Betty White, TV star and America’s girlfriend, over the years

White was born January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, and grew up in Los Angeles. (NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

She made some models and got a job in radio in the 1940s. (Getty Images)

It ended up hosting a variety show on TV. In 1950, she was nominated for her first Emmy. (ABC Photo Archives / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

After appearing as the title character in the 1952-55 television show “Life With Elizabeth,” White continued to appear in a number of talk and game shows in the 1950s and 60s. (NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

In 1973, she landed the first part that brought her national recognition: Sue Ann Nivens, the snarky, sweet-as-cake-sticks-you-in-the-back-happy homemaker on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” a role that brought her back to back Emmys. (CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images)

White’s next signature part, Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls,” was almost the opposite of Sue Ann. (ABC Photo Archives / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

White appeared as a guest star on a number of TV shows, in the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” in the 2009 film “The Proposal” and a 2010 Super Bowl ad for Snickers before appearing in “Hot in” Cleveland ” later that year. (Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)

White was also known for his affinity for animals. The actress was an active supporter of a number of animal organizations and zoos. (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)

White was married three times: in 1945 to Army pilot Dick Barker, from 1947-49 to Hollywood agent Lane Allen, and to “Password” host Allen Ludden from 1963 until his death in 1981. Ludden and White are pictured here. (ABC Photo Archives / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Throughout his great career, White was honored with eight Emmys. She also received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. (Reuters)