Betty White had more career success after World War II. As noted by We Are The Mighty, she turned to radio work for a while, which eventually led her to co-host the show Hollywood on Television (and later she became the sole host), where she earned her first Emmy nomination in 1951. Then, White was able to land the coveted job of her own TV show in the starring role and as the producer. According to PBS, she had total creative control over her show, Life with Elizabeth – both in front of the camera and behind it.

This was highly unusual for the 1950s as few women in Hollywood held such positions — making White one of the first female TV producers. While Life with Elizabeth only lasted a few seasons, the show was very popular, even at its cancellation (you can find the old episodes on YouTube).

Betty White has been married three times, according to Biography — she married her first husband, a World War II fighter pilot named Dick Barker when she was 23, but that marriage was quite brief. Her second marriage was to theatrical agent, Lane Allen. You would assume that when each half of a couple works in show business, there would be some understanding of and support for the other’s career. But White would find that was not the case with her second husband. According to Insider, Allen wanted White to quit show business and start having kids — that she would stay home and raise. Allen married a brilliant TV star but actually only wanted a regular housewife and traditional family. Fine for him, but that wasn’t who White was at all. White told Allen to forget it and quit the marriage instead. 

White said in an interview of her second marriage, “He [Allen] didn’t want me to be in show business. When you have a calling, you have to follow it, so I made the choice, blew the marriage, and I’ve never regretted it.”

After two divorces, White was sure that she wouldn’t marry again — but then she met TV personality and game show host Allen Ludden. White was initially hesitant as she was already a two-time divorcée, but she eventually realized that Ludden was the love of her life. They stayed married for 18 years until Ludden’s death — White always said her biggest regret was not marrying him sooner.

As Betty White once said, if she weren’t an actress, she would have liked to have been a zookeeper. She may have taken a different career route, but that hasn’t stopped White from using her star power to help animals. She has worked with the Morris Animal Foundation and the Los Angeles Zoo for more than four decades (she also served as a trustee of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, and she shows no signs of slowing down). 

According to Smithsonian Magazine, White strongly advocates for zoos and the important work they do for animals — educating the public and helping to preserve endangered species. In fact, as noted by Biography, one of the reasons she continues to act is so she can continue to further her causes for animals. “I have to keep acting so that I can afford to keep doing my charity work!” she said.

According to Insider, White has even admitted (in her biography, If You Ask Me) that she often prefers the company of animals rather than humans. “Animals don’t lie. Animals don’t criticize. If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do.”

But White ultimately feels that she’s been very lucky that she’s been able to fulfill and contribute to both her greatest passions in life — acting and animals. “I’m actually the luckiest old broad alive. Half my life is working in a profession I love and the other half is working with animals.”

Betty White was still a great success in her 80s, but what made her even more popular was actually a Snickers commercial that was broadcast during the 2010 Superbowl. This was the beginning of Snickers’ latest ad campaign, “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry.” According to Campaign Live, from 2007-2009, Snickers was falling behind other big-name global chocolate brands — it was losing market share. Snickers needed a fresh new ad campaign that would get people’s attention and stick in their minds. And that’s where White’s famous commercial came in.

For the Snickers Superbowl commercial, 88-year-old White acted the part of a tough football player — even getting tackled into the mud. White’s character eats a Snickers bar, and he’s back to being himself again. Abe Vigoda had a brief appearance at the end of the commercial, but everyone agrees that White was the real star. It was so strange, yet so hilarious — people of all ages loved the commercial and loved White. Not only was the Snickers campaign a success, but White’s commercial topped polls as the number one ad at the time. And people wanted more of her.

At 89, Betty White was set to guest star on the new TV Land show, Hot In Cleveland. It was a new sitcom about three older women from California who move to Cleveland and share a house together — very Golden Girls-ish. White was to play their elderly house caretaker. According to Closer Weekly, the plan was for White to do one episode only — that was exactly what she had requested. But White had to go and be her amazing self, and everyone adored her. Recognizing White’s impeccable comedic timing and her flawless chemistry with her co-stars, the producers begged her to become a regular cast member. Luckily for them, White had already fallen in love with the show, so she relented and agreed to stay on.

Hot In Cleveland lasted a total of six seasons, and White was there for all of them. When the show ended in 2015, White was 93 years old. In an interview with USA Today, when White was asked if she thought the show boosted her career, she responded, “I don’t know about it helping my career. It’s just that the public can’t get rid of me! But I love it that way.”