Betty White holds the world’s record for her television career that spanned eight decades. She is also one of Beverly Hills’ most beloved alumni. It was at Horace Mann Elementary School that she first discovered her interest in performing after writing and playing the lead in the graduation play in 1935. Four years later she was voted “Best Looking” in the 1939 Beverly High yearbook. Betty would eventually win eight Emmy Awards and be forever remembered as Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1973 1977), Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls” (1985 1992), and Elka Ostrovsky on “Hot in Cleveland” (2010 2015). She is also noted for being one of the first women to create and produce a sitcom, “Life with Elizabeth,” based on a character she played on early live TV. In 1951, Betty earned her first Emmy nomination in the newly created best actress category.
At the Beverly Hills Centennial Celebration in 2014, Betty sang the Beverly Hills High School Fight Song from memory. Happy Birthday to our homegrown national treasure who passed away on Dec. 31 at the age of 99.
To discover more about our local heroes, visit BeverlyHillsHistoricalSociety.org for videos, pictures, walking tours, and free access to the 408-page, lavishly illustrated book “Beverly Hills: The First 100 Years.” To watch Betty sing the Fight song, go to https://vimeo.com/662052121.
