Betty White Turns 97 — Happy Birthday to a Star!

Betty White, the popular actress and comedian, turned 97 years old on Thursday.

White has worked in the television industry since 1939 — and is best known for her iconic roles as Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls” in the 1980s and Sue Ann Nivens on the ever-popular “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from the 1970s.

She also starred in “Hot in Cleveland” beginning in 2010.

Related: 10 Facts You Never Knew About ‘The Golden Girls’

One of White’s tips for staying young over time has to do with attitude.

“It’s your outlook on life that counts,” she’s said in interviews over the years. “If you take yourself lightly and don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives.”

One of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, White is considered a pioneer in television.

She was born on Jan. 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois.

She began her career in television in the late 1930s.

She starred on “Life with Elizabeth” in the 1950s and kept up her popularity as a TV personality through multiple appearances on talk shows, game shows and variety shows, as her biography explains.

Last year the actress told Parade magazine the secret behind her nine decades is to “enjoy life. Accentuate the positive, not the negative. It sounds so trite, but a lot of people will pick out something to complain about, rather than say, ‘Hey, that was great!’ It’s not hard to find great stuff if you look.”

She also told The Hollywood Reporter not long ago, “I have to keep acting so that I can afford to keep doing my charity work.”

Related: See These 12 Golden-Age Movie Stars Who Are Still Alive

Animals are a passion of hers; she’s worked with the Los Angeles Zoo and the Morris Animal Foundation for over four decades.

“I’m actually the luckiest old broad alive,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Half my life is working in a profession I love and the other half is working with animals.”