Everything about Florence Henderson totally explained
Florence Agnes Henderson (born
February 14,
1934) is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for playing the role of Carol Brady in the
television program
The Brady Bunch, which ran from
1969 to
1974.
Biography
Early life
Henderson, one of ten children, was born on Valentine's Day in
Dale, Indiana, the daughter of Elizabeth (
née Elder), a homemaker, and Joseph Henderson, a
tobacco sharecropper. Raised
Catholic, she graduated from St. Francis Academy in
Owensboro, Kentucky in 1951; shortly thereafter, she went to
New York City, enrolling in the prestigious
American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is an Aluma Initiate of the Alpha Chi chapter of
Delta Zeta Sorority.
Career
Henderson started her career on the stage, performing in musicals, such as the touring production of
Oklahoma! and
South Pacific at
Lincoln Center. She debuted on
Broadway in
Wish You Were Here in 1952, and later starred in such notable shows as
Fanny (1954), and
The Girl Who Came to Supper (1963). In 1962, she won the
Sarah Siddons Award for her work in
Chicago Theatre, and the same year became the first woman to host
The Johnny Carson Show. Talented at skit comedy as well as song and dance, she was ideal for the
Dean Martin Variety Show, on which she was a frequent guest.
Her most widely seen role was as "Carol Brady" in
The Brady Bunch which was produced from 1968 until 1974. A worldwide success, it continues to be screened in many countries through syndication. Primarily due to her role in the Brady Bunch, Henderson was ranked by TV Land and Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the 100 Greatest TV Icons. Henderson's ability to effortlessly transmit warmth and affection was an essential element to the long enduring success of the Brady Bunch. Henderson was a frequent panelist on the original version of the television game show
Hollywood Squares.
Henderson was also the spokeswoman for
Wesson cooking oil, from 1976 to 1996. During that time, she hosted a cooking show on
TNN called
Country Kitchen, and also did ads for
Prange's, a former
Wisconsin department store chain. Henderson co-hosted the
talk show Later Today on
NBC (1999-2000) with co-hosts
Jodi Applegate and
Asha Blake. Today, she's the spokeswoman for
Polident denture cleanser (although she doesn't wear dentures herself). She is also the spokesperson for RainSoft Water Treatment Systems. In 2003, Henderson seemed to poke fun at her wholesome image by appearing in a
Pepsi Twist television commercial with
Ozzy Osbourne.
Henderson regularly tours as a singer on the condominium circuit with other performers such as magician/comedian
Jamie Porter. Henderson has also appeared with her TV children whenever the opportunity comes about. For instance, she appeared on the reality-television series
My Fair Brady starring
Christopher Knight. She is also in the sixth season of
VH1's
Surreal Life.
In most years since the mid-1990s, the song "
God Bless America" has been performed by Henderson at the
Indianapolis 500. Henderson is a friend of the Hulman-George family, the owners of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Her performance is followed by "
The Star-Spangled Banner," performed by a notable artist each year.
An uncharacteristically naughty Florence can be seen on You Tube, on stage performing a ribald version of "When You're Good to Mama" from the Broadway musical "Chicago."
She appeared in the
Weird Al Yankovic video for "
Amish Paradise" and co-hosted the daily talk show "Living Live" with former
Designing Women star
Meshach Taylor on Retirement Living TV. The show was reworked to focus on her and was renamed "The Florence Henderson Show".
Personal life
In the mid-1950s, Henderson was diagnosed with a
bone deformation of the
inner ear, and she'd to have surgery to prevent
deafness. Henderson married Ira Bernstein in January
1956, and the couple had four children. During