Which sitcom actress are you most closely connected to?

Question

In honor of her 99 years and recent passing, we are featuring Betty White in the Connection Finder this week. She is remembered fondly as Rose on "Golden Girls" and in many other roles.

Featured alongside her are other beloved ladies of sitcoms:

• Lucille Ball, "I Love Lucy"
• Audrey Cotter, "The Honeymooners"
• Elspet Gray, "Black Adder III"
• Lisa Kudrow, "Friends"
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Seinfeld" and "Veep"
• Penny Marshall, "Laverne & Shirley"
• Rue McClanahan, "Golden Girls"
• Mary Tyler Moore, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
• Doris Roberts, "Everybody Loves Raymond"
• Jean Stapleton, "All In The Family"

Which Sitcom Star you most closely connected to? If you're one of the 24.5 million of us who are connected to each other on our big tree you can check with the Connection Finder.

You can check for shared ancestors with the Relationship Finder. Are you a cousin to any of them? Your Relationship Finder Quick Links page (see your profile pull-down menu under "Relationships") has quick links for several notable groups.

Special feature: Check out how you're connected to other Famous Actors of the 20th Century by using the green MyConnections button in the upper right hand corner of the category page. Browse related categories like Hollywood Walk of Fame and Australia Actors.

Let us know how you're related below! If you want to share your connection on social media with cousins and friends, click the "get shareable image" below the results, e.g. Betty White and Rue McClanahan. Then just upload it along with the URL of your direct connection. (Please refrain from sharing your connection on the featured profiles themselves, though. It clutters conversations on research and collaboration. Thanks!)

Help us with next week's feature: Explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic (bumped from this week). Help us choose and improve profiles for it.

Comments

Betty White…15th cousins 3x removed

Carol Burnett (not mentioned) 11th cousins once removed

Rue McClanahan…9th cousins once removed

Lucille Ball…15th cousins

Answer 1

Very surprised to see how closely related I am to Lucille Ball! Thank you 

Lucille and Andrew are 9th cousins twice removed

Comments

Me too, Andrew! I am 16 degrees away and 7th Cousins, once removed. I was always called "Lucille Ball" growing up and hated that! I still liked her and her shows though.

Answer 2

16 degrees from Rue McClanahan (7th cousins, 1x removed)
18 degrees from Jean Stapleton
19 degrees from Betty White (13th cousins, 3x removed)
19 degrees from Lucille Ball (9th cousins, 3x removed)
19 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus
19 degrees from Audrey Meadows (10th cousins, 3x removed)
21 degrees from Mary Moore
24 degrees from Doris Roberts
25 degrees from Penny Marshall
35 degrees from Elspet Gray
36 degrees from Lisa Kudrow

Answer 3

• 13 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• 18 degrees from Lucille Desiree Ball (1911 - 1989) - 9C
• 20 degrees from Betty Marion White (1922 - 2021) - 17C 1r
• 20 degrees from Audrey (Cotter) Six (1922 - 1996)
• 20 degrees from Eddi-Rue McClanahan (1934 - 2010) - 15C 1xR
• 22 degrees from Mary Tyler Moore (1936 - 2017)
• 22 degrees from Doris May (Green) Roberts (1925 - 2016)
• 25 degrees from Carole Penny (Marshall) Reiner (1943 - 2018)
• 25 degrees from Jeanne (Murray) Stapleton (1923 - 2013)
• 36 degrees from Elspet Jean (Macgregor-Gray) Gray (1929 - 2013)
• 36 degrees from Lisa Kudrow

Comments

My closest connection is to an Australian actress not listed -- 13 degrees from Bunney Brooke.  Everyone else is 22 degrees or greater.

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We put this together in a few hours and was coming up short on international searches. Thanks for sharing, Melanie. I'll add her to our list so we have her for future features.

Answer 4

 19 degrees from Betty White, 16c3xr
20 degrees from Lucille Ball, 10c2xr
20 degrees from Audrey Six, 
35 degrees from Elspet Gray, 
33 degrees from Lisa Kudrow, 
18 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 
24 degrees from Penny Reiner, 
18 degrees from Rue McClanahan, 14c4xr
21 degrees from Mary Moore, 
25 degrees from Doris Roberts, 
22 degrees from Jean Stapleton 

 

 

Answer 5

Betty - 7th cousin 3x removed (thanks for the memories)

Lucy - 7th cousin 1x removed

Rue - 6th cousin 1x removed

Answer 6

18 degrees from Betty White, 15C1R
19 degrees from Lucille Ball, 15C1R
16 degrees from Audrey Meadows,
37 degrees from Elspet Gray,
37 degrees from Lisa Kudrow,
20 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
24 degrees from Penny Marshall,
17 degrees from Rue McClanahan, 8C
22 degrees from Mary Moore,
25 degrees from Doris Roberts,
23 degrees from Jean Stapleton,
24 degrees from Denise Hunt

added: I'm surprised to see how many of us are related to Lucy, Rue and Betty.

Answer 7

Betty White is my 19th cousin.

Lucille Ball is my 7th cousin 2x removed.

Rue McClanahan is my 11th cousin 1x removed.

Comments

I'm close to this too. Lucille Ball is my 10th cousin 2x removed and Rue Mc Clanahan is my 16th cousin 2x removed while Betty is my 19th cousin 2x removed)

Answer 8

Happy to be able to say that Betty White herself is my closest, at 18 degrees.

