Who is Tess Curtis White? An undiscovered fact about Betty White’s mother

Tess Curtis White was the proud mother of Betty White, one of the most famous Hollywood figures. Tess, who worked as a housewife, was always the first to support her only child every step of the way. From reading commercials for radios to playing small roles in plays, or Betty’s industry breakthrough with the sitcom Life With Elizabeth, Tess was always a helping hand.

As the mother of a successful figure, Tess’s life has always been a subject. She was married to an electrical engineer and they had a marital relationship for over 4 decades. Apart from this, there is much more in her life that has not been known by many people.

So continue reading the article to discover more hidden facts about Betty White’s mother, Tess Curtis White. Stay with us till the end to learn about her birthday, husband, fortune, lifestyle and others.

What is Tess Curtis White’s real name?

Tess Curtis White’s full name is Tess Christine Cachikis. She changed her last name to White after the marriage. She was born on July 25, 1899, under the birth sign Leo.

Speaking of her parents, Tess was the daughter of an ice cream seller, a father, Nicholas Cachikis, and a homemaker, Maggie Curtis-Cachikis (Hobbs), aka Margaret Cachikis (Hobbs).

Speaking of her nationality, Curtis was an American. As for her ethnic background, she belonged to a mixed ethnicity. She was of Welsh and English descent.

Did she have any brothers or sisters?

The celebrity’s mother was the older of two siblings. She had a younger brother named Thomas Richard Cachikis (Tom R. Curtis).

He was born on March 14, 1907 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States. At age 69, her only brother died on May 6, 1966, in Los Angeles County, California.

Tess Curtis White cause of death

Curtis White was at the age of 86 at the time of her death. She breathed her last on November 11, 1985 in Los Angeles, California.

Tess died of natural causes according to the reports. Her funeral is in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Los Angeles County, California, USA.

Tess is most famous for being the mother of actress Betty White

Since Tess Curtis was a housewife, she had no occupation. The only reason behind her spotlight was her daughter. Her first child Betty White was an American actress-comedian who was active in the industry from 1939 to 2021.

The actress began her professional journey reading commercials for radios. She then started taking small roles in plays after being rejected by film companies. Immediately after 3 months of graduation, she made her television debut singing songs from an opera called The Merry Widow.

Throughout the 1950s, Tess’ daughter usually appeared in various TV commercials, including ads for Dr. Ross Dog Food. After she made a sitcom, Life with Elizabethshe became the first woman in the field to work both in front of and behind the camera.

The “First Lady of Television” is extremely popular for her roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973-1977), The Golden Girls (1985-1992), Lake Placid (1999), and The proposal (2009). She last appeared in the short TV series, Forky asks a question in 2019.

Tess Curtis White’s daughter has won Emmy and other prestigious awards

A pioneer of early TV with a career spanning more than 8 decades, Betty White is known for her epic work and achievements in the entertainment industry. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

During her acting and comedic career, she earned 7 Emmy Awards in various categories such as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Game Show Host, Los Angeles Emmy Award for Outstanding Personality, and Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

In addition, she received a number of Screen Actors Guild Awards in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category. In 2011, she also won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording category for her book titled If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t).

Tess Curtis was married to husband Horace Logan

Tess Curtis White’s husband was Horace Logan. The couple exchanged wedding vows on February 17, 1921. The ceremony was a private ceremony attended by their family, close relatives and friends.

White shared a close and unbreakable bond with her husband. Speaking of her husband, he was an electrical engineer who served as an executive sales representative in a lightning company. The couple happily spent more than 4 decades of their married life until Logan’s death.

Her husband died on November 16, 1963 in Los Angeles Country, California. Since then, Tess has never married anyone again.

Tess & Horace Logan’s Only Child – Betty White

Tess and Horace’s only child, Betty White, was born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois. When she was young, she moved with her family to the Alhambra and later to Los Angeles during the Great Depression.

Speaking of her early life, Betty enrolled in Horace Mann Elementary School. She then graduated from Beverly Hills High School in the year 1939. While enjoying a family vacation in the Sierra Nevada, she developed an interest in wildlife.

At the time, White dreamed of becoming a forest ranger. However, she could not achieve this goal because at the time there was a restriction for women to work as forest rangers. She later discovered her love of performing after writing and performing the lead role in a Horace Mann School graduation piece. Thus, she decided to establish herself as an actress.

Tess Curtis’ daughter Betty had several failed relationships

Betty, one of the famous figures in Hollywood, had three failed relationships in her life. Betty was first married to a United States Army Air Forces P-38 pilot Frederick Richard (Dick) Barker on July 7, 1945.

The pair first crossed paths when the former actress volunteered with the American Women’s Voluntary Services. Because her then-husband wanted a simple life, they immediately moved to Belle Center, Ohio. Not enjoying her life with Frederick, they moved to LA and broke up on December 18, 1945.

Moving on in her life, White walked down the aisle with Lane Allen on November 8, 1974. Her second marriage also failed as she chose her career over family and divorced on July 17, 1949.

The Life with Elizabeth producer tied the knot with Allen Ludden again. In 1961, he met her third husband on his game show Password as a famous guest. She accepted the television host after he asked her a few times.

After saying yes to Allen, the duo appeared together in an episode of The Odd Couple on Password. They eventually married on June 14, 1963 and lived a blissful life until Ludden’s death on June 9, 1981.

The couple had no children together. Betty was a loving and caring mother to all three of her stepchildren: David, Martha and Sarah Ludden. The children are the biological children of Allen and his ex-wife Marget McGloin.

Tess Curtis White’s Child Betty’s Cause of Death

“The Staple Panellist of American Game Shows” Betty Was Just Two and a Half Weeks Away From Celebrating Her 100th Birthday when she died. She was found dead on the morning of December 31, 2021.

According to her death certificate, White suffered a stroke 6 days before her death. She died of a cerebrovascular accident in her sleep at her home in At home, North Carmelina Avenue, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.

Betty White was cremated and her remains were given to Glenn Kaplan because he was entrusted to carry out her Advanced Health Directive.

What was Tess Curtis’ lifestyle like before she died?

Curtis was very private when she was alive. Looking at the fame and successful career of her daughter, it seems that the famous mother lived a luxurious life.

Her only child Betty White reportedly had a net worth of $75 million when she was alive. She earned $3 million a year during her long and distinguished career.