AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is a United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus in 1958 and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over ... dedicated to enhancing quality of life for all as we age," which "provides a wide range of unique benefits, special products, and services for our members."

AARP operates as a non-profit advocate for its members and as one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States, and it also sells insurance, investment funds and other financial products. AARP claims over 40 million members, making it one of the largest membership organizations in the United States.

History

Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus founded AARP in 1958. AARP evolved from the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), which Andrus had established in 1947 to promote her philosophy of productive aging, and in response to the need of health insurance for retired teachers. After ten years, Andrus opened the organization to all Americans over 50, creating AARP. Today, NRTA is a division within AARP. According to Andy Rooney, AARP was established by insurance salesman Leonard Davis in 1958, after he met Ethel Percy Andrus.

According to critics, until the 1980s AARP was controlled by businessman Leonard Davis, who promoted its image as a non-profit advocate of retirees in order to sell insurance to members. After a lengthy competitive bidding process, AARP shifted the insurance contracts made available to members to Prudential in 1980. In the 1990s, the United States Senate investigated AARP's non-profit status, with Republican Senator Alan Simpson, then chairman of the United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy, questioning the organization's tax exempt status in congressional hearings. These investigations did not reveal sufficient evidence to change the organization's status.

The organization was originally named the American Association of Retired Persons, but in 1999 it officially changed its name to "AARP" (pronounced one letter at a time, "A-A-R-P") to reflect that its focus was no longer American retirees. AARP no longer requires that members be retired, just that they be over 50 years old, and does not extend full membership privileges to applicants who are retired but not over 50.

Activities

AARP is widely known for addressing issues affecting older Americans through a multitude of initiatives, including lobbying efforts at the state and national governmental level, an activity permitted by its 501(c)(4) status. The organization claims that it is non-partisan and does not support, oppose or give money to any candidates or political parties. AARP's total revenue for 2006 was approximately $1 billion and it spent $23 million on lobbying. AARP also provides extensive consumer information, volunteer opportunities, and events including the annual National Event & Expo (in Los Angeles in 2011).

AARP Services, Inc., founded in 1999, is a wholly owned taxable subsidiary of AARP. AARP Services manages the wide range of products and services that are offered as benefits to AARP’s 40 million members. The offers span health products, travel and leisure products, and life event services. Specific products include Medicare supplemental insurance; member discounts on rental cars, cruises, vacation packages and lodging; special offers on technology and gifts; pharmacy services; legal services; and long-term care insurance. AARP Services founded AARP Financial Incorporated, a subsidiary that manages AARP-endorsed financial products including AARP Funds. AARP Services develops new products, manages and markets products and services, and creates and maintains partnership and sponsorship relationships.

The AARP Foundation is AARP’s affiliated charity. Foundation programs provide security, protection and empowerment for older persons in need. Low-income older workers receive the job training and placement they need to re-join the workforce. Free tax preparation is provided for low- and moderate-income individuals, with special attention to those 60 and older. The Foundation’s litigation staff protects the legal rights of older Americans in critical health, long-term care, consumer and employment situations. Additional programs provide information, education and services to ensure that people over 50 lead lives of independence, dignity and purpose. Foundation programs are funded by grants, tax-deductible contributions and AARP.

The organization also publishes AARP The Magazine (known until 2002 as Modern Maturity), a magazine focusing on aging issues. Established in 1958, the magazine, distributed bi-monthly, is sent to every AARP member. AARP also publishes the AARP Bulletin. AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin are by far the two magazines with the highest circulation in the United States. AARP also produces AARP VIVA, a quarterly publication with every article in Spanish and English; the online Live & Learn; and has a books division.

The organization also produces radio and television programs. Prime Time Radio, hosted by veteran broadcaster Mike Cuthbert, is a one-hour weekly interview program that focuses on the wide-ranging interests and concerns of Americans 40 and older. The program is heard on radio stations across the country as well as on the Prime Time Radio web site. Prime Time Focus, hosted by Alyne Ellis, is a 90-second daily feature with a five-minute weekend edition heard on more than 500 stations. Movies for Grownups, a weekly 2-minute program hosted by AARP the Magazine Entertainment Editor Bill Newcott, is heard on stations nationwide and online at the radioprimetime website. Recent guests have included Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Ron Howard, Alfre Woodard, and Helen Hunt. The Movies for Grownups Awards (www.moviesforgrownups.org) are presented each February in Hollywood. My Generation is AARPs lifestyle show featuring nationally known experts including Dr. Elmer Huerta, Dr. Dorree Lynn covering issues from health and money to relationships and volunteering.

In 1979, AARP introduced the nation’s first-ever driver safety course geared towards older adults. The AARP Driver Safety Program, which can be completed in a classroom setting or online, teaches defensive driving techniques and provides “added information on age-related cognitive and physical changes that affect driving.” The course is instructed and promoted by volunteers throughout the US.

Health care

AARP has been active in health care policy debates since c. 1960 and its recent engagement is a reflection of this long-standing involvement.

