At 99 Years Old Betty White Lives In A Luxurious California Mansion

May 14, 2021

Betty White is one of the remaining legendary actors from the golden age of television. She is the queen of sitcoms and has been working in show business since 1939. She is best known for her roles in the hit sitcoms, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland.” With her career spanning over 80 years, White has been recognized by the “Guiness Book of World Records” for having the longest running career in the film and television industry.

White has received eight Emmy awards in multiple categories. She has also won three American Comedy awards, three Screen Actor Guild awards and one Grammy. In 1985 she was inducted to the Television Hall of Fame and even has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. White’s accomplishments in her field really can’t be understated.

Outside of acting, White has dedicated her life to advocating for animal health and welfare. She is a devoted pet enthusiast and has three dogs of her own. White has worked with a number of animal organizations including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, Actors and Others for Animals, African Wildlife Foundation and The Morris Animal Foundation.    

White married television personality, Allen Ludden, in 1963. The couple met when White was a contestant on Ludden’s game show “Password” in 1961. They were together for 20 years, until Ludden’s sudden death from cancer in 1981. That was the same year White moved into her mansion home, which was completed only three days before Ludden’s passing. Read on to find out more about White and her gorgeous estate. 

Betty White was born on January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois. Her parents were Christine Tess and Horace Logan White; she was their only child. Her father was a lighting company executive and her mother was a homemaker. The family moved to the Los Angeles area in 1923 when White was a little over a year old. To make extra money during the Great Depression, her father would make and sell radios.

White graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1939, where she showed an interest in writing. Later, she would discover her love for performing after writing and playing the lead in a graduation play at Horace Mann School. Initially, she dreamed of becoming a forest ranger after her many family vacations spent in Sierra, Nevada. Unfortunately women were not allowed to be forest rangers at that time, so she shifted her goals and pursued acting instead. 

White’s legendary television career began in 1939, right after she graduated from high school, when she sang songs for an experimental TV show. She then went on to get her first professional role in the Bliss Hayden Little Theater which is now known as the Beverly Hills Playhouse. 

White’s career was put on hold during World War II when she served in the American Women’s Voluntary Services. Her work included transporting military supplies throughout California. She also participated in events designed to entertain the troops before they left on deployment. 

After the war, work was hard to find so White pursued jobs in the world of radio. She used to read for commercials and had some small roles playing bit characters. She also would make some of the crowd sound effects for various radio shows. Later, she would appear on such shows as “Blondie” and “The Great Gildersleeve.” 

In 1949, White appeared as the co-host on the television series “Hollywood on Television.” By 1952, she was the main host of the show following the departure of Al Jarvis. In 1951 she was nominated for Best Actress at the Emmy Awards. This was the first category made to include women in the television industry. She would win the award the following year for playing the title role in the show “Life with Elizabeth.” 

White spoke with Female Magazine in 2009 about her career. She said, “I've been so blessed with luck, and with the wonderful people that I've worked with. And one thing kind of led to another, down the years. I never take it for granted, and I never fail to appreciate it.” White responds with extreme gratitude and humility whenever asked about her enduring career. 

In 1954, White hosted and produced her own variety show called “The Betty White Show” on NBC. She had creative control over the series, making her one of the first women to succeed both in front of and behind the camera. At the time, she faced criticism for including African-American actor Arthur Duncan in the series, and refused to remove him from the show despite a loss in ratings.  

By the 1960s, White had made many appearances on television game shows. She met her husband, Ludden, on the set of the show “Password,” which she made appearances on from 1961 until 1975. Other game shows she was a regular on include “What’s My Line,” “To Tell the Truth,” “Match Game” and “Pyramid.” 

One of White’s most famous roles came in 1973, when she played Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” She came in during the show’s fourth season and impressed audiences with her comedic timing and ability to portray a character so different from her real personality. She won the Emmy Award for Best Actress twice for the role. 

White and Mary Tyler Moore were actually close friends off screen as well. “Benefit of hindsight with Mary, because the first year, Mary and her then-husband Grant Tinker, and my husband, Allen Ludden, and I, we were best friends. And in fact, when Allen and I first got together, Grant and Mary were the first people he took me to meet,” White told Female Magazine. 

White continued, explaining that she and Ludden were fans of the show prior to her appearance. “I didn't come into The Mary Tyler Moore show 'til year four. But the first year that they went on the air, we were so excited for them. We'd go to every rehearsal, and we'd go to every show,” she said.

