Barbara Eden

Infobox actor
name = Barbara Eden
birthname = Barbara Jean Morehead


caption = Barbara Eden with Howard Frank, October 2005. Photo: Howard Frank Archives
birthdate = birth date and age|1934|08|23
birthplace = Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.

Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead on August 23, 1934) is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie".

Early years

Eden was born Barbara Jean Moorhead in Tucson, Arizona, the daughter of Alice Mary (née Franklin), and Hubert Henry Moorhead. She is of Welsh, English, Irish, and Scottish heritage.

Her parents divorced when she was 3, she and her mother Alice moved to San Francisco where later her mother married Harrison Connor Huffman, a telephone lineman. The Great Depression deeply affected the Huffman family, and as they were unable to afford many luxuries, Barbara's mother entertained the children by singing songs. This musical background left a lasting impression on the actress, who began taking acting classes because she felt it might help her improve her singing.

She was an all American cheerleader in high school and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco in 1949, and was elected Miss San Francisco in 1951. Barbara also entered the Miss California pageant, but did not win.

TV and film roles

Eden made featured appearances on popular television shows such as "The Johnny Carson Show", "West Point Story", "Highway Patrol", "Private Secretary", "I Love Lucy", "The Millionaire", "Crossroads","Perry Mason", "Gunsmoke", "December Bride","Bachelor Father", "San Francisco Beat","Father Knows Best", "Adventures in Paradise", "The Andy Griffith Show", "", "Cain's Hundred", "Saints and Sinners" , "The Virginian", "Slattery's People","The Rouges",and the series finale of "Route 66" playing the role of Margo. She guest starred in four episodes of "Burke's Law" playing different roles each time. She was an uncredited extra in the movie "The Tarnished Angels" with Rock Hudson. Eden made her film debut in "Back from Eternity" (1956), and the following year she starred in the television series "How to Marry a Millionaire", playing the role of "Loco Jones".Although Barbara played the TV version of the Marilyn Monroe film role she never thought of herself as that kind of actress so she approched the role more like a character.The show ran for 2 years in first run syndication produced by National Telefilms who were trying to begin a 4th network at the time for 20Th Century Fox studios, producing 52 episodes.Her co stars were Merry Anders, and Lori Nelson. After 39 episodes Lori Nelson quit the show. Barbara Eden playing Loco Jones and Merry Anders playing Mike McCall continued with the show when episode 40 began it was mentioned that Lori Nelson's character of Greta Hanson had married a man who was not a millionaire and moved away.Lisa Gaye joined the show in the role of Gwen Kirby from episodes 40 thru 52.

Discovery in the Hollywood sense came her way when she starred in a play with James Drury and a film director named Mark Robson who later directed her in the movie "From The Terrace" had come to the play and wanted her for 20th Century Fox studios.Her screen test was the Joanne Woodward role in "No Down Payment" though she did not get the role.The studio gave her a contract. Eden did a screen test for the role of Betty Anderson in 1956 for the movie "Peyton Place" though Terry Moore got the role. She had roles in "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" and "The Wayward Girl" and then became a leading lady in films and starred opposite Gary Crosby in "A Private's Affair" and had a notable part in "Flaming Star" (1960), with Elvis Presley and Dolores del Rio. The following year, she played in a supporting role as Lt. Cathy Connors in Irwin Allen's "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea",with Frankie Avalon playing the trumpet while she danced in one of many successful science fiction outings by the so called "Master of Disaster." She starred in "The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm" a George Pal film for MGMand another Irwin Allen production for 20Th Century Fox "Five Weeks in A Balloon" (1962) She did a screen test with Andy Williams for the 20th Century Fox movie State Fair though didn't get the role.Her last film for 20th Century Fox was "The Yellow Canary" (1963). She left Fox studios and began Guest starring in shows like "Saints And Sinners" playing the role of Nora Love a Marilyn Monroe kind of actress and also doing films for MGM,Universal and Columbia.She played supporting roles in films over the next few years, including "The Brass Bottle" and the notable, if odd, movie "7 Faces of Dr. Lao", both with Tony Randall. In "The New Interns" she co starred with Michael Callan. She starred in the beach movie "Ride The Wild Surf" playing the role of Augie with Fabian. She did a screen test for the movie Mickey One though didn't get the role.Then she signed to play Jeannie who became her most famous and widely-recognized role, the character of a genie in a bottle rescued by an astronaut in the long-running television sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie". She played the role of Jeannie for 5 years and 139 episodes.Eden also played Jeannie's sister Jeannie in nine episodes and Jeannie's Mother Mrs Jeannie in 2 episodes.

