WASHINGTON: American actor and comedian Betty Marion White Ludden, known professionally as Betty White, received a standing ovation during the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, where she reflected back on her seven-decades-long career.
Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin introduced White as "the greatest of all time."
The Golden Girls star launched her speech with a joke. "I'm just going to quit while I'm ahead," she said while laughing, reported E! News.
She added, "Little did I dream then that I would be here. It's incredible that I'm still in this business and you are still putting up with me."
White beamed as she took the stage, smiling at the audience and receiving kisses on the hand from her co-presenters, reported Entertainment Weekly.
Joking around, the 'first lady of Television' star continued her speech by saying, "It's incredible that you can stay in a career this long and still have people put up with you. I wish they did that at home."
In a career that has spanned more than 75 years, White has received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is a Television Hall of Fame inductee (class of 1995), and a Disney Legend (class of 2009).
Emmy recognizes and celebrates excellence in the television industry, and is the equivalent of an Academy Award (for film).