With her incredible spirit and zest for life, Barbara Eden proves that age is just a number! 🥳✨ Her legacy as a beloved star continues to shine brightly! 🌟💖 Check her new photos in the article below👇
For over seventy years, Eden has enjoyed a career as an actress, singer, and producer, with her most famous role debuting in 1965, though she graced our screens as early as the 1950s.
Generations have grown up watching I Dream of Jeannie, the 1960s sitcom about an astronaut who accidentally discovers a 2,000-year-old genie. Despite the outlandish concept, the charm of the show was largely due to Eden’s vibrant portrayal of Jeannie.
Hard to believe as it may be, Barbara is now 91, though she’s far from fading away. While her famous harem costume has long since been retired, she remains active and well.
Barbara’s journey, however, wasn’t always smooth. Born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1931, her early life took a turn when her parents separated, leading her to San Francisco. It was there she nurtured her love for music, studying singing at the Conservatory of Music.
During her childhood in San Francisco, Barbara sang in local nightclubs with small bands but soon decided acting was her true calling. “My mother once said, ‘Barbara, you don’t sound sincere in your singing.’ She encouraged me to study acting as well,” Eden reminisced.
Finding that acting suited her perfectly, she made her way to Los Angeles, securing parts on some of the most popular shows of the 1950s.
Her first major TV appearance came in 1955 on The Johnny Carson Show, but her big break was the role of Jeannie, which turned her into a household name. In the show, she played a mischievous genie who was freed by astronaut Tony Nelson, portrayed by Larry Hagman.
Reflecting on their on-screen chemistry, Barbara said, “We just clicked. We were always in sync, and it felt natural.” Eden and Hagman shared a deep bond. “I didn’t have to ‘fake’ liking Larry, as some actors must with co-stars,” she added.
Eden played Jeannie for five years and even took on multiple roles within the show, portraying both Jeannie’s mother and her evil sister. Her provocative costume was considered quite daring for television at the time, leading NBC executives to impose strict rules about showing her belly button.
In a 2015 interview for the show’s 50th anniversary, she recalled, “NBC was really uptight about my navel. It became quite the issue, even though it all started as a joke in a Hollywood Reporter interview.”
The outfit became part of pop culture, solidifying Eden as a TV icon. Among her admirers were the likes of President John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley. Kennedy even sent her his phone number, though she humorously admitted to throwing it away, a decision she later regretted.
With over 50 films under her belt, Eden shows no signs of slowing down. At 91, she continues to work, with her most recent role as Mrs. Claus in My Adventures with Santa in 2019. That same year, she took to the stage in Love Letters as Melissa Gardner.
“I feel young,” Eden exclaimed, adding that she’s grateful to have a career she loves. “I think of my poor father, who had to work at something he hated every day. I’m fortunate to still do what I love.”
Until a few years ago, Barbara kept a regular gym routine that included spin classes and weightlifting. Now, she works with a trainer at home, doing resistance exercises and taking daily walks.
“I have many friends and stay socially active,” she said, even looking forward to an appearance in 2022. “If I’m still here, I’ll be there,” she joked.
Eden is also a children’s book author, co-writing Barbara and the Djinn, which tells the story of a girl named Barbara who meets a magical genie. She hopes to inspire kids to read, lamenting that “these days, all they do is stare at their phones.”
Despite suggestions that I Dream of Jeannie might feel outdated today, Eden firmly disagrees. “It’s a timeless theme,” she said. “Jeannie was always in control. She wasn’t submissive at all.”
Barbara Eden’s remarkable career and zest for life prove that age truly is just a number. Her legacy as a beloved television star continues to shine brightly.