After Jeannie , she did a pilot called "The Barbara Eden Show" and another pilot called "The Toy Game".She also began starring in and sometimes producing a string of successful made for TV movies , making at least one a year for one of the networks and they all were top rated. Some more memorable than others. The first TV movie she starred in was called "The Feminist And The Fuzz".Although best known for her comedy roles most of the Tv movies were dramas like when she starred with her Jeannie co star Larry Hagman in "A Howling in The Woods" (1971). She starred in the role of Dina Hunter in the CBS TV movie "The Woman Hunter" (1972) with Robert Vaughn who she had earlier guest starred in a episode of "Gunsmoke" with in 1957.In the made-for-television film "The Stranger Within" (1974), Eden plays unwitting housewife Ann Collins, who becomes one of many earthling women that are extraterrestrially impregnated. Like the mother-to-be in Rosemary's Baby, Ann develops unusual prepartum cravings (in this case, coffee-grounds instead of blood-rare meat). The screenplay is written by and based upon Richard Matheson's story, and directed by Lee Philips.

Barbara played the role of Liz Stonestreet, a former policewoman now private detective investigating the disappearance of a missing heiress and a man who worked at the theatre in a critically acclaimed TV movie "" (1977). She played Lee Rawlins a woman who worked at a department store in the ABC TV movie "The Girls in The Office" (1979) and starred in and co produced with her own production company the NBC TV movie romantic comedy "The Secret Life Of Kathy McCormick" (1988) about a woman who works in a supermarket.

In addition she starred in and produced with her production company the romantic comedy TV movie "Opposites Attract" (1990) co starring John Forsythe

I Dream of Jeannie

Eden starred as a genie named Jeannie, set free from her bottle by astronaut Major Anthony Nelson, played by Larry Hagman. Barbara was initially passed over for the role as she was blonde and of small stature, but Sidney Sheldon called on her when he was unable to find a suitable brunette to play the part. "I Dream of Jeannie" was a mild success in the ratings, and it ran from 1965 until 1970, and during this time Eden was nominated twice for Golden Globe Awards. She later reprised her Jeannie role in two made-for-TV reunion movies ("" in 1985 and "I Still Dream of Jeannie" in 1991), and in the last scene of the theatrical movie "A Very Brady Sequel". She also has played Jeannie in many TV commercials (AT&T, Lexus, Old Navy.

Marriages

Eden met actor Michael George Ansara in October of 1957, as part of a blind date arranged by her studio and publicist Booker McClay. They married in St Nicholas Church in Hollywood January 17, 1958.Barbara had difficulty conceiving and her first pregnancy in 1961 ended in miscarriage. Four years later, her son Matthew Michael Ansara was born Sunday, August 29, 1965, at 6:59am weighing 9 pounds shortly after 11 episodes of the first season of I dream of Jeannie were filmed. The situation forced the directors of the show to work around her obvious pregnancy by covering her with veils, and filming only above her waist. Matthew died on June 25 2001 from a drug overdose. She also had a stillborn boy, who died in 1971 at eight months in utero, from a pinched umbilical cord. Ansara and Eden divorced in May 1974.

She was married to her second husband, "Chicago Sun-Times" executive Charles Donald Fegert, from September 1977 to 1983. She married her third and current husband, Los Angeles real estate developer Jon Trusdale Eicholtz, on January 5, 1991 at the Grace Cathedral Church in San Francisco.

Later career

She continued to appear regularly on stage starring in the play "Blithe Spirit" and in television specials like Telly...Who Loves Ya Baby? with Telly Savalas and "The Best Of Everything" with Hal Linden and Dorothy Loudon. She starred in commercials for L'Egg's pantyhose for 4 years.

In 1978, she starred in the feature film "Harper Valley PTA" based on the popular country song. This led to a namesake television series in 1981; in both the movie and the TV series, she played the show's heroine, Stella Johnson. The show won 11 of its 13 timeslots during its first season. The show was a comedy Peyton Place with Anne Francine playing the role of the wealthy villain Flora Simpson Reilly. In one episode Stella dressed in a blue and gold genie costume and in another she played both Stella and her cousin Della Smith (similar to Jeannie's evil twin-sister character). The show Harper Valley PTA began January 16, 1981 and was renamed simply Harper Valley when the show began its second season on October 29,1981. The show ran until August 14, 1982, producing 29 episodes for NBC and Universal MCA, which were rerun in 2000 by TV Land.

