Barbara Eden is a renowned actress, singer, and producer who rose to fame with her role as Jeannie, a 2,000-year-old genie who falls in love with an astronaut who frees her from a bottle, in the comedy series “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965–1970). The show became a classic, and reruns introduced Eden to generations of fans. However, Eden has also appeared in many other films and TV shows since the mid-1950s, working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Lucille Ball, Clint Eastwood, and Elvis Presley. Eden’s life and career are full of fascinating stories that may surprise even her most devoted admirers. Join FactsVerse as we discover some secrets and truths about Barbara Eden you may not know.
Her first job in Hollywood was working in a bank.
Like many aspiring actors, Barbara Eden left her hometown of San Francisco to pursue her dream of becoming a Hollywood star in Los Angeles. However, her career did not get off to a promising start. When she went to see an agent, he gave her a discouraging assessment. According to the agent, she wasn’t tough or pretty enough, and her breasts weren’t big enough. This left her crushed, and she ended up working at a bank since she didn’t have any relatives in the industry and didn’t know enough to qualify for the Screen Actors Guild membership.
Despite the agent’s negative feedback, Eden didn’t give up on her dream. Instead, she decided to aim at becoming a character actor rather than a leading lady. Several months later, she ran into the same agent while working at the Warner Bros. lot. Even after she told him about their previous conversation, he still couldn’t place her. However, he did offer to do a screen test with her, which ended up being a pivotal moment in her career.
Thanks to a chance meeting during an audition, Eden was able to break into the industry and leave the bank behind. She met a girl who suggested she audition for a dance show, even though Eden had no dance experience. After insisting that she was an actor, the girl encouraged her to audition anyway, and she ended up getting the job.
She was secretly pregnant on I Dream of Jeannie.
In 1965, Barbara Eden starred in a pilot episode for a sitcom with a pretty ridiculous premise. She played a genie trapped inside a bottle which is freed, not by Aladdin, but by an astronaut played by Larry Hagman, who crash-lands on a deserted island due to a malfunction with his spacecraft. As fate will have it, on the same day that Eden knows she’s pregnant, she discovers that the pilot episode for “I Dream of Jeannie” picks up for a full series.
This confluence of good news was quite complicated, given that Eden’s character was very much not pregnant. However, instead of recasting the role of Jeannie the genie, the decision was made to film with Eden, concealing her condition behind various props and billowing veils. Eden told the producers, expecting to be fired, but to her surprise, they decided to continue with her as the lead actress.
CNN Interview With Piers Morgan
During a CNN interview with Piers Morgan, Barbara Eden joked that she had many scarves during her pregnancy that looked like a walking tent. The production team had to be creative in finding ways to hide Eden’s pregnancy, such as positioning her behind furniture and other objects. The only time that it was a little ticklish, as Eden puts it, was when the director, Gene Nelson, had a red two-piece bathing suit he wanted her to wear.
Despite Eden’s reminder that she was pregnant, Nelson insisted that she try on the bathing suit, so she obliged. However, when the director saw her in the bathing suit, he knew that they had to continue hiding her pregnancy from the viewers.
In the end, the efforts paid off, and “I Dream of Jeannie” went on to become a huge success, running for five seasons and a total of 139 episodes. Eden’s performance as Jeannie is still well-loved by audiences to this day, and the show remains a classic of American television.
Barbara Eden saved her I Dream of Jeannie co-star.
During the making of “I Dream of Jeannie,” a complicated dynamic developed between co-stars Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden. In her book “Jeannie Out of the Bottle,” Eden explained that Hagman had expected the show to launch him to stardom. However, creator Sidney Sheldon says that the public interest in Jeannie, not Hagman’s character. As a result, Hagman coped with his frustrations by turning to alcohol and drugs. He is famous to drink champagne all day and smoke pot in his dressing room between scenes. Despite his behavior, Eden considered him a “great human being but a troubled man.”
Hagman’s antics on set were becoming disruptive, and producers were considering firing him and recasting his role. However, Eden intervened and saved his job by telling the producers that he simply had difficulty getting along with people. Eden believed that it would be foolish to replace him in the middle of the show. Meanwhile, Hagman’s frustration with the show’s shallow scripts led to outlandish behavior, including urinating on furniture and chasing away a group of visiting nuns with an axe.