AARP's public stances influenced the United States Congress' passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, which authorized the creation of Medicare Part D, in 2003, and also influenced the Congress by resisting radical changes to Social Security in 2005. AARP also addressed health care issues in their campaign targeting the 2008 elections with Divided We Fail.

Divided We Fail

In early 2007 AARP launched "Divided We Fail," designed to address health care and long-term financial security. The initiative was launched with Business Roundtable and the Service Employees International Union, and encompasses advertising in national outlets and in the primary states, online activities, and traditional grassroots work, in order to engage the public, business and elected officials in the debate, and to encourage public leaders to offer solutions, according to the AARP. Nancy LeaMond, executive officer for social impact, said, "We want to really get to these candidates and ask for action, answers and accountability on these questions."

In November 2007, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) joined the Divided We Fail leadership.

The initiative used an "elephonkey" mixed animal as its symbol, with the head and forelegs of the Republican elephant and the ears, hindquarters, and tail of the kicking Democratic donkey. "Champ" quickly became a recognizable symbol of the Divided We Fail initiative, fostered in part by television commercials that ran across the country. In addition, Divided We Fail Florida incorporated the initiative's mascot into an interactive educational vehicle, dubbed the "Champmobile," which traveled across the state and throughout the United States encouraging voters to "Let your voice be heard!"

Future Champions

In February 2007, AARP announced the launch of a new advertising campaign designed to address issues that will impact future generations and showcase the AARP brand. The campaign, called “Future Champions,” features children talking about the state of health care and financial security. The multigenerational focus is designed to reinforce the AARP's Divided We Fail coalition.

Health insurance

Approximately seven million people have AARP branded health insurance, including drug coverage and Medigap, as of April 2007 and AARP earns more income from selling insurance to members than it does from membership dues. In 2008, AARP plans to begin offering several new health insurance products: An HMO for Medicare recipients, in partnership with UnitedHealth Group; and a PPO and "a high-deductible insurance policy that could be used with a health savings account" to people aged 50–64, in partnership with Aetna. AARP will likely become the largest source of health insurance for Medicare recipients, and AARP estimates the new products will increase its health insurance customers to 14 million by 2014.

AARP is not an insurer and does not pay insurance claims. Instead, AARP allows its name to be used by insurance companies in the sale of insurance products, for which it is paid a commission like an insurance agent.

Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said in 2008 that the "limited benefit" insurance plans offered by AARP through UnitedHealth provided inadequate coverage and were marketed deceptively. One plan offered $5,000 for surgery that may cost two or three times that amount.

AARP does a "thriving business" in marketing branded Medigap policies. As of October 2009, Medical care reform contained a proposal to trim an associated program Medicare Advantage, which was expected to increase demand for Medigap policies. However, as cited above, AARP also brands a Medicare Advantage plan (MedicareComplete), and would also be subject to cuts under health care reform.

Criticism

In an editorial column in the Los Angeles Times, critic Dale Van Atta wrote that AARP does unauthorized lobbying for its membership, and lobbies against the best interests of its membership. Van Atta says that by lobbying for the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, AARP leaders betrayed the membership.

According to an Annenberg Public Policy Center report, critics have said AARP had a conflict of interest in supporting the Act, because AARP “derives income from the sale of health and life insurance policies,” by licensing its brand to insurance dealers such as New York Life, and would benefit financially from passage of the legislation.

BusinessWeek magazine says that in the past questions have arisen about whether AARP's commercial interests may conflict with those of its membership, and characterizes many of the funds and insurance policies that AARP markets as providing considerably less benefit than seniors could get on their own.

At present, there are two affiliated organizations: the AARP Foundation which operates on a non-profit basis and AARP Services Inc. which is managed wholly for profit. The AARP Foundation runs programs on: free tax preparation and counseling, work training for older people of low income, training of volunteers on matters concerning the elderly, crime prevention and safe driving. AARP Services Inc. offers: Medicare supplemental health insurance, discounts on prescription drugs and consumer goods, entertainment and travel packages, long-term care insurance and automobile, home and life insurance.

According to AARP's 2008 Consolidated financials, it was paid $652,000,000 in royalties from insurance companies that sold products referred by AARP. AARP also received an additional $120,000,000 for the ads placed in its publications.

2009 membership controversy

Approximately 60,000 AARP members quit AARP between July 1 and August 18, 2009, in a controversy that arose over AARP's support for U.S. health care reform. FOX News stated, "The Atlanta-based American Seniors Association, which is opposed to President Obama's health care plan, is trying to capitalize on growing public dissatisfaction with the AARP." AARP spokesman Drew Nannis responded that AARP loses about 300,000 members a month on average, and the controversial 60,000 of those that had left had specified leaving over the Health Care debate. Nannis also stated that the AARP gained 400,000 members and that 1.5 million members renewed their memberships within the same period of time.

