.

© Getty Images

Collecting more Emmys -

Her role on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' earned her two more Emmys.

© Getty Images

Back to parade hosting -

The Rose Parade took White off as host because 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' was on a rival network, but White later started a 10-year run as host of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for CBS.

© Getty Images

Her third eponymous show -

In 1977, the actress was offered her own sitcom: 'The Betty White Show.' Unfortunately, it only ran for 14 episodes before it was canceled.

© Getty Images

More glass ceiling moments -

In the '80s, White became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host, for her work on NBC's 'Just Men!'

© Getty Images

'The Golden Girls' (1985-1992) -

In 1985, White scored her second iconic role and perhaps her best-known character ever: Rose Nylund on 'The Golden Girls.'

© Getty Images

'The Golden Girls' (1985-1992) -

The series, which chronicled the lives of four widowed or divorced women in their "golden years" in Miami, was immensely successful. White won one Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for the first season, and she was nominated in that category every year of the show's run.

© Getty Images

Spin-offs, one-offs -

White, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan reprised their roles for the spin-off 'The Golden Palace,' which only ran one season, though White took Rose's character onto other shows like 'Empty Nest' and 'Nurses' as guest appearances.

© Getty Images

A lot of guest appearances -

Everyone wanted White on their show, and she guest-starred on a number of them like 'Suddenly Susan,' 'The Practice,' and 'Yes, Dear,' where she received Emmy nominations for her appearances. She also won an Emmy in 1996 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, for appearing on 'The John Larroquette Show.'

© Getty Images

Soaps and comedy-dramas -

In the 2000s, White joined the soap opera 'The Bold and the Beautiful' as the long-lost mother of the show's matriarch, and she would also begin a recurring role on ABC's 'Boston Legal' as a character she originally played as a guest star on 'The Practice.'

© Getty Images

The oldest person to host 'SNL' -

After her popular appearance in a Snickers ad, a Facebook campaign called “Betty White to Host SNL (Please)" began in 2010, with nearly 500,000 members. Later that year she became, at age 88, the oldest person to host the show. Her appearance earned her a seventh Emmy.

© Getty Images

'Hot in Cleveland' (2010-2015) -

Also at age 88, White took on the role of Elka Ostrovsky, the feisty house caretaker on TV Land's sitcom 'Hot in Cleveland.'

© Getty Images

Guinness World Record -

White still currently holds the Guinness World Record for Longest TV Career for a Female Entertainer, though her record beats the male category as well.

© Getty Images

Busy in her later years -

An often overlooked project of White's was a syndicated show in the '70s called 'The Pet Set,' which tapped into her lifelong love of animals. It spotlighted stars like Carol Burnett, Mary Tyler Moore, Doris Day, James Stewart, Burt Reynolds, and more, along with their pets and other animals. It was produced by White's late husband, Allen Ludden, and White recently had been working on getting it re-released on streaming platforms to commemorate the show's 50th anniversary.

See also: Celebs and their exotic pets

© Getty Images