From April 3, 1984 thru September 16, 1984 Barbara Eden starred in the national touring production of the Lee Guber and Shelly Gross production of John Kander and Fred Ebb Tony Award winning musical comedy stage play "Woman Of The Year" playing the role of Tess Harding Craig with Don Chastain playing Sam Craig and Marilyn Cooper playing Jan Donovan. Jef Billings made her costumes. In 1987 She did the TV special "The Great American Quiz Show" with Tony Randall, Isabel Sanford, Marc Price and John Davidson. In 1989, She starred in the TV movie Brand New Life which had spun off a limited run series of the same name.Then in 1990, Eden had a recurring role of a Billionairess in five episodes of the final season of "Dallas", playing the captivating character Lee Ann De La Vega, reuniting her with her "I Dream of Jeannie" co-star Hagman. In her final episode, the character says her maiden name was "Lee Ann Nelson," which was a production gag as "Nelson" was the surname of Hagman's character, and Eden's character's married name in "I Dream of Jeannie". In 1991 she starred in the stage play "Same Time,Next Year" with Wayne Rogers and reprised her most famous role of Jeannie and her sister Jeannie in a TV movie of the week. Though in betwewen the Tv and films she was doing stage productions like in 1993 she starred in an 11 city national tour of the play ,"Last Of The Red Hot Lovers" with Don Knotts. She also made three guest appearances in the last few seasons of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" as the evil family matriarch, Great Aunt Irma.

Eden is also a singer, and has starred in many musical comedy stage plays like "Nite Club Confidential" playing the role of Kay Goodman in 1996, "The Sound Of Music", "Annie Get Your Gun" ,"South Pacific" with Robert Goulet,"The Pajama Game" with John Raitt ,and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" playing Loreli Lee with Rita McKenzie and has been a musical guest star in over 50 variety TV shows, including 21 Bob Hope specials,The Carol Burnett Show,The Jonathan Winters Show,The Jerry Lewis Show ,This is Tom Jones show,Tony Orlando and Dawn and Donny and Marie. She released an album entitled "Miss Barbara Eden" in 1967, under the record label Dot Records. She also recorded 3 songs in 1978 for the "Harper Valley P.T.A. Soundtrack".

Eden wrote an autobiography, "Barbara Eden: My Story", published in October 1989. Although issued an ISBN number for circulation, the book was not mass-produced and disputes over its content between the publisher and Eden prevented circulation. fact|date=December 2007

Eden received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in the spring of 1990 from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. On November 17, 1988 She received the honor of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame sidewalk for her contributions to television at 2003 Hollywood Boulevard.

From 2000 until 2004 she starred in the national touring production of the play "The Odd Couple...The Female Version" playing the role of the neat one Florence Unger with Rita McKenzie playing the role of Olive Madison.In March 2006, Barbara Eden reunited with her former "I Dream Of Jeannie" co-star Larry Hagman for a publicity tour in New York City to promote the first season DVD of "I Dream Of Jeannie". They appeared together on such shows as "Good Morning America","The View", "Martha", "Access Hollywood", "Entertainment Tonight", and "Showbiz Tonight".

Also in March 2006 Hagman and Eden reunited onstage for the play "Love Letters" at the College of Staten Island in New York and at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. This was Eden's first visit to the Academy since appearing in "The West Point Story" in 1956. It was also the first time the two had acted together since appearing on the TV series "Dallas" in 1990.

Eden's most recent work was starring in the play "Love Letters" with Hal Linden and a guest starring role on the Lifetime series "Army Wives", written and produced by her niece, Katherine Fugate. [ [http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0208loveletters0208.html We Love 'Letters' ] ] .

