The National Association of Broadcasters announced today that film and television star Betty White will be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame during a special breakfast at the 2012 NAB Show, on Tuesday, April 17 in Las Vegas. With a career that has spanned more than 60 years, the seven-time Emmy Award winner has created unforgettable roles in television and film, authored seven books and won numerous awards.
“Betty White is admired by generations of audiences,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “She has remarkable energy and an incredible ability to connect with viewers. Betty’s contributions to television and entertainment as a whole are extraordinary. Our Hall of Fame would be incomplete without her.”
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 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. White also won back-to-back Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Comedy Series in 2011 and 2012.
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, bringing White’s Emmy total to seven awards. White is also Executive Producer and Host of the NBC series Off Their Rockers, which is set to air April 4th.
In addition to charming sports fans with her role in the popular Snickers commercial shown during the 2010 Super Bowl, White has guest-starred on “Ally McBeal,” “That ’70s Show,” “Boston Legal,” and received Emmy nominations for guesting on both NBC’s “Community” and “The Middle.” She was also nominated for an Emmy as a guest actress on “Suddenly Susan.”
Her numerous television movies include “Chance of a Lifetime,” “Stealing Christmas,” “Annie’s Point” and “The Lost Valentine,” for which she received yet another Emmy nomination. White also 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.”
As previously announced, Garry Marshall, legendary Hollywood actor, director, writer and producer, will also be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame during the NAB Show Television Luncheon, sponsored by Wide Orbit, on Monday, April 16. This is the first time two individuals have been inducted for television into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Previous NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame television inductees include Bob Newhart, Bob Barker, NBC’s” Meet the Press,” Regis Philbin, “The Tonight Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” Ted Koppel, “M*A*S*H,” “60 Minutes,” “The Today Show” and “Star Trek,” among others.