More importantly, however, big time shoutout to Dagmar Thorisdottir of the Nordic Project, for finding Betty's Danish roots! Thanks to her, & Ole Selmer, the project intends to continue expanding on that side of Betty's tree.

Comments

I'm closest connected and related to Lucille Ball, 19 degrees, 8th Cousin, 2x removed. Who doesn't love Lucy? I was hoping for Mary Tyler Moore though because I've been watching her show on Hulu ;)

Answer 9

• Betty White: 19th cousins five times removed, 18 degrees connection
• Lucille Ball: 9th cousins three times removed, 20 degrees connection
• Audrey Cotter: 22 degrees connection
• Elspet Gray: 38 degrees connection
• Lisa Kudrow: 35 degrees connection
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus: 22 degrees connection
• Penny Marshall: 27 degrees connection
• Rue McClanahan: 15th cousins three times removed, 21 degrees connection
• Mary Tyler Moore: 23 degrees connection
• Doris Roberts: 25 degrees connection
• Jean Stapleton: 25 degrees connection

Answer 10

I am most closely connected to Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Rue McClanahan at 21 degrees of separation.

• 21 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• 21 degrees from Rue McClanahan
• 22 degrees from Betty White
• 23 degrees from Lucille Ball
• 23 degrees from Audrey Meadows
• 23 degrees from Doris Roberts
• 24 degrees from Mary Moore
• 26 degrees from Jean Stapleton
• 28 degrees from Penny Marshall
• 29 degrees from Lisa Kudrow
• 38 degrees from Elspet Gray

 

Answer 11

I am most closely connected to Lucille Ball at 23 degrees.

Answer 12

19 degrees from Lucille Ball, 

19 degrees from Mary Moore, 

20 degrees from Betty White, 

21 degrees from Audrey Meadows, 

21 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 

Answer 13

Betty White - 14th cousin 3x removed

Lucille Ball - 9th cousin 1x removed

Answer 14

34 degrees from Lucille Ball, through only 3 marriages! I know this is pretty far for most WikiTreeers, who are American, but for me it's really not that bad haha

Answer 15

 20 degrees from Betty White, 18 degrees from Lucille Ball, 21 degrees from Audrey Meadows, 36 degrees from Elspet Gray, 36 degrees from Lisa Kudrow, 24 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 25 degrees from Penny Marshall, 22 degrees from Rue McClanahan, 22 degrees from Mary Moore, 18 degrees from Doris Roberts, 26 degrees from Jean Stapleton

No relationship with Doris Roberts, but Lucy is a ninth cousin, and Betty White a 13th cousin. 

Answer 16

18 degrees from Rue McClanahan. Wikitree makes her out to be my 11th cousin twice removed, MRCA Samuel Bridger (abt 1584 - 1650). Problem. If a Newberry County South Carolina Pitts were an Isle of Wight County Virginia Pitt when the DNA says otherwise.

19 degrees from Audrey Meadows.8th cousin once removed with her husband, Robert Logan Foreman Six. MRCA Sarah Elizabeth (Ferris) Woodson (1654 - abt 1689}.

20 degrees from Betty White. 15th cousin twice removed. MRCA Anne (Stanley) Gresley (abt 1421 - ?).

20 degrees from Lucille Ball. 13th cousin. MRCA Gaynor (ferch Robert) Puleston (abt 1495 - ?).

20 degrees from Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

20 degrees from Mary Tyler Moore.

21 degrees from Jean Stapleton.

23 degrees from Doris Roberts.

26 degrees from Penny  Marshal.

35 degrees from Lisa Kudrow.

36 degrees from Elspet Gray.

.

Answer 17

16 degrees from Betty White, and 7th cousin once removed. 

Betty Marion White (1922-2021) and Alexis (Lovelace) Nelson are both descendants of John Miller (1666-1714).

Comments

Alexis, it now makes sense.  You are related to Betty White.  That's where you get your spunk!  

Answer 18

I sort of expected that my closest connection would be Lucille Ball (who is my 8th cousin once removed) or maybe Betty White, so I was surprised that Connection Finder finds my closest connection in this group as Julia Louis-Dreyfus at just 16 degrees, via a melange of Pennsylvania relatives. Julia is not a blood relative. Lucy and Betty are both connected at 17 degrees.

Comments

A new surprise!

It appears that someone has been working on Jean Stapleton's genealogy, as she is now also 16 degrees from me, and a 6th cousin 3x removed, via some  Pennsylvania ancestors.

Answer 19

Betty White is first on the list, and one of several who are 22 degrees removed from me.  Another comedienne is Ruby Wax, who was unknown to me until I picked up a book she wrote.  Her theory is that many comediennes are basically depressed.  She herself found mindfulness therapy very helpful.  She went back to University to qualify with all the pre-requisites, then went to Oxford to do a post-graduate degree with the Professor who started the movement.  I can't find his name on a quick search, only the Americans who turned it into $$$.  Another group is wrestlers, who predominate in running podcasts about depression, but I don't know why. (I inherited major depression, and have spent a lifetime looking forlornly for a cure.This is an ultimate goal of genetic therapy.)

Answer 20

Lucille Ball is 16 degrees and a 7th cousin once removed.

Mary Moore is also 16 degrees.  The path includes her great-grandfather Lewis Moore and my grandmother Dorothy Moore Ensminger.  That is misleading though, because there seems to be no connection path that is 100% Moore.