Filmography

*"Back from Eternity" (1956) (RKO) (Debut) (Role "Blonde College Girl From School Paper)
*"Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957) (20Th Century Fox) (Role "Miss Carstairs")
*"The Wayward Girl" (1957) (Republic) (role "Molly" waitress)
*"The Tarnished Angels" (1958) (Universal) (Uncredited Extra)
*"A Private's Affair" (1959) (20Th Century Fox) (Role "Katey Mulligan")
*"Twelve Hours to Kill" (1960) (20Th Century Fox) (Role "Lucy Hall")
*"Flaming Star" (1960) (20Th Century Fox) (Role "Ros")
*"From the Terrace" (1960) (20Th Century Fox) (Role "Clemmie Shreve")
*"Swingin' Along" (1961) (20Th Century Fox)(Role "Carol walker")
*"All Hands on Deck" (1961) (20Th Century Fox)(Role "Sally Hobson")
*"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1961) (20th Century Fox)
*"The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" (1962) (MGM) (Role "Greta Heinrich")
*"Five Weeks in a Balloon" (1962) (20Th Century Fox) (Role "Susan Gale")
*"The Yellow Canary" (1963)(20Th Century Fox) (Role "Lissa Paxton")
*"7 Faces of Dr. Lao" (1964)(MGM) (Role "Angela Benedict")
*"The Brass Bottle" (1964)(Universal)(Role "Sylvia Kenton")
*"The New Interns" (1964)(Columbia Pictures)(Role "Laura Rogers")
*"Ride the Wild Surf" (1964) (Columbia Pictures) (Role "Augie")
*"Quick, Let's Get Married" (1964)(Kay Lewis Enterprises) (Role "Pia Pacelli")
*"The Feminist And The Fuzz" (1971) (ABC) (Screen Gems) (Role "Jane Bowers")
*"The Woman Hunter" (1972) (CBS) (Role "Dina Hunter")
*"The Stranger Within" (1974) (ABC) (Lorimar) (Role "Ann Collins")
*"Let's Switch" (1975) (ABC) (UNiversal MCA) (Role "Lacey Colbert")
*"The Amazing Dobermans" (1976) (Golden Films)(Role "Justine")
*"Harper Valley PTA" (1978) (April Fools Productions) (Role "Mrs Stella Johnson")
*"Chattanooga Choo Choo" (1984) (April Fools Productions)(Role "Maggie Jones")
*"The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal" (1985) (documentary)
*"I Dream Of Jeannie...15 Years Later" (1985) (NBC) (Columbia Pictures TV) (Roles "Jeannie Nelson" and Jeannie's Sister "Jeannie")
*"The Stepford Children" (1987)(NBC) (Role "Laura Harding")
*"The Secret Life Of Kathy McCormick" (1988) (NBC) (Role "Kathy McCormick")
*"Your Mother Wears Combat Boots" (1989) (NBC) (Role "Brenda Andersen")
*"" (1989) (NBC) (Role "Barbara McCray Gibbons")
*"Opposites Attract" (1990)(NBC) (Role "Charlene 'Charlie' McKeon")
*"I Still Dream Of Jeannie'" (1991) (NBC)(Columbia Pictures TV) (Roles "Jeannie Nelson" and Jeannie's Sister "Jeanney")
*"Dead Man's Island" (1996) (CBS) (Role "Henretta 'Henrie O' O'Dwyer Collins")
*"A Very Brady Sequel" (1996) (cameo Role "Jeannie")(Paramount)
*"Loco Love" (2003) (Role "Jackie")
*"Carolina" (2003) (Direct-to-Video)(Role "Daphne St Claire")

