Betty White

Betty White Ludden , known professionally as Betty White, is an American actress, animal rights activist, author, comedian, radio host, singer, and television personality. Regarded as a pioneer of television, White was one of the first women to have control both in front of and behind the camera and is recognized as the first woman to produce a sitcom, which contributed to her receiving the honorary title as the Mayor of Hollywood in 1955.

White was born Betty Marion White in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 17, 1922. She has stated that her legal name is Betty and not a shortened version of Elizabeth. She is the only child of Christine Tess , a homemaker, and Horace Logan White , a lighting company executive. Her paternal grandfather was Danish and her maternal grandfather was Greek, with her other roots being English and Welsh . Whites family moved to Alhambra, California and later to Los Angeles, during the Great Depression. To make extra money, her father would build radios and sell them where ever he could. Since it was the height of the Depression, and hardly anyone had a sizable income, he would trade the radios in exchange for dogs.

Source: Wikipedia