See also

AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project

Aging

Elderly care

Geriatrics

References

Further reading

Dale Van Atta, Trust Betrayed: Inside the AARP (Regnery Publishing,1998). ISBN 0-89526-485-4

Charles R. Morris, The AARP: America's Most Powerful Lobby and the Clash of Generations (Crown, 1996). ISBN 0-8129-2753-2

Peter G. Peterson, Will America Grow Up Before It Grows Old? How the Coming Social Security Crisis Threatens You, Your Family, and Your Country (Random House, 1996). ISBN 0-679-45256-7

External links

AARP official website

AARP New Membership Website also by phone 1-800-540-9784

ASA official website

AARP official history, financial reports, and mission statement

Overview of AARP from Hoover's

A critical history of AARP by the competing organization, 60 Plus Association

Demographics and Destiny, by Paul Krugman, New York Times

Report on AARP lobbying from OpenSecrets.org

Detailed history of recent AARP lobbying from the publication The American Prospect.

AARP Ins

Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States Category:Magazine companies of the United States Category:Orphan initialisms Category:Retirement in the United States Category:Seniors' organizations Category:Lobbying organizations Category:Organizations established in 1958

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Caption	Michael Douglas, June 2004
Birth name	Michael Kirk Douglas
Birth date	September 25, 1944
Birth place	New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Spouse	Diandra Luker (1977–2000)Catherine Zeta-Jones (2000–)
Occupation	Actor, producer
Years active	1966–
Parents	Kirk DouglasDiana Dill
Relatives	Joel (brother)Peter (half-brother)Eric (half-brother, deceased)
Children	3 (including Cameron)
Nationality	American

Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2009. He is the son of actor Kirk Douglas, who is ranked #17 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time.

Early life

Douglas was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the first son of actor Kirk Douglas and Bermudian actress Diana Dill. His paternal grandparents, Herschel Danielovitch and Bryna Sanglel, were Jewish immigrants from Gomel in Belarus (at that time a part of the Russian Empire). His mother and maternal grandparents, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Melville Dill and Ruth Rapalje Neilson, were natives of Devonshire Parish, Bermuda. Thomas Dill served as Attorney General of Bermuda and was commanding officer of the Bermuda Militia Artillery.

Douglas has a younger brother, Joel Douglas (born 1947), and two paternal half-brothers, Peter Douglas (born 1955) and Eric Douglas (1958–2004).

Douglas attended the Allen-Stevenson School, the International School of Geneva, and graduated from Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1960 and The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut in 1963. He received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1966, where he is also the Honorary President of the UCSB Alumni Association.

Career

Early years

Douglas started his film career in the late '60s and early '70s, appearing in little known films like Hail, Hero! and Summertree. His first significant role came in the TV series The Streets of San Francisco from 1972 to 1976, where he starred alongside Karl Malden. Douglas later said that Malden became a "mentor" and someone he "admired and loved deeply". After Douglas left the show, he had a long association with his mentor until Malden's death on July 1, 2009. In 2004, Douglas presented Malden with the Monte Cristo Award of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 1975, Douglas received from his father, Kirk Douglas, the rights to the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Michael went on to produce the film of the same name with Saul Zaentz. Douglas considered playing the starring role, but decided against it after considering himself too old. The lead role went to a young Jack Nicholson, who ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. Still, Douglas won the Award for Best Picture for producing it.

After leaving Streets of San Francisco in 1976, Douglas appeared in the medical thriller Coma in 1978 and Running in 1979. In 1979, he both produced and starred in The China Syndrome, a dramatic film co-starring Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon about a nuclear power plant accident (the Three Mile Island accident took place 12 days after the film's release).

Success in Hollywood

Douglas' acting career was propelled to fame when he starred in the 1984 romantic adventure comedy Romancing the Stone. It also helped launch Kathleen Turner to stardom, reintroduced Douglas as a capable leading man, and gave director Bob Zemeckis his first box-office success. It was followed a year later by a sequel, The Jewel of the Nile.

The year 1987 saw Douglas star in the thriller Fatal Attraction with Glenn Close. That same year he played tycoon Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street for which he received an Academy Award as Best Actor. He reprised his role as Gekko in the sequel in 2010, also directed by Stone.

Douglas again paired with Kathleen Turner for the 1989 film The War of the Roses, which also starred Danny DeVito. In 1989, he starred in Ridley Scott's international police crime drama Black Rain opposite Andy García and Kate Capshaw. The film was shot in Osaka, Japan.

In 1992, Douglas had another successful starring role when he appeared alongside Sharon Stone in the film Basic Instinct. The movie was a box office hit, and sparked controversy over its depictions of bisexuality and lesbianism. In 1994, Douglas and Demi Moore starred in the hit movie Disclosure focusing on the topic of sexual harassment with Douglas playing a man harassed by his new female boss. Other popular films he starred during these decade were Falling Down, The American President, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Game (directed by David Fincher), and a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic - Dial M for Murder - titled A Perfect Murder. In 1998, Douglas received the Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

in Fatal Attraction (1987)]] In 2000, Douglas starred in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed film Traffic, opposite Benicio del Toro and future wife Catherine Zeta-Jones. That same year, he also received critical acclaim for his role in Wonder Boys as a professor and novelist suffering from writer's block. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama as well as several other awards from critics.

