Barbara Eden

Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Eden was born Barbara Jean Morehead in Tucson, Arizona, the daughter of Alice Mary and Hubert Henry Morehead. Her parents divorced when she was three; she and her mother Alice moved to San Francisco, where later her mother married Harrison Connor Huffman, a telephone lineman. The Great Depression deeply affected the Huffman family, and as they were unable to afford many luxuries, Barbara's mother entertained the children by singing songs. This musical... background left a lasting impression on the actress, who began taking acting classes because she felt it might help her improve her singing. Her first public performance was singing in the church choir, where she sang the solos. When she was 14 she sang in local bands for $10 a night in night clubs. At age 16 she became a member of Actor's Equity. She studied singing at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and acting with the Elizabeth Holloway School of Theatre.
more