Betty White Honored As ‘America’s Most Appealing Celebrity’
Actress Betty White’s stock just keeps going up. The 91-year-old was just named “America’s most appealing celebrity” by a marketing research firm.
Currently starring in the hit sitcom Hot in Cleveland and hosting the hidden-camera prank show Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, White beat out Oscar-winners Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks as well as other celebrities like Dame Maggie Smith (Downtown Abbey) and singer Adele on E-Poll Market Research’s annual “appeal” list of 2012, reports Reuters.
This is White’s third time winning the honor.
Other celebrities who made the top 10 were Morgan Freeman, Carol Burnett, Cote de Pablo, Pauley Perrette, and Olympian Gabby Douglas.
Actor Robin Williams and actor/director Clint Eastwood previously made the top 10 but dropped out of the list this year.
White’s recognition comes off the heels of a string of accomplishments in recent years including a Saturday Night Live hosting gig in 2010, Screen Actors Guild awards, and top ratings in other national polls.
The E-Poll report also revealed which celebrities gained the most appeal last year. Olympic athletes Misty May Treanor, Kerri Walsh, Aly Raisman, and Michael Phelps all landed in the top 10, likely due to the 2012 Olympics in London.
On the flip-side, singer Nicki Minaj and comedian Andy Samberg dropped in appeal.
E-Poll is a consumer research firm and releases this annual report, which ranks roughly 7,500 celebrities in entertainment, business, politics, and sports. The research is based on a sample of 1,100 respondents age 13 and up.
Betty White is currently in her seventh decade in show business. Her career began back in 1939 when she and a high-school classmate performed songs from The Merry Widow at a TV station in Los Angeles.
She is perhaps most recognizable for her roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, but her career has recently gained steam once again thanks largely to cameo appearances in popular films and TV shows as well as her bawdy sense of humor.
Are you a fan of Betty White? Do you think she’s America’s most appealing celebrity?
[Image via: David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons]
