The Betty White Character You Are Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Beloved Hollywood icon Betty White, who passed away at the age of 99 on December 31, 2021, was a true entertainment legend. Her career spanned eight decades, with over 120 screen acting credits to her name. A common joke was that she was literally older than sliced bread (which is true, by the way) — a time metric that puts White's astonishing run as a performer into perspective.

Because of White's versatility as a performer and the fact her career spanned much of the 20th century, she had the opportunity to play a wide range of roles. While best known for her comedy, where she showcased her impeccable timing and great chemistry with her co-stars, White also had the chance to play a biting, sardonic villain or two. Many of her best roles played with the tension created by the audience's assumption of how a character looked on the surface versus how the character actually behaved. Behind the cheery smile, White could serve up some serious crassness.

Interestingly, the 12 signs of the Zodiac provide a great framework to explore White's work as an actor. Humans have been looking to the stars for answers about life for millennia, and the zodiac's appeal is stronger than ever. So let's use the literal stars to interpret this Hollywood star's most iconic roles.

Taurus embodies perseverance and patience, so if you want something done, have a Taurus on your team. Don't cross a Taurus because they'll remember any transgressions, and their stubbornness will lead them to follow through on actions just to make a point. And Catherine Piper is just that sort of Taurus, whose dedication to revenge reaches "Oldboy"-levels of vindictive patience. 

In "Boston Legal" — a spinoff of the legal drama "The Practice" — when Piper reintroduces herself to lawyer Alan Shore (James Spader), she remembers that when he was a child, Shore left a flaming bag of dog poop on her porch as a prank and permanently stained her slippers. So Catherine shakes his hand with a piece of poop on her glove, a deliciously gross act of vengeance decades in the making. Catherine is also not afraid of dispensing vigilante justice and takes matters into her own hands, killing Bernard Ferrion (Leslie Jordan) to prevent him from murdering again. And, displaying a Taurian flair for pragmatism, she dispatches him the same way he killed his own victims, with a deft swing of a cast-iron skillet.

Cancers are nurturing, with quirky senses of humor. They are also natural caregivers and thrive when cultivating a rich domestic life. And the Betty White character that best represents this sign appears in "Date with the Angels," a traditional 1950s domestic sitcom, following newlyweds Vickie (White) and Gus Angel (Bill Williams) as they adjust to married life and home ownership. Vickie and Gus find themselves in various domestic conundrums, from the removal of a pesky palm tree in the front yard to dealing with an annoying houseguest.

Cancers are natural connectors who thrive by building group energy. Vickie is the ever-dutiful homemaker, entertaining the neighbors with fresh cups of coffee and parlor games in the living room, all while sporting a pressed apron and heels. Like a true Cancer, Vickie is quite emotionally intuitive but is sometimes not forthright about her own true feelings. A furrowed brow or an exasperated sigh are often her only signs of frustration or anger. While she's focused on making her and her husband's married lives pleasant, Vickie isn't immune from the emotional struggles of being a newlywed.

White's Ellen Jackson first appeared in "The Family" skits on "The Carol Burnett Show." This was spun off into a made-for-TV movie, "Eunice," and eventually the stand-alone sitcom "Mama's Family." On that note, Virgos are perfectionists and can have an aura of aloofness. They maintain high standards and can suffer from martyrdom complexes. Ellen Jackson has discriminating tastes and doesn't like to associate with her family. She's not afraid to be confrontational with the cantankerous Mama. Ellen can do anything well, spurring feelings of resentment from her sister, Eunice, who has a volatile and unrestrained personality.

Virgo is an Earth sign. They tend to be attracted to nice things and are methodical in their strategies to obtain material wealth. Ellen's concerns with re-entering high society reflect this characteristic, and she starts dating Raytown's mayor to get back into the rarefied circles she once traveled in. She's even named Raytown's Woman of the Year, yet her family isn't impressed with the accolades, giving Ellen's ego an unintentional bruising.

Scorpios are naturally secretive, focusing their energies on power and control. They are also extremely loyal. Scorpios are strong and independent, protecting their privacy at all costs. Represented by the scorpion, a natural predator, Scorpios embrace the darkness in life that tends to repel others. 

In "Lake Placid," the gruesomely campy '90s horror movie about a 30-foot crocodile that lives in a lake (surprisingly not Lake Placid, as suggested by the film's title), White plays Mrs. Delores Bickerman, a widow living in a cottage on Black Lake in Maine. (Why they didn't simply call the movie "Black Lake" will forever remain a mystery.) The film follows local authorities as they try to solve mysterious violent attacks on the lake, which turn out to be perpetrated by a gigantic saltwater crocodile who just needs a snack or two. 

The mild-mannered and sweet Dolores is harboring a nefarious secret as she is in fact the munchie-provider to the ravenous reptile, feeding it an entire cow and bringing a whole new meaning to MooTown Snackers. Delores' reptilian proclivities yield yet another secret — she's shown feeding baby giant crocodiles and joyously playing with them at the end of the film.

Earthy and practical Capricorn is the tenacious life partner you want in your corner. They're all-around good people who are not only aware of other people's needs but attuned to their own as well. White as Elizabeth from the 1950s sitcom, "Life with Elizabeth," exemplifies all that is positive about the sea goat of the zodiac.

"Life with Elizabeth" started as a recurring skit on another early television series, "Hollywood on Television," and the series maintained the original format of a narrator setting up each skit's premise. And each premise saw Elizabeth facing homemaker debacles like messing up an angel food cake recipe, spending money she doesn't have on antiques, and dealing with her husband's eccentric boss. Capricorns are connected to the structure of time, and "Life with Elizabeth" kept with the same formula of multiple, unrelated skits per episode.

As serious as Capricorns can be, there is often a mysteriously mischievous side to them. Similarly, the show's narrator would break the fourth wall and ask Elizabeth at the end of most skits, "Elizabeth, aren't you ashamed?" Elizabeth was not there to be belittled by an omnipotent voice, and she would coyly shake her head no every time.

Pisces are empathetic, romantic, and sometimes overly impressionable — all attributes of Rose Nylund from "The Golden Girls" and its spinoff, "The Golden Palace." A naive widow from St. Olaf, Minnesota, Rose decides to move away from the harsh Midwestern winters for sunny Miami, Florida, where she becomes a grief counselor, a career move well-suiting for the caring Pisces. Rose also supports many causes, including volunteering at a bookmobile and a hospital. 

Rose is also an animal lover and shelters various pets throughout the series. Plus, she holds the memory of her late husband, Charlie, in high regard. Her reminiscences are not only romantic but, in true "Golden Girls" fashion, are a little saucy, including a memory recalling that her husband "would have made a bull jealous."

While Pisces are not noted for their assertiveness or intellectual rigor, they are known for their open hearts. A long-running gag on the show is Rose's curiously naive questions to her roommates, which often are met with a sarcasm that Rose takes in stride. She's perceived as a pushover, but Rose has the support of her roommates to create healthy boundaries with others. Despite all the ribbing from the other ladies, there's always a slice of late-night cheesecake and a table of good friends to talk over any problem.