Hollywood lost a true titan last week when Betty White passed away at the age of 99. The loss of the actress, comedienne and TV personality is sad, but it’s been incredible to see the outpouring of love for her and her legacy. Everyone from Ryan Reynolds to William Shatner has paid tribute to the late star. Don Cheadle, who worked with White on the Golden Girls spinoff, was among those to share memories of White. And he specifically shared a sweet story from their time working on the series.
After The Golden Girls was cancelled by NBC in 1992, CBS quickly revived the show for a sequel series called The Golden Palace. The show saw Rose Nylund, Blanche Devereaux and Sophia Petrillo, now without the newly married Dorothy, move from their home and invest in a Miami hotel. Don Cheadle played the role of hotel manager Roland Wilson and, like the other characters, he had some chuckworthy exchanges with Betty White’s Rose.
The Emmy-winning actress was much more cognizant of her environment than her scatterbrained character. To that point, in a recent Twitter post, Marvel’s War Machine actor recalled a lighting problem that the show was having. And ultimately, the Rose actress kindly found a solution to the situation:
Betty was the best of the best. when we were shooting scenes together it was difficult for the DP to get the lighting right between my chocolate and Betty's white! she was either a ghost or I was the shadow. I came on set one day and betty had darkened her make up/hair a bit in an attempt to accommodate for it. nobody asked her to do it. and that's just one small example of her overflowing generosity.
Most have already known that Betty White is a class act, but this is just further evidence of that assumption. While the woman could certainly dish out a joke (as she did when she roasted Sandra Bullock), she could also lend a hand when it was needed. Don Cheadle went on to mention how she she also provided assistance when it came to his pets:
My dogs thank her too. she gave us our veterinarian reco who we still see to this day. she was the goldenest of them all and will be forever missed.
Many found themselves instantly drawn to Betty White’s charm over the years. Ryan Reynolds even seemed to have a bit of a crush on his co-star from The Proposal. Likewise, his on-screen alter ego, Deadpool, also had a lot of love for the TV legend.
It goes without saying that the actress lived a life that many can only dream of. There’s so much to her career that predates her work on The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She’ll certainly be missed by her loved ones and the millions of fans who adored her, but we can take comfort in the fact that we had her as long as we did and that her legacy will live on.
We here at CinemaBlend continue to extend our thoughts to the loved ones of Betty White during this time
