ACTRESS, COMEDIAN, AUTHOR, HUMANITARIAN AND
TELEVISION ICON
BETTY WHITE
TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
AT THE 42ND ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY® AWARDS
To be Honored During the Live Television Broadcast
Airing Exclusively on Pop
Sunday, April 26 at 8:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. PDT
New York, NY – March 16, 2015 - The National Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences (NATAS) today announced that television icon, Betty White, will be
honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd Annual Daytime
Emmy® Awards broadcast on Sunday, April 26, 2015. The awards ceremony will
televised live on Pop at 8:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. PDT from the Warner Bros.
Studios in Burbank, CA.
“Betty White is an American institution,” said Bob Mauro, President, NATAS.
“Betty’s career as a female pioneer has followed television from literally the
beginning of the medium, winning her first Emmy Award in 1952, to the digitalstreaming future, winning again in 2010. She is one of the most beloved female
performers in the history of television and the National Academy is proud to be
honoring her with a most well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.”
“Betty White is the ‘First Lady of Game Shows,’” said Senior Vice President,
Daytime, David Michaels. “Betty was the darling of ‘Password, where she met
the love of her life, Allen Ludden, and a favorite on ‘Match Game,’ ‘The $25,000
Pyramid,’and countless others. She was the first woman to receive an Emmy
Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983 for the show, ‘Just Men.’ From
her iconic dramatic turn as Ann Douglas on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ to her
classic sitcom performances, to her movies and books, Betty is a woman who has
excelled in everything she has ever done. She is also one of the nicest women in
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show business and we are proud to be bestowing this honor on such an
exemplary role model for our entire industry.”
Ms. White will be joining an illustrious group of previous Lifetime Achievement
Honorees including, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Merv Griffin, Dick Clark,
Bob Barker, Phil Donahue, Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek and many others.
Betty White
Betty White has had a legendary career that has spanned more than 70 years.
Along with her seven Emmy Awards, she has created unforgettable roles in
television and film, authored eight books and won numerous awards, including
those for her lifelong work for animal welfare.
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
her 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. Betty also
won back-to-back Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by
a Female in a Comedy Series in 2011 and 2012. In addition, Betty won a 2015
People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Icon.
When she hosted NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 2010, it was one of the highestrated episodes in the show’s history, and earned her an Emmy Award for Guest
Actress in a Comedy Series.
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Betty 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.”
The most recent of her eight books include “If You Ask Me (And of Course You
Won’t”), released in May, 2011 which earned Betty a Grammy Award. “Betty &
Friends: My Life at the Zoo,” was released in November, 2011. Betty has also
been named the world’s Most Trusted Celebrity according Reuters for back to back
years.
White’s awards are numerous, and include the Career Achievement Award in
2009 from the Television Critics Association, a Lifetime Achievement Award by
the Jane Goodall Institute in 2009, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement
Award in 2010, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in Acting in 2010 from the
American Women in Radio and Television. She was voted AP Entertainer of the
Year in 2010, and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award in addition to
being inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2011.
A passionate supporter of animal health & welfare, White was recently named
Chairman of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, has served on the board
since 1974 and as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years. In 2006, White was
honored by the City of Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Zoo as “Ambassador to
the Animals” for her lifelong work for animal welfare. Betty also serves as
President Emeritus of Morris Animal Foundation and has been a trustee since
1971.
She was married for eighteen years to Allen Ludden, host of the game show
“Password,” until his death in 1981. Betty resides in California with her golden
retriever, Pontiac.
About The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a professional
service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of
television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and
technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in
television with the coveted Emmy® Award for News & Documentary, Sports,
Daytime Entertainment, Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment, Public &
Community Service, and Technology & Engineering. NATAS membership
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consists of over 13,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in 19
regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive
educational programs including Regional Student Television and its Student
Award for Excellence for outstanding journalistic work by high school students,
as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry
professionals and the viewing public. For more information, please visit the
website at www.emmyonline.tv
On The Web: http://emmyonline.org/
Daytime Emmys: https://www.facebook.com/DaytimeEmmyAwards
DAYTIME EMMYS Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaytimeEmmys
NATAS Press Contact:
Paul G. Pillitteri, SVP, Communications - ppillitteri@emmyonline.tv
NATAS PR LA /Social Media Contacts:
B. Harlan Boll - h.boll@dcpublicity.com 626-296-3757
Lisa England - lisa.england@dcpublicity.com
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