While the idea may appear ridiculous, fans tuned in and laughed, because to the skilled and gorgeous actress who played Jeannie: Barbara Eden.
Barbara is now 91 years old, which fans may find difficult to comprehend.
And, despite the fact that she hasn’t worn her renowned harem outfit on TV in a long time, she’s still going strong and keeping active.
But Barbara’s life hasn’t always been smooth…
Barbara Eden was born in 1931 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. She relocated to San Francisco when her parents divorced, where she started her career studying voice at the Conservatory of Music.
As a youngster, Barbara sang in local bands in Golden Gate City bars. She eventually chose to pursue acting as well.
Acting proved to be a terrific match for her, and she quickly relocated to Los Angeles and started starring on some of the biggest shows of the 1950s.
She initially appeared on television in 1955 as a semi-regular on The Johnny Carson Show, but it was her part in the popular fantasy comedy “I Dream of Jeannie” that gave her a household celebrity.
Jeannie, a seductive genie let loose from her bottle by astronaut and United States Air Force Captain Anthony “Tony” Nelson, played by Larry Hagman, was played by the Arizona native.
She portrayed the part for five years, including appearing on the program as Jeannie’s nasty sister and helpless mother. Eden’s harem costume, which was deemed a little provocative for TV at the time, was another feature that made Jeannie famous.
NBC executives were quite scared, she told in 2015, approaching the show’s 50th anniversary. They got really rigorous about the navel.
After her friend and journalist Mike Connolly began teasing her about the problem, Eden claimed it was another much older interview with the Hollywood Reporter that helped propagate that mythology.
Eden’s famous outfit also cemented her status as a TV sex symbol for many people, including high-profile fans such as Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy, who texted her his phone number.
Eden has acted in over 50 films and is still working at the age of 91.
Her most recent film was My Adventures with Santa, in which she portrayed Mrs. Claus, and she also appeared as Melissa Gardner in the stage version of “Love Letters” the same year.
She is feeling youthful! Barbara informed me that she felt herself fortunate to have chosen the career she did. She feels terrible for folks like her poor father, who had to work every day at a job he despised. She enjoys what she does. She is still working.
Barbara said she went to the gym, took spin classes, and lifted weights until a few years ago. Now, a trainer visits her home to assist her with resistance training, and the two of them stroll about.
Barbara likes writing children’s books and co-wrote Barbara and The Djinn, which is about a little girl named Barbara who encounters a “charming and wizardry Genie” who takes her on adventures similar to her own renowned role.
She believes that her books would reintroduce youngsters of the joys of reading since, as she puts it, today all they do is gaze at telephones!
Barbara dismisses the notion that “I Dream of Jeannie” may appear antiquated to today’s viewers.
Barbara Eden has had an incredible life, made possible by her inspiring attitude and drive. She truly demonstrates that age is only a number.
