The Way Things Turn: Betty White - Platinum Career, Heart of Gold

Betty enjoying the 90th birthday celebration and tribute.

Actress and comedian Betty White just celebrated her 90th birthday and she has never been a hotter commodity. From films to variety shows to sitcoms to gameshows, Betty has done it all in her illustrious entertainment career, and after seventy years in show business, she is still working hard at it. She has recently published a book, she co-stars in a weekly sitcom (Hot In Cleveland), and she is a popular regular on both the morning and late night talk show circuits. While she seldom tackles starring roles any more, White frequently makes film and television cameos, which are usually comedy gold and always ratings boosters.

Betty White's enormous popularity is due in large part to the doddering senior citizen persona she portrays, but behind her adorable old lady-ness lies a razor-sharp wit and keen comedy instinct. From Mary Tyler Moore to the Golden Girls and at all points in between, she has endeared us to characters whose naiveté and inability to grasp the obvious lead to absurd misunderstandings and hilarious awkward moments.

White is a master of self-deprecation which adds to her charm, and with her quick sense of humor, she is perpetually ready to pounce on any opportunities presented to shock and delight her audience. No one scores as big as Betty White does by tossing out the occasional curse word or crude remark, and no one is more lovable doing it. Seriously, who wouldn't want Betty White as their motherf*cking grandmother?

To carry on the celebration of Betty's birthday this week, I'm including a few favorite clips below. With seventy years in the business, the bulk of Betty White's work is behind her, but at the rate she's going some of her funniest and most memorable moments are likely still to come.

A classic Golden Girls moment...