White’s second signature role came in 1985 with her portrayal of Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls.” The show, and especially White’s role, are still beloved to this day. White got the chance to describe Rose in her own words to Today in 1987. “Now, Rose isn't slow-witted; she just marches to a different drum, that's all. Rose believes anything anybody tells her and she takes each word at its surface meaning; she never looks for the overall meaning. And sometimes she backs into unfortunate situations," she explained. 

The series, which aired until 1992,  also starred Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan. In the same interview White said about her co-stars, "We are having so much fun, there should be a law against it. We work well together, because everybody's very professional, but off-camera, we adore each other. And it's a privilege to go to work." 

After “The Golden Girls” ended, White went on to guest star on a number of television series. She had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera, “The Bold and the Beautiful” appearing in 22 episodes as the character Ann Douglas. She also made guest appearances on the show “Boston Legal” from 2005 to 2008, portraying the role of Catherine Piper. 

In 2009, White was featured in the film “The Proposal” starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. She portrayed the role of grandma Annie, showing audiences that she could still hold her own in a comedic setting. White, who was in her 80s at the time, knocked it out of the park and the film benefited from her performance. From 2010 to 2015, White had a recurring role on the show “Hot in Cleveland” in which she portrayed the role of the house caretaker, Elka Ostrovsky. 

White’s latest role came in 2019, voicing a character in the animated Pixar film “Toy Story 4.” Her character was modeled after herself and called Bitey White, who was a toy tiger. White commented about the role to USA Today. She said that, "It was wonderful the way they incorporated our names into the characters ... And I'm a sucker for animals, so the tiger was perfect!” 

After turning 99, many news and media outlets asked White what her secret to longevity is.  "I am blessed with good health," she said simply to People Magazine, "so turning 99 is no different than turning 98." White’s happy outlook on life is nothing new. She has maintained her sunny disposition throughout her long life. 

After People asked her what keeps her going during tough times she answered, "A sense of humor. Don't take yourself too seriously. You can lie to others — not that I would — but you cannot lie to yourself." She added, "Just looking at the positive side and not dwelling on the downside. Takes up too much energy being negative. Also having a good agent who keeps me busy all the time." 

White spoke with ABC news about her perspective on life now that she’s growing older. "It's your outlook on life that counts," White said. She added, "If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives." 

White was married twice before Ludden, but the relationships were short and ended before their second year. She married Ludden in 1963 and felt that he was the love of her life. "Once you've had the best, who needs the rest?" she said to Daily Mail in 2011. "I made two mistakes before Allen, but the love of your life doesn't come along in every life, so I am very grateful that I found him," she added. 

After her husband passed in 1981, White devoted most of her free time to her work with animals. “Well, I'm the luckiest old broad on two feet, because my life is divided in exact halves. Half my animal work, half my show business work. I have to stay in show business to pay for my animal work,” she told Female. 

When asked in the same interview what she would like to be remembered for White responded, “For making a difference in the animal world, I think and for encouraging kindness, not only to animals, but also to each other.” White has written multiple books on animal welfare. 

White lives in Carmel Meadows, which is part of the wealthy community of Carmel Highlands. The community is located in a secluded and unincorporated part of Monterey County, California. The area is known for its rugged and hilly terrain as well as its jaw-dropping views of the ocean. White is in good company, as the neighborhood is also home to Clint Eastwood and Sammy Hagar, according to Mansion Global. 

The homes in that area cost around  $2.5 million, so we can assume White's home also falls into that range. In a house tour she gave on YouTube, we can see that the interior of the house has very quaint and cozy decor. 

Her kitchen is white with all new appliances, and in her fridge you can find one of the actress’s favorite foods, hot dogs. The furniture in the living room looks antique, and there is a large fish tank as well –– no surprise for the animal lover. There are delicate floral prints all over the space and it suits White’s personality very well. Her bedroom features yellows and a four-poster bed. 

The area looks very green and lush, so it is safe to say that White probably has a nice backyard for her beloved dogs. There also seems to be plenty of privacy, which explains why the community is home to the rich and famous. White has lived there since she had the home built in 1981. She will turn 100 years old in 2022.

White has had an incredibly long and successful career in film and television, setting records and solidifying herself as one of the best actresses of all time. Did you ever watch her on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Golden Girls” or any of her other shows? What do you think of White living to be almost 100 years old? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to your friends and family.