At 91, Barbara Eden has been acting for an incredible seven decades and is still going strong.
The actress, singer, and producer is best known for her role in “I Dream of Jeannie,” which began in 1965, but she had been on our screens for ten years before landing that role.
Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
I Dream of Jeannie, the famous 1960s sitcom about an astronaut who brings home a 2,000-year-old female genie, has been viewed by generations of TV viewers.
Despite the premise’s silliness, fans tuned in and laughed because of Barbara Eden, the beautiful and brilliant actress who played Jeannie.
Fans may find it hard to comprehend, but Barbara is now 91 years old!
Although she hasn’t been seen on TV in her famous harem costume in a while, she’s still going strong and keeping active.
However, Barbara’s life hasn’t always been simple.
In 1931, Barbara Eden was born in Tucson, Arizona, in the US. Her career as a voice student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music began after she moved to San Francisco following her parents’ divorce.
As a teenager in Golden Gate City, Barbara performed in local bands in local nightclubs. But eventually, she also decided to pursue acting.
“My mother said, “Barbara, you don’t sound like you mean a word you’re singing.” “I think you should study acting, too,” Eden recalled to Closer Weekly.
She then moved to Los Angeles and started performing on some of the top shows of the 1950s after finding that acting was a good fit for her.
She first appeared on our television in 1955 as a semiregular guest on The Johnny Carson Show. Still, her part in the iconic fantasy sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie” launched her to celebrity.
The native of Arizona played Jeannie, a seductive genie that astronaut and United States Air Force Captain Anthony “Tony” Nelson, played by Larry Hagman, let out from her bottle.
Getty Images
“We just … we clicked. We had the same rhythm. “We’ve got the same truth out of whatever we were doing,” Eden told Closer Weekly.
“I loved him a lot.” For some actors, you have to work at really liking them … and you put it in another box in your brain. But with Larry, I never had to do that. “He was there constantly.”
She played the part for five years, including appearing in the show as Jeannie’s mother and her evil sister. Eden’s harem attire, which at the time was a little shocking for television, contributed to Jeannie’s celebrity.
“Executives at NBC got very frightened,” she told Today in 2015, near the show’s 50th anniversary. “They became very strict about the navel.”
Actress Barbara Eden and her son Matthew Ansara attend the “Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony Honoring Barbara Eden with a Star” on November 17, 1988, at 7003 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
As a result of her friend and columnist Mike Connolly’s persistent taunting, Eden claimed that a different, far older interview with the Hollywood Reporter contributed to the legend’s development.
“When Mike came in and started teasing me about my belly button, it spread like fire around the world.” “We had a good time with it, and I would tease him back, but I had no idea it would become something.”
The classic outfit also helped to establish Eden as a TV sex icon for many people, even well-known admirers like John F. Kennedy, who texted her his phone number, and Elvis Presley.
“I binned the piece of paper, but I wish I still had it,” the actress wrote in her 2011 memoir, Jeannie Out of the Bottle.
Getty Images
Eden has been in more than 50 films and is still active at 91.
She played Mrs. Claus in her most recent movie, My Adventures with Santa, which was released in 2019. The same year the film was produced, Melissa Gardner made her theatrical debut as Melissa Gardner in the production of “Love Letters.”
“I feel young!” Barbara said Page 6, adding that she considered herself lucky to do her chosen job. “I feel sorry for people like my poor father, who had to work every day at something he didn’t like. I enjoy my work. “I still work.”
Barbara claimed that up until a few years ago, she had kept up with her gym visits, spin classes, and weightlifting. Now, a trainer visits her home to assist her with resistance training, and the two go for a walk.
“I have a lot of friends,” the TV legend said. “I’m pretty active socially.”
She is scheduled to appear in March 2022.
“If I’m around, I’ll be there; I like it,” she jokingly said.
Along with writing children’s books, Barbara enjoys performing. She co-wrote a book called Barbara and the Djinn about a young girl named Barbara who encounters a “charming and wizardly Genie” who takes her on adventures that are somewhat similar to those in her famous role.
Since “now all they do is look at telephones,” she thinks her books will help children remember the value of reading.
Barbara dismisses the notion that “I Dream of Jeannie” would seem a little outdated to viewers now.
“Come now, this is a classic theme,” she said. “One Thousand and One Nights” is a wonderful fantasy.
“And let’s be honest here; she was in the driver’s seat, you know.” She wasn’t subservient at all.
What a remarkable life Barbara Eden has led, thanks to her positive attitude and passion. She shows that age is simply a number.
If you also adore this famous actress, kindly share.
Find More Articles 👇 👇 👇
