Actress Betty White 89 and Still Going Strong

Actress Betty White, who celebrated her 89th birthday on January 18, 2011, has been on television since the early days of black and white TV. The actress was on live television, back when that was the only kind of television, before the technology to film in advance was developed. White has been on television for over 63 years. and shows no signs of stopping.

White never went anywhere, so it is not that she has enjoyed a comeback, but rather a renaissance of her career. A whole new generation of fans seems to have discovered the comedic delights of the petite blond with the twinkling blue eyes and a razor sharp sense of comic timing.

Betty White received an Emmy in August 2010 for her stint at a guest host of "Saturday Night Live", which brought the long running NBC live comedy show record ratings. White was signed for the SNL gig after a Facebook campaign calling for the comedian to appear as guest host. The Emmy win for SNL was White's fifth Emmy.

White was seen on the award show circuit last year along with Sandra Bullock. Betty White appeared in the 2009 movie 'The Proposal' with Sandra Bullock Betty White appeared on television with her husband of 18 years, Allen Ludden,, who passed away in 1981.

White talked about her love for her late husband in a press statement about her new Hallmark Hall of Fame movie '"The Lost Valentine." White stated "My beloved Allen Ludden and I had a very special love, as do Neil and Caroline."

In 'The Lost Valentine,' Betty White stars as Caroline, a war widow, who last saw her husband in a train station on Valentine's Day, as he was leaving to battle in World War II. Jennifer Love Hewitt stars as a reporter who visits the widow 60 years later and falls in love with her grandson. The Lost Valentine stars Betty White and Jennifer Love Hewitt

Betty White is also starring in the TVLand comedy 'Hot in Cleveland,' which also stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick. White portrays Elka, the elderly caretaker of the Cleveland house that the ladies from Los Angeles rent when they discover that the men of Cleveland still find them attractive, unlike the men in LA. "Hot in Cleveland" debuted its second season on January 19, 2011.

White starred in two very successful television comedies of the 1970s and 1980s. On "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1973-1978) , Betty White portrayed the sexpot cooking show host Sue Ann Nivens. On "Golden Girls" (1985-1992) White portrayed naive Rose Nylund. White is the only surviving cast member of "Golden Girls.: Her co-stars on the comedy about older women sharing a Florida house were Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan.

Betty White's recent credits include appearances in the soap opera 'The Bold and the Beautiful' and 'Boston Legal,'

In her personal life, Betty White is a well known champion of animals. The actress has been active in a number of animal rights organizations. White has not remarried since the death of Allen Ludden in 1981.

Betty White has lived the history of television since the early days of the medium. The celebrity has starred in live talk shows, game shows, situation comedies and movies. White has become a precious icon for fans of television and growing older gracefully.