Types of roles

Film critic and author Rob Edelman points out similarities in many of Douglas's roles, writing that he "has come to personify the contemporary, Caucasian middle-to-upper-class American male who finds himself the brunt of female anger because of real or imagined sexual slights." These themes of male victimization are seen in films such as Fatal Attraction (1987), War of the Roses, (1989), Falling Down (1993), and Disclosure, (1994). For his characters in films such as these, "any kind of sexual contact with someone other than his mate and the mother of his children is destined to come at a costly price."

He has also offered reasons why he has become successful in both acting and producing:

"I think I'm a chameleon. I think it's something that I possibly inherited early on as a child going back and forth between two families. I know that whether it's right or wrong, I have an ability to sort of fit into a lot of different situations and make people feel relatively comfortable in a wide range without giving up all my moral values. I think that same chameleonlike quality can transfer into films. I think if you can remember the reason you got involved with it in the first place and try to keep that impulsive, instinctive feeling even when you're being beaten down or exhausted or waylaid, you'll be successful."

Future engagements

Douglas was set to star in Tragic Indifference, a courtroom thriller based on a landmark liability case against Ford Motor Company, according to Variety. Douglas will play the attorney who took Ford to court on behalf of a single mother from Texas who was paralyzed and nearly died after an accident. The trial exposed the automaker's indifference to flaws in its Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV). The movie will be based on Adam Penenberg's 2003 book of the same name. Douglas will play Attorney Tab Turner, who represented Donna Bailey after the Ford Explorer SUV she was riding in rolled over following a Firestone tire failure.

On December 17, 2007 it was announced that Douglas was to be the new voice at the beginning of NBC Nightly News, some two years after Howard Reig, the previous announcer, retired.

Personal life

, Nov. 18, 2000]]

Douglas married Diandra Luker, 14 years his junior, on March 20, 1977, after 6 weeks of dating. They had one son, Cameron (born December 13, 1978). In 1980, Douglas was involved in a serious skiing accident which sidelined his acting career for three years. In September 1992, the same year Basic Instinct came out, he underwent treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction at Sierra Tucson Center. In 2000, after 23 years of marriage, Diandra divorced Douglas.

Douglas married Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones on November 18, 2000; they were both born on September 25, though 25 years apart. Zeta-Jones says that when they met in Deauville, France, Douglas used the line "I want to father your children." They have two children, Dylan Michael (born August 8, 2000) and Carys Zeta (born April 20, 2003). They are planning to renew their wedding vows as part of their 10th wedding anniversary. The idea was hers, and came after Douglas was found to have advanced stages of cancer. One report notes that "Michael was in tears when she suggested it to him," and he sees it as a “wonderful expression of love.”

Douglas and Zeta-Jones hosted the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2003. They acted as co-masters of ceremony in the concert celebrating the award given to Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Douglas and his family divide their time among their homes in Pacific Palisades, California; New York City; Aspen, Colorado; Bermuda; Majorca, Spain; Swansea, Wales, Ridgewood, New Jersey, and La Conception, Quebec.

Douglas, the son of a Jewish father and an Anglican mother, has no formal religion. He is an advocate of nuclear disarmament, a supporter of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and sits on the Board of Directors of the anti-war grantmaking foundation Ploughshares Fund. In 1998, he was appointed UN Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is a notable Democrat and has donated money to Barack Obama, Christopher Dodd, and Al Franken. He has been a major supporter of gun control since John Lennon was murdered in 1980.

In 1997, New York caddy James Parker sued Douglas for $25 million. Parker accused Douglas of hitting him in the groin with an errant golf ball, causing Parker to lose a testicle and his job. The case was later settled out of court.

It was announced on August 16, 2010, that Douglas was suffering from throat cancer and will undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment. On August 31, 2010 Douglas appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and confirmed that the cancer was at an advanced stage IV. In November 2010, Douglas was put on a special weight gain diet by his doctors due to the excessive weight loss leaving him weak. On January 11, 2011, he said in an interview that his cancer has gone.

Humanitarian initiatives

In 2009 Douglas joined the project Soldiers of Peace, a movie against all wars and for global peace.

Douglas lent his support for the campaign to release Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman, who after having been convicted of committing adultery, was given a sentence of death by stoning.