Television work

*"The West Point Story" (1956) Episode: "A Tough Decision"
*"Private Secretary" 1957) Episode: "The Big Shot"
*"Highway Patrol" 1957 Episode: "Hostage Copter"
*"I Love Lucy" (1957) Episode: "The Country Club Dance"
*"The Millionaire" (1957) Episode: The Ted McAllister Story"
*"Crossroads" (1957) Episode 'A Green Hill Faraway"
*"Perry Mason" (1957) Episode: "The Case of the Angry Mourner"
*"Gunsmoke (1957) Episode: "Romeo"
*"December Bride (1957) Episode: "The Other Woman"
*"How to Marry a Millionaire" (1957-1959) (52 episodes)
*"Father Knows Best" (1958) Episode: "The Rivals"
*"Adventures in Paradise (1961) Episode: "Inheritance"
*"The Andy Griffith Show" (1962) Episode: "The Manicurist"
*" (1962) Episode: "Babes in Wall Street"
*"Cain's Hundred (1962) Episode: "Savage in Darkness"
*"Saints And Sinners" (1962) Episode: "Daddy's Girl"
*"Franctured Flickers (1963) Episode
*"Burke's Law" (1963) Episode: "Who Killed Harris Crown?"
*"Burke's Law" (1964) Episode: "Who Killed The Paper Dragon?"
*"Route 66" (1964) Episode: "Where There's A Will, There's A Way" (1)
*"Route 66" (1964) Episode: "Where There's A Will, There's A Way" (2)
*"The Virginian" (1964) Episode: "The Brazo's Kid"
*"Burke's Law (1964) Episode: "Who Killed Cornelius Gilbert?"
*"Burke's Law (1965) Episode: "Who Killed The Man On The White Horse?"
*"Slattery's People" (1965) Episode: "Question: When Do We Hang The Good Samartian?"
*"The Rouges" (1965) Episode: "Wherefore Art Thou Harold?"
*"I Dream of Jeannie" (1965-1970) (139 episodes)
*"Password" (1966) (5 episodes)
*"Kismet" (1967)
*"The Jonathan Winters Show" (1967)
*"Bob Hope Special From Madison Square Garden (1968)
*"This is Tom Jones (2 episodes)
*"Bob Hope Special From NASA
*"Bob Hope Special (1970)
*"The Feminist and the Fuzz" (1971)
*"Bob Hope Special" (1971)
*"A Howling in the Woods" (1971)
*"The Electric Company (1972) Episode
*"Love is... Barbara Eden" (1972)
*"The Barbara Eden Show" (1973) (unsold TV pilot)
*"Bob Hope Special" (1973)
*"The Toy Game" (1973) (unsold pilot)
*"Guess Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?" (1973)
*"The Stranger Within" (1974)
*"Out to Lunch" (1974)
*"Let's Switch!" (1975)
*"Telly...Who Loves Ya Baby?" (1976)(Special)
*"Break The Bank" (1976)
*"How to Break Up a Happy Divorce" (1976)
*"Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?" (1977)
*"Bob Hope Special From Austraila" (1978)
*"The Girls in the Office" (1979)
*"Men Who rate A 10" (1980) (Special)
*"Condominium" (1980)
*"Harper Valley PTA" (1981-1982)(29 episodes)
*"Return of the Rebels" (1981)
*"Your Choice For The Film Awards Show" (1983)
*"The Best Of Everything" (1983)
*"Entertainment Tonight" Episode "January 9,1984"
*"Entertainment Tonight" Episode "January 16,1984"
*"TV Censord Bloopers #7" (1984)
*"The Morning Show" (1984) Episode "April 9,1984"
*"The Glenn Rothenberger Show" (1984) Episode: "April 10,1984"
*"Good Morning America" Episode: "April 26,1984"
*"Woman of the Year" (1984)
*"Star Search" Episode: "November 3,1984"
*"The 53Rd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade" (1984)
*"The 14Th Annual Fiesta Bowl Parade" (1984
*"" (1985)
*"Bob Hope Christmas Special" (1985)
*"It's A Great Life" Episode: "February 26,1986"
*"The 11Th Annual Circus Of The Stars" (1986) (Special)(Hostess)
*"The Stepford Children" (1987)
*"The Great American Quiz Show" (1987)
*"The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1987) Episode: "Do Blondes Have More Fun?"
*"Bob Hope USO Show Special From The Persian Gulf Around The World in 8 Days" (1988)
*"Talk Of The Town" (1988) Episode: "September 30,1988"
*"The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick" (1988)
*"Your Mother Wears Combat Boots" (1989) (TV Movie)
*"A Brand New Life" (1989-1990) (7 episodes)
*"Opposites Attract" (1990)
*"Dallas" (1990-1991) (5 episodes)
*"Her Wicked Ways" (1991)
*"Hell Hath No Fury" (1991)
*"I Still Dream of Jeannie" (1991)
*"Visions of Murder" (1993)
*"Eyes of Terror" (1994)
*"A Very Brady Sequel" (1996)
*"Dead Man's Island" (1996)
*"Nite Club Confidential" (1996)
*"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1998)
*"A Magical Evening with Barbara Eden" (1999)
*"At Home with Barbara Eden" (2001)
*"Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (2002-2003) (3 episodes)
*"The George Lopez Show" (2006) Episode: "George is Maid to be Ruth-Less"
*"Army Wives" (2007) Episode "Truth and Consequences"
*"Pioneers Of Television" Episode "Comedy" (2008)
*"Entertainment Tonight" Episode "August 23,2008"

References

External links

* [http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/barbara_eden_remembers_elvis_presley.shtml Interview with Barbara Eden] - Elvis Australia
* [http://www.barbara-eden-online.com/ Barbara Eden Online] - Barbara Eden Online/ Website
*imdb name|id=0001174|name=Barbara Eden
* [http://www.pbase.com/lmcintyre62/lll Love Letters New York] * Eisenhower Hall, USMA, West Point, New York; College of SI, Staten Island, New York