Barbara Eden

Barbara Eden was married to actor Michael Ansara from 1958 to 1974. They had one son, Matthew Michael Ansara, who was born on August 29, 1965, and died from a drug overdose in 2001 at age 35. Eden later married Charles Fegert in 1977; their divorce is variously dated to 1982 or 1983.

Eden married real estate developer Jon Eicholtz in 1991. She has written about her marriages, motherhood and the death of her son in her memoir Jeannie Out of the Bottle.

Eden's best-known role came in 1965, when Sidney Sheldon cast her as Jeannie in the NBC fantasy sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Sheldon had seen her in The Brass Bottle, and Larry Hagman played astronaut Anthony "Tony" Nelson, the character who discovers Jeannie in a bottle.

The series ran for five seasons from 1965 to 1970, with Eden appearing in 139 episodes. Her performance earned two Golden Globe nominations. Eden and Hagman later reunited in A Howling in the Woods, on Dallas and in stage productions of Love Letters.

Eden began her screen career in the 1950s, appearing on The Johnny Carson Show and in television series including I Love Lucy, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke and The Andy Griffith Show.

Her film work included Roslyn Pierce in Flaming Star opposite Elvis Presley, Lt. Cathy Connors in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and roles in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, Five Weeks in a Balloon and The Brass Bottle. In 1978, she starred as Stella Johnson in Harper Valley PTA, a film based on the country song by Tom T. Hall. The role continued in the NBC series Harper Valley PTA, which ran from 1981 to 1982.

Eden also appeared in television movies such as The Stranger Within, Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?, Opposites Attract and Always and Forever. Her later credits included Aunt Irma in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Victoria Grayson in Army Wives and Mrs. Claus in the 2019 film My Adventures with Santa.

Eden began singing in her church choir and with local bands as a teenager. She studied voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and released the album Miss Barbara Eden on Dot Records in 1967. She also performed in Las Vegas, on variety television programs and in USO shows, including tours with Bob Hope.

Her stage work included The Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, Woman of the Year, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Odd Couple: The Female Version. She toured in Last of the Red Hot Lovers with Don Knotts and appeared in Love Letters with Larry Hagman and later in one-night performances of the play.

Eden published her memoir Jeannie Out of the Bottle in 2011. The book debuted at number 14 on The New York Times Best Seller list. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 17, 1988, for her contributions to television.