Barbara Eden

Barbara Eden Bio

Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American retired actress and singer best known for starring as Jeannie in the NBC sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970). Over a career spanning more than five decades, she built a versatile résumé that included film roles in Flaming Star (1960) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), a recurring part on Dallas in 1990, and a long list of television movies and stage musicals. Eden also recorded an album, headlined Las Vegas engagements, toured nationally in theatrical productions, and wrote a memoir. She remains a familiar presence at fan events and tribute appearances.

Early Life and Background

Barbara Eden was born on August 23, 1931, in Tucson, Arizona, to Alice Mary Franklin and Hubert Henry Morehead. She is a descendant of Benjamin Franklin. After her parents divorced, she and her mother moved to San Francisco, where her mother married Harrison Connor Huffman, a telephone lineman, by whom she had a daughter who became Eden’s half-sister. Eden grew up in San Francisco’s Parkside neighborhood and traces her family back four generations in the city, remembering stories about her grandmother who arrived in a covered wagon and her grandfather who came by clipper ship.

The Great Depression shaped her childhood. Because the family could not afford many luxuries, her mother entertained the children with singing, and Eden has described her upbringing as very musical. Her first public performance came with the church choir, where she sang solos, and as a teenager she sang in local bands led by Howard Fredericks and Freddie Martin.

Path to Celebrity

Eden studied singing with voice teacher Paulina Giovanini at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and acting at the Elizabeth Holloway School of Theater. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco in 1949 and spent one year studying theater at City College of San Francisco. Using the name Barbara Huffman, she was crowned Miss San Francisco in 1951 and also entered the Miss California pageant, an early signal of the screen presence she would soon put to work in Hollywood.

In 1955, she began her television career with appearances on The Johnny Carson Show and a long list of other programs, including Burke’s Law, The West Point Story, Highway Patrol, I Love Lucy, The Millionaire, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, and Route 66. She was an uncredited extra in the film The Tarnished Angels with Rock Hudson while under contract with 20th Century Fox, and she starred in the syndicated comedy series How to Marry a Millionaire, based on the 1953 film of the same name.

Barbara Eden Career

Early Career (1955–1964)

Eden had minor film roles in Bailout at 43,000, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, and The Wayward Girl in 1957, then stepped into leading lady territory with A Private’s Affair (1959). She co-starred opposite Elvis Presley in Flaming Star (1960) and played Lieutenant Cathy Connors in Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961). She also appeared in the Cinerama production The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, the Irwin Allen adventure Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962), and the Fox comedies Swingin’ Along and The Yellow Canary (1963). After leaving Fox, she took on guest television roles and supporting parts in films for MGM, Universal, and Columbia, including The Brass Bottle and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.

Breakthrough (1965–1970)

In 1965, producer Sidney Sheldon signed Eden to star in his fantasy sitcom I Dream of Jeannie for NBC. After several brunette starlets and beauty queens had tried out for the role, Sheldon remembered her work in The Brass Bottle and recommended her to the production. Eden played Jeannie, a beautiful genie set free from her bottle by astronaut and United States Air Force Captain, later Major, Anthony Tony Nelson, played by Larry Hagman. She played the role for five years and 139 episodes, and the series became her signature project.

During the same period she continued her musical interests. She released an album titled Miss Barbara Eden in 1967 on Dot Records, played Lalune in a television adaptation of Kismet, and appeared on numerous variety shows, including 21 Bob Hope specials, The Carol Burnett Show, The Jerry Lewis Show, and Tony Orlando and Dawn. She also headlined Las Vegas acts and toured in musical comedies.

Notable Works and Milestones

Beyond I Dream of Jeannie, Eden’s most recognizable works include Flaming Star (1960), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), Harper Valley PTA (1978), and a memorable recurring role on the final season of Dallas (1990), where she played the captivating billionairess LeeAnn de la Vega opposite Larry Hagman. She also wrote the memoir Jeannie Out of the Bottle, published on April 5, 2011 by Crown Archetype, which debuted at number 14 on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Barbara Eden Award Nominations

Public records of formal award nominations for Barbara Eden are limited, and no complete list of nominations has been verified for this profile.

Barbara Eden Awards Won

Eden has been formally recognized for her contributions to television and to public life. On November 17, 1988, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television. In 1990, the University of West Los Angeles law school granted her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Barbara Eden Family

Eden is a descendant of Benjamin Franklin and the daughter of Alice Mary Franklin and Hubert Henry Morehead. After her parents divorced, her mother married Harrison Connor Huffman, and Eden gained a half-sister through that marriage. Her niece is the writer Katherine Fugate. Eden was married to actor Michael Ansara from 1958 to 1974, to Charles Fegert from 1977 to 1982, and to architect Jon Eicholtz beginning in 1991. She is the mother of one son, Matthew Ansara, who was born in 1965 and died in 2001.

Personal Life

Eden wrote the memoir Jeannie Out of the Bottle, published on April 5, 2011 by Crown Archetype, which debuted at number 14 on The New York Times Best Seller list and offers a candid account of her childhood, her rise to fame, her co-stars, and her marriages. In her 90s, Eden continues to spend time with her husband Jon Eicholtz, her family, and her dog Bentley, while making guest appearances at comic-cons and other fan-related events.