Filmography

References

External links

Michael Douglas before and after

Category:1944 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American actors of Russian descent Category:American anti-nuclear weapons activists Category:American film actors Category:American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Category:American people of Bermudian descent Category:American people of British descent Category:American people of Russian descent Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:American television actors Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:California Democrats Category:Cancer patients Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners Category:Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from New Brunswick, New Jersey Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award Category:United Nations Messengers of Peace Category:University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Category:Cancer survivors

Name	Héctor Elizondo
Caption	Elizondo at the premiere for Earth in April 2009
Birthdate	December 22, 1936
Birthplace	New York City, New York, U.S.
Othername	Hector Elizonda
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1963–present
Spouse

Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American actor. Born in New York, Elizondo excelled in sports and later contemplated becoming an educator. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in a play for which he won an Obie Award. Since then Elizondo has participated in over eighty films and has made numerous television appearances, including his Emmy Award-winning role on the series Chicago Hope.

Early years

Elizondo was born in New York City, the son of Carmen Medina Reyes, from Puerto Rico, and Martin Echevarria Elizondo, a Basque. His parents moved to New York City, with the hope of finding a better way of life. At a young age, Elizondo demonstrated a talent in sports and music. He sang for the Frank Murray Boys' Choir when he was 10 years old. Upon graduating from Jr. High School in 1951, he enrolled in the High School of the Performing Arts; he also attended a regular public high school where he excelled in basketball and baseball - his baseball skills were good enough for him to be scouted by both the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 1954, Elizondo enrolled in City College of New York, with the intention of becoming a history teacher. During his freshman year he became a father and dropped out of College, going to work full-time in order to support his family. Later, he was divorced and gained full custody of his son, Rodd. In 1974, Elizondo played against type as ex-mafioso-turned-subway hijacker "Mr. Grey" in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Elizondo starred as a Puerto Rican widower on the CBS television series, Popi, which aired during the 1975-1976 television season. The short-lived series, which ran for eleven episodes, was one of the first American network television series to feature a Latino theme and cast. on the award-winning series Monk. Elizondo replaced actor Stanley Kamel, who died suddenly on April 8, 2008.