Barbara Eden turned down advances from famous men.
Barbara Eden is a Hollywood legend who has been in the spotlight for over six decades. As a beautiful Hollywood star, she approaches by her male co-stars, including Welsh singer Tom Jones when she appears on his TV variety show. In an interview with the Express, Eden revealed that Jones was wonderful and that he proposed to her. However, she turns him down since she marries. But that isn’t the only time she proposes to a famous personality.
In her memoir and an interview with Sunday Life magazine, Eden wrote that she was once approached by future President John F. Kennedy. In 1957, while at an airport, a man approached her and asked if she’d like to meet the then-Massachusetts senator. She agreed, and they briefly said hello and goodbye. As she was boarding the plane, she found a note in her coat pocket that read “Call me” and had a phone number on it. She further wrote that she threw away the note, but later regretted not keeping it. The incident suggests that Kennedy was not hesitant in approaching attractive women even before he became the president.
Barbara Eden And Elvis Presley
Eden’s star power also caught the attention of Elvis Presley. While working as a chorus girl, she caught the eye of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, who called the club’s manager to inquire about a potential date. She didn’t think much of it at the time and assumed the owner was joking. However, three years later, she found herself working with Presley on the film “Flaming Star.” In an interview with Sunday Life, Eden recounted how Presley tried to seduce her by confiding his vulnerabilities to her. Even though she flatters by his attention, she didn’t reciprocate his advances.
Despite the attention she received from famous men, Eden claimed that dating wasn’t a priority for her as a teenager. She focuses on her career aspirations, particularly her desire to become a singer and actress. Even so, she manages to attract plenty of admirers, many of whom consider her big catches at the time.
She tragically lost her son to addiction.
Barbara Eden, star of the show “I Dream of Jeannie,” had a son named Matthew with her then-husband Michael Ansara while filming the first season of the show. However, Eden faces a mother’s worst fear in 2001 when she learned that her son had died from an accidental heroin overdose. In June 2001, Matthew Ansara dies in his car at a gas station in Monrovia, CA, from an overdose. He was just 35 years old and months away from his wedding. Despite the passage of a decade, Eden still struggled with the loss of her son and speculated that his struggles with addiction began in his youth after a neighbor introduced him to marijuana. According to ABC News, she describes as “devastated” by the loss.
Twenty years later, in an interview with People, Eden opened up about her tragic loss and the guilt and anger she felt over her son’s death. Despite her pain, she eventually realized that openly discussing her son’s death and the addiction that caused it could help other parents who were going through similar situations. As a result, she became a staunch advocate of early intervention when parents suspect a child is in the throes of addiction.
Barbara Eden published her first children’s book at the age of 90
Barbara Eden, who’s on her way to 92, has authored a children’s book titled “Barbara and the Djinn,” in addition to her book “Jeannie Out of the Bottle.” Co-written with Dustin Warburton, the book’s storyline is inspired by Eden’s love for reading as a child. She explained that her aunt and mother read to her when she was very young, which helped her imagination bloom. And by the time she was 7 or 8 years old, she had her own library card and would check out the full limit of books to read all week.
Although the book borrows a bit from Eden’s hit sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie,” it conveys an important message that people should have empathy and love for those who are different. In the story, a young girl discovers a Djinn, or genie, in a lamp, and they embark on a journey.
The Hollywood Reporter
Eden revealed her inspiration for co-writing the children’s book in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She mentioned how her love for reading as a child played a significant role in her decision to write the book. Eden believes that children should be encouraged to read, as it helps expand their imagination and develops their reading skills. She hopes that her book will inspire children to love reading and empathize with others who are different from them.
In conclusion, Barbara Eden’s life and career have been filled with fascinating and sometimes surprising stories. From her breakout role in “I Dream of Jeannie” to the tragic loss of her son, Eden has faced many challenges with grace and resilience. Her advocacy for early intervention in addiction and her efforts to keep the memory of her son alive have inspired many. Despite the ups and downs, Eden remains an icon in the entertainment industry and a beloved figure to many fans around the world. There is no doubt that her legacy will continue to inspire and entertain generations to come.
There you have it. It’s now time to hear from you. Which of the facts about Eden above impressed you the most?
