In August of 2022, Barbara Eden, better known as America’s beloved genie in a bottle, reached the age of 91, much to the surprise of everyone who had enjoyed seeing the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty on TV during the course of her career. When one takes into account the fact that the actress has been working in Hollywood for more than six decades, it is mind-boggling to think about the fact that she has not exhibited any symptoms of slowing down.

Eden was born on August 23, 1931, in the city of Tucson, in the state of Arizona. Her fledgling career got its start while she was singing in the church choir, when she was given the opportunity to perform solos. Later on, while she was still in her teens, she made the transition to singing in a number of bands that played at local bars.

In due time, when she was 16 years old, she joined Actor’s Equity and began taking singing lessons at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in addition to acting classes at the Elizabeth Holloway School of Drama. Ultimately, she became a member of Actor’s Equity. At this time, she was quite active in beauty pageants, even going so far as to win the title of Miss San Francisco in 1951, which allowed her to compete in the Miss California pageant the following year.

Eden was finally cast as the genie in the lovely 1970s television program “I Dream of Jeannie,” which she landed in the role in 1965. Her success in Hollywood is largely attributed to the role, which also opened doors for her to pursue other chances. They included roles in movies and on television, in addition to work in the theater.

Throughout the years, she has made appearances in productions such as “The Odd Couple,” “Love Letters,” and “Social Security,” some of which toured in major cities across the United States. She has also performed in musicals such as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “The Sound of Music,” amongst other productions. Throughout the course of her career, which has lasted for more than sixty years, she has amassed an impressively varied body of work. And because of all of her outstanding work, Eden was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the year 1988.

Eden’s personal life has been full of both pleasure and sadness, in contrast to the numerous successes she has achieved in her professional life.

In an interview she gave more than 20 years ago to the Television Academy Foundation, Eden made her first mention of the fact that she had no desire to retire at that time. In her words:

“Well, maintaining my employment is quite necessary for me. To begin, I take pleasure in what I do, therefore the thought of giving up my job is inconceivable to me. “I hope there will be parts for me as a tiny old woman… but of course, as you get older, there aren’t as many roles for you… but even though I realize that, I still want to work.”

We are very fortunate, as is Eden, that she continues to work, even if it is not as regularly as it was when she was at the height of her career. Her last performance in the film industry was as Mrs. Claus in the 2019 film “My Adventures With Santa.”

She went into additional detail on the subject during her interview with People in October 2021, which took place after she had become 90 years old. In the interview, she confessed that becoming older does come with a few drawbacks, but that she is not going to allow those drawbacks stop her. In her words:

“Life throws you curve balls from time to time, but I’m going to keep going until I can’t anymore.”

The nonagenarian also remarked on how much fun she had performing the role of Jeannie back in the 1960s. She was quoted in the magazine as saying:

“I like her a lot. I believe the fact that she is liked by such a large number of people all around the globe is what makes me so pleased. Not me. People feel favorably about that character. They appreciate it for what it is rather than trying to change it. It transports them beyond their own self and into another realm. …and I am grateful for it. That appeals to me very lot.

Nevertheless, despite the glitz and glamour of her job, Eden is no stranger to the pain of a broken love. She went through two divorces throughout the course of her life, and the second one came about when she was eight months pregnant with her second child and found out that her unborn child had passed away. Yet she was unprepared for the biggest loss of all, which was the death of her only son Matthew Ansara in 2001 as a result of an accidental drug overdose. Because of all that she had been through over the years, she encouraged other people to express themselves when they were not feeling well. She stated to the People:

“Go for assistance when you’re to the point where you can’t move or don’t want to do anything.”

Her life’s ups and downs undoubtedly provided her with valuable lessons. In addition to this, Eden pondered how different people’s job choices may be and encouraged everyone to not let this deter them. She began by saying, “Everyone have to discover their own path,” and then she followed up by saying, “Don’t be scared. The experiences of each person’s life are unique. The start of people’s lives are all unique. She went on to say that

“Learn to detect in other people what you have within yourself since that is the one thing we all have. Because of this, it is important that you learn to do this. We are all linked together. When I initially arrived in town and began trying out for acting roles, having that knowledge helped me get over a lot of hurdles.

Eden has shown that she isn’t scared to attempt new things, even at her age, which shows that her mother has taken her own counsel to heart. In 2021, she collaborated with another author, Dustin Warburton, to write and publish her very first children’s book, which was named “Barbara and the Djinn.” She showed her appreciation to the media source for all that she has and shared with them how her life is now overflowing with love and happiness. In her words:

“I have a lot of good fortune. I have close buddies. I am blessed with a lovely family, a spouse who is always there for me, and a puppy that is gorgeous but a brat! Absolutely, I am overjoyed at this point. I believe that life, and everything else, needs to figure itself out on its own. The majority of things happen for a reason, and I’m not one to wish away those explanations.

Eden’s romantic life, which had been much more turbulent in her younger years, has now calmed down, and she often attributes this to the fact that she is married to the man she is now with. In 1958, Eden tied the knot for the very first time with actor Michael Ansara. In 1974, however, the pair decided to discontinue their marriage and file for divorce. This marked the end of their marriage. The year 1977 saw the wedding of Eden to her second husband, Charles Fegert. In 1982, they got a divorce.

In 1991, Eden went down the aisle for the third time to wed real estate entrepreneur Jon Eicholtz, and the couple has been enjoying marital bliss ever since their wedding day. In an interview with Closer Weekly, Eden said that one of the keys to the couple’s enduring love is their capacity for mutual giving and receiving. In her words:

“I believe that you need to have a great deal of affection for one another. No, you really do. … It’s not necessary that you have the same tastes in everything. Because there is no way that we do. I’m not a golfer at all. Baseball isn’t really my thing, but he can’t get enough of watching the Angels play. On the other hand, I do it because I love him. And I like him. I’ll join him in watching, then.”

She went on to say that in return, he is a very supportive person when it comes to her hectic schedule.

Eden observed, “He puts up with me working,” and added that Jon “doesn’t genuinely mind” how much work she does. “He puts up with me working,” “I consider it to be really fortunate that he appreciates the work that I do. He enjoys me doing it. I consider it a great blessing that my marriage is so fulfilling.

One of the most important aspects of their relationship is the fact that they are both ecstatic pet parents. Eden said that her friends had a Labradoodle that they adore and call their “Little guy, he’s so spoilt,” which is how she referred to the dog.