Betty White’s credibility and top notch status in the entertainment world is indisputable. The star is a living legend at 99 and will go down in history as one of the most revered Hollywood stars of the classic times. She is known for being the first woman in Hollywood to produce a sitcom. This milestone earned her the ceremonial title of Mayor of Hollywood, an honor presented by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. White’s Hollywood career began 90 years ago, and her legacy keeps prevailing.
White’s career and love life were very much in the spotlight and she did not fail to explore love and companionship. While White has been unmarried since 1981, she walked down the aisle three times. The Hollywood royalty was married to Lane Allen, Dick Barker and Allen Ludden. The star once shared that she was a romantic. Here’s a look through the golden times of her marital life.
8 She First Got Married To Dick Barker
After the second world war, Betty White met US Army veteran pilot, Dick Barker and they knew they wanted to be together. The duo got married in 1945, and they moved to Barker’s chicken farmhouse in Ohio. White had an early start in Hollywood and she longed to be famous. It did not take much for her to opt for her career. She left the farmhouse a few months after marriage and filed for divorce a little while later.
7 Then Came Lane Allen Whom She Met In Hollywood
The Los Angeles-bred actress pulled her weight in her career, and she was soon one of the few female showrunners in Hollywood. Under the spotlight, White met Lane Allen. She and Lane Allen became man and wife two years after she divorced Barker. White continued to thrive in her career while loving life as a married woman. Months into her marriage, she and Allen began to have issues. Ultimately they got separated two years after they tied the knot.
6 Betty’s First Two Husbands Wanted Her To Quit Showbiz
The 99-year-old star once shared that Allen wanted her to quit show business and settle properly into marital life. He wanted her to stay home and raise their children. However they never even had kids together up until the time of separation. Barker might have not been overly showy about his choice of wanting her to stay away from Hollywood, but he did make her settle on a farmhouse far from her Hollywood dreams.
5 She Married Allen Ludden Years Later
Following The Golden Girls actress’ second marriage, she stayed off the aisle for some years. White focused on her career and appeared in a number of talk shows, game shows and variety shows. While working on the game show, Password, White met Allen Ludden. She and Ludden got to know each other better with time and he fell in love with her. Ludden actively wooed her and proposed to her twice.
On both occasions, White turned him down. But in 1963, she had a change of heart and decided to give love another chance. White married Ludden and they tied the knot in Las Vegas. She never had children of her own but she and Ludden were parents to his three children from previous relationships.
4 White Regrets Not Marrying Ludden Earlier
Many years after she experienced marital bliss with the now late Ludden, White revealed in an interview with Oprah Magazine that she regretted turning him down. “I spent a whole year, wasted a whole year that Allen and I could have had together, saying, ‘No, I wouldn’t marry him. No, I won’t. No, I won’t leave California. No, I won’t move to New York," the actress admitted.
3 Ludden Is Her Greatest Love
The couple was married for 18 years, and it ended because of Ludden’s death. The American TV personality passed on in 1981 due to health complications from stomach cancer. Since then, the glamorous and sought-after Betty White chose to remain unmarried. “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?," she sassily once said during an interview with CBS News. “It was very special. But that doesn't keep you from having somebody and going out and having dates and Robert Redford never calls," the iconic actress added.
2 Motherhood Is One Of Her Greatest Joys
The star was 59 years old when the love of her life passed away, but that didn't stop her duty as a mom. It was quite challenging keeping the children off the spotlight due to her celebrity status, but White made sure to give them her best. All of her step kids are grown, but none followed in her footsteps. Nonetheless, White is proud of them and their achievements.
1 White Believes Her First Two Marriages Were Rehearsals
White once shared that she doesn't regret being married thrice or her first two marriages. However she did admit that the divorces were her fault. The star noted that she wanted more than the life of a wife and a mother. This meant her marriages had to go, while she pursued her career in Los Angeles.