Personal life

Elizondo has been married three times. He has a son from his first marriage. Elizondo is currently married to Carolee Campbell, his wife since 1969, an Emmy-Award winning actress, photographer and celebrated publisher; the two live in Sherman Oaks, California.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film |- align="center" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Film ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes |- | 1963 | The Fat Black Pussycat | |- | 1969 | The Vixens | Inspector |- | 1970 | The Landlord | Hector |- | rowspan="2"|1971 | Valdez Is Coming | Mexican Rider |- | Born to Win | Vivian |- | rowspan="3"|1972 | Deadhead Miles | Bad Character |- | Pocket Money | Juan |- | Stand Up and Be Counted | Lou Kellerman |- | 1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Grey |- | 1975 | Report to the Commissioner | Captain D'Angelo |- | 1976 | Diary of the Dead | Stan |- | 1977 | Thieves | Man Below |- | 1979 | Cuba | Capt. Raphael Ramirez |- | 1980 | American Gigolo | Det. Sunday |- | 1981 | The Fan | Police Insp. Raphael Andrews |- | 1982 | Young Doctors in Love | Angelo/Angela Bonafetti |- | 1984 | The Flamingo Kid | Arthur Willis |- | 1985 | Private Resort | The Maestro |- | 1986 | Nothing In Common | Charlie Gargas |- | 1987 | Overboard | Garbage Scow Skipper | Uncredited |- | rowspan="2"|1988 | "Astronomy" | | Short film |- | Beaches | Judge | Uncredited |- | 1989 | Leviathan | G.P. Cobb |- | rowspan="2"|1990 | Pretty Woman | Bernard Thompson |- | Taking Care of Business | Warden Toolman |- | rowspan="3"|1991 | Final Approach | Dr. Dio Gottlieb |- | Necessary Roughness | Coach Ed Gennero |- | Frankie and Johnny | Nick |- | rowspan="2"|1992 | There Goes the Neighborhood | Norman Rutledge |- | Samantha | Walter |- | 1993 | Being Human | Dom Paulo |- | rowspan="4"|1994 | Backstreet Justice | Steve Donovan |- | Beverly Hills Cop III | Jon Flint |- | Getting Even with Dad | Lt. Romayko |- | Exit to Eden | Dr. Martin Helifax |- | 1995 | Perfect Alibi | Det. Ryker |- | 1996 | Dear God | Vladek Vidov |- | 1997 | Turbulence | Lt. Aldo Hines |- | rowspan="3"|1999 | The Other Sister | Ernie |- | Entropy | The Chairman |- | Runaway Bride | Fisher |- | rowspan="3"|2001 | Tortilla Soup | Martin Naranjo |- | The Princess Diaries | Joe |- | How High | Bill the Crew Coach |- | 2003 | | Bane (Voice) | Direct-to-video release |- | rowspan="2"|2004 | Raising Helen | Mickey Massey | Uncredited |- | | Joe |- | rowspan="2"|2006 | I-See-You.Com | Greg Rishwain |- | The Celestine Prophecy | Cardinal Sebastian |- | rowspan="3"|2007 | Music Within | Ben Padrow |- | Georgia Rule | Izzy |- | Love in the Time of Cholera | Don Leo |- | rowspan="2"|2010 | Valentine's Day | Edgar | |- | Through the Eyes of a Son: The Lou Rawls Story | Nick Venet | pre-production |- |- align="center" ! colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Television |- align="center" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes |- | 1967 | The Edge of Night | Dimitri | Unknown episodes |- | 1969 | The Jackie Gleason Show | | Episode: "The Honeymooners: Mexican Hat Trick" |- | 1971 | The Impatient Heart | Mr. Hernandez | TV-Movie |- | 1972 | All in the Family | Carlos Mendoza | |- | 1973, 1976 | Kojak | Det. Nick Ferro Carl Dettrow | Episode: "Web of Death"Episode: "A Need to Know" |- | 1974 | Maude | Cop | Episode: "Speed Trap" |- | rowspan="2"|1975 | Baretta | Jerry Damon | Episode: "The Fire Man" |- | Columbo: A Case of Immunity | Hassan Salah | TV-Movie |- | 1975, 1978 | The Rockford Files | John Micelli Frank Falcone | Episode: "Say Goodbye to Jennifer""A Good Clean Bust with Sequel Rights" |- | rowspan="2"|1976 | Popi | Abraham Rodriguez | 11 episodes |- | Wanted: The Sundance Woman | Pancho Villa | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="2"|1978 | The Dain Curse | Ben Feeney | TV-Movie |- | The Eddie Capra Mysteries | | Episode: "Dying Declaration" |- | 1980 | Freebie and the Bean | Det. Sgt. Dan 'Bean' Delgado | 7 episodes |- | rowspan="3"|1982 | Medal of Honor Rag | | TV-Movie |- | Bret Maverick | Mr. Gomez | Episode: "The Hidalgo Thing" |- | Honeyboy | Emilio Ramirez | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="3"|1983 | Feel the Heat | Monkey Moreno | Unknown episodes |- | Casablanca | Capt. Louis Renault | 5 episodes |- | Woman of San Quentin | Capt. Mike Reyes | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="2"|1984 | a.k.a. Pablo | Jose Sanchez/Shapiro | 6 episodes |- | Hill Street Blues | Insp. Joe Keenan | |- | rowspan="3"|1985 | Murder: My Reason of Insanity | Ben Haggarty | TV-Movie |- | Out of the Darkness | Father George | TV-Movie |- | Foley Square | Jesse Steinberg | 14 episodes |- | rowspan="3"|1986 | Courage | Nick Miraldo | TV-Movie |- | Amazing Stories | Meadows | Episode: "Life on Death Row" |- | Matlock | Det. Joe Peters | Episode: "The Cop" |- | rowspan="3"|1987 | Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson | Morris King | TV-Movie |- | Night Heat | | Episode: "The Kid" |- | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | Dave Whiteman | 13 episodes |- | 1988 | Addicted to His Love | Det. Currigan | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="3"|1989 | Kojak: Ariana | Edson Saunders | TV-Movie |- | The Equalizer | Ray Quintero | Episode: "Past Imperfect" |- | Your Mother Wears Combat Boots | Sergeant Burke | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="3"|1990 | Sparks: The Price of Passion | Vic Ramos | TV-Movie |- | Dark Avenger | Capt. David Strauss | TV-Pilot |- | Forgotten Prisoners: The Amnesty Files | Hasan Demir | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="2"|1991 | Chains of Gold | Lt. Ortega | TV-Movie |- | Finding the Way Home | Ruben | TV-Movie |- | 1991–1993 | The Pirates of Dark Water | loz (Voice) | 21 episodes |- | rowspan="3"|1992 | The Burden of Proof | Alejandro 'Sandy' Stern | Miniseries |- | Fish Police | Don Calamari (Voice) | Episode: "Beauty's Only Fin Deep" |- | Mrs. Cage | Lt. Angel | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="3"|1993 | Jonny's Golden Quest | Atacama (Voice) | TV-Movie |- | Tales from the Crypt | Leo Burn | Episode: "As Ye Sow" |- | Animaniacs | Stradivarius (Voice) | |- | 1994 | Picket Fences | Dr. Phillip Watters | Episode: "Rebels with Causes" |- | 1994–1995 | Aladdin | Malcho (Voice) | Episodes: "The Return of Malcho""While the City Snoozes" |- | 1994–2000 | Chicago Hope | Dr. Phillip Watters | 141 episodes |- | rowspan="2"|1995 | | Sheldon Fallbrook (voice) | Episode: "The Terrible Trio" |- | Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects | Attacama (Voice) | TV-Movie |- | 1996 | Gargoyles | Zafiro (Voice) | |- | 1997 | Borrowed Hearts | Javier Del Campo | TV-Movie |- | rowspan="3"|1998 | Mikhail Baryshnikov 's Stories from My Childhood | Voice | Episode: "Ivan and His Magic Pony" |- | Early Edition | Dr. Phillip Watters | Episode: "Mum's the Word" |- | Safe House | Dr. Simon | TV-Movie |- | 2001 | Kate Brasher | Joe Almeida | 6 episodes |- | 2001–2004 | American Experience | Narrator | Episodes: "Zoot Suit Riots""Remember the Alamo" |- | rowspan="4"|2002 | Fidel | Eddie Chibas | Miniseries |- | The West Wing | Dr. Dalton Millgate | Episode: "Dead Irish Writers" |- | Street Time | Fariz Hammoud | Episodes: "No Excuses""Betrayal""Reversal of Fortune" |- | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Dr. Guitirrez (Voice) | |- | rowspan="3"|2003 | The Dating Experiment | Narrator | Unknown episodes |- | Without a Trace | Father Henry Stevens | Episode: "Revelations" |- | Miracles | Father 'Poppi' Calero | 4 episodes |- | rowspan="2"|2004 | Century City | Martin Constable | 9 episodes |- | Jack & Bobby | Gerald Cruz | Episode: "Chess Lessons" |- | 2004–2006 | Justice League | Lt. Kragger (Voice) | Episodes: |- | 2006 | | Wan Shi Tong (Voice) | |- | 2007 | Cane | Pancho Duque | 13 episodes |- | 2007–2009 | Grey's Anatomy | Carlos Torres | Episodes: "My Favorite Mistake" |- | 2008–2009 | Monk | Dr. Neven Bell | 14 episodes |- |}

Awards and nominations

ALMA Awards

1998: Nominated, "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role" - Chicago Hope

1998: Nominated, "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role" - Turbulence

1998: Won, "Outstanding Actor in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series" - Borrowed Hearts

1999: Nominated, "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role" - Chicago Hope

2000: Nominated, "Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film" - Runaway Bride

2000: Won, "Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

2002: Nominated, "Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture" - Tortilla Soup

Emmy Awards

1992: Nominated, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special" - Mrs. Cage

1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

1996: Nominated, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

1997: Won, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

1998: Nominated, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

Golden Globe Awards

1991: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture" - Pretty Woman

2005: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor in a Film" - The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

NCLR Bravo Awards

1996: Nominated, "Outstanding Television Series Actor in a Crossover Role" - Chicago Hope

Satellite Awards

1997: Nominated, "Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

SAG Awards

1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

1997: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

1998: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Chicago Hope

Temecula Valley International Film Festival

2006: Won, "Lifetime Achievement Award"

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

External links

Category:1936 births Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:American people of Basque descent Category:Living people Category:People from New York City Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:American people of Spanish descent

Caption	White at the Time 100 gala in 2010
Birth name	Betty Marion White
Birth date	January 17, 1922
Birth place	Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Betty White Ludden
Occupation	Actress, comedienne, writer
Years active	1939–present
Spouse	Dyck Barker (1945)Lane Allen (1947–1949) Allen Ludden (1963–1981; his death)

Betty Marion White (born January 17, 1922) is an American actress, comedian, author, and former game-show host. She is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. , she is currently starring as Elka Ostrovsky in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland. She has also released several books over the span of her career. In August 2010, she entered a deal with G.P. Putnam Sons to produce two more books, the first of which is scheduled for release in 2011.

White has won seven Emmy awards and received 20 Emmy nominations Her mother was of Greek, English, and Welsh descent, and her father was of Danish and English ancestry. White's family moved to Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression. She attended Horace Mann School in Beverly Hills, California, and Beverly Hills High School.

Career

1939–1979

White began her television career three months after high school graduation, when she and a classmate sang songs from The Merry Widow on an experimental Los Angeles channel. White found work modeling, and her first professional acting job was at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre. White's career was disrupted immediately, as World War II broke out, causing her to join the American Women's Voluntary Services. In the 1940s, she worked in radio appearing on shows such as Blondie, The Great Gildersleeve and This Is Your FBI. She then got her own radio show, called The Betty White Show. In 1949 she began appearing with Al Jarvis on his daily, live variety show Hollywood on Television on KLAC in Los Angeles. Life With Elizabeth was nationally syndicated by the mid-1950s, allowing White to become one of the few women in television with full creative control in front of and behind the camera at the time.

In 1973, White made a guest appearance in season four of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as The Happy Homemaker.

After The Golden Girls The characters of Ann and Pamela Douglas (Alley Mills) disappeared after their March 27, 2007, appearance and were not mentioned again until October 19, 2007, when Ann appeared briefly. White would go on to appear in three more episodes following that, one on December 10, 2007; August 28, 2008; and October 28, 2008. She returned to the show on November 18, 2009 and in the November 19, 2009 episode her character revealed that she was dying of advanced pancreatic cancer. To date she has made 22 appearances as Ann Douglas. In the November 23, 2009 episode Ann passes away due to complications from her illness, with both of her daughters next to her on the beach at Paradise Cove.

In the broadcast of the 2007 TV Land Awards, White starred in a parody of Ugly Betty, aptly titled Ugly Betty White, in which she played America Ferrera's title character, with Charo playing White's sister Hilda, and Erik Estrada playing her father Ignacio. Her performance earned her a part on Ugly Betty as herself, the victim of Wilhelmina Slater's temper as they vie for a cab in the episode "Bananas for Betty", which aired December 6, 2007.

White had a recurring role in ABC's Boston Legal from 2005 to 2008 as the calculating, blackmailing gossip-monger Catherine Piper, a role she originally portrayed as a guest star on The Practice in 2004. The May 8 SNL episode garnered the show's highest ratings since November 1, 2008, when Ben Affleck hosted. In her opening monologue, White thanked Facebook and joked that she "didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time." The appearance earned her a 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series, her seventh Emmy win overall.

In June 2010, White appeared as Elka Ostrovsky the house caretaker on TV Land’s original sitcom Hot in Cleveland.

In July 2010, it was announced that she posed for her own calendar for the year 2011; the calendar also features photos from her career and her pictured with various animals. She also debuted her own clothing line on July 22, 2010, which features shirts with her face on them. All proceeds will also go to various animal charities she supports.

She guest-starred in the second-season premiere of NBC's Community as an anthropology professor. In 2010 she also guest starred in The Middle & 30 Rock. She also will have a role in Operation Secret Santa, the sequel to Prep & Landing and the second installment in Disney's "Lanny and Wayne" franchise.

Charity

White is a pet enthusiast and animal health advocate who works with a number of animal organizations, including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, the Morris Animal Foundation, and Actors & Others for Animals. Her interest in animal rights and welfare began in the early 1970s while she was both producing and hosting the syndicated series, The Pet Set, which spotlighted celebrities and their pets. He proposed to White at least twice before she accepted. The couple appeared together in an episode of The Odd Couple featuring Felix's and Oscar's appearance on Password. Ludden appeared as a guest panelist on Match Game, with White sitting in the audience. (She was prompted to rip apart one of Ludden's wrong answers on camera during an episode of Match Game '74). The two appeared together on the Match Game panel in 1975.

Ludden died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981, in Los Angeles. They had no children together. White has not remarried since Ludden's death.

When asked about her real-life heroes White told Vanity Fair, "Charles Darwin."

Awards, honors and nominations

White has won seven Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990), and two Viewers For Quality Television Awards. She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6747 Hollywood Boulevard alongside the star of her late husband Allen Ludden. at 6747 Hollywood Blvd.]] White was the recipient of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Golden Ike Award and the Genii Award from the American Women in Radio and Television in 1976. In 2009, White and her now deceased Golden Girls cast mates Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty were awarded honorary Disney Legend awards. Betty will also be inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December 2010. In 2010 she was chosen as the Associated Press's Entertainer of the Year.

On November 9, 2010, the USDA Forest Service along with Smokey Bear made actress Betty White an honorary forest ranger, fulfilling her lifelong dream. White said in previous interviews that she wanted to be a forest ranger as a little girl but that women were not allowed to do that then. Today’s United States Forest Service is 38 percent female, including rangers, scientists and leaders at every level.

In December 2010, White received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Elka Ostrovsky in Hot In Cleveland and the show itself also received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

People's Choice Awards

2011 - Favorite TV Guest Star - Community

2011 - Favorite Web Celeb

Golden Globe Award

1986 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series Musical or comedy – The Golden Girls

1987 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy – The Golden Girls

1988 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy – The Golden Girls

1989 – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy – The Golden Girls

SAG Awards

2010 – Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award

Emmy Award

1951 – Best Actress (KLAC)

1977 – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – The Mary Tyler Moore Show

1984 – Outstanding Game Show Host – Just Men!

1987 – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls

1988 – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls

1989 – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls

1992 – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – The Golden Girls

1997 – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Suddenly Susan

2003 – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Yes, Dear

2004 – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series – The Practice

2009 – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – My Name Is Earl

MTV Movie Awards

2010 – Best Comedic Performance – The Proposal (nominated)

2010 – Best WTF Moment – The Proposal (nominated)

New Now Next Award nominations

2010 – Cause You're Hot

Filmography

Books by White

1983: Betty White's Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us

1987: Betty White In Person

1991: The Leading Lady: Dinah's Story

1995: Here We Go Again: My Life In Television

2011: If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)

References

Further reading

Tucker, David C. The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.

External links

Betty White News & Info blog

Betty White News on Twitter

Betty White is Hot in Cleveland

The Early Betty White 1947-1971

Archive of American Television Interview with Betty White June 4, 1997

Betty White on The Museum of Broadcast Communications

Betty White to Star on Hot in Clevlande

Video of TV Academy's Salute to Betty White

Category:1922 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Illinois Category:Animal rights advocates Category:American film actors Category:American game show hosts Category:American people of Danish descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:American voice actors Category:Animal charities Category:Animal welfare organizations Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Game show hosts Category:Living people Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Oak Park, Illinois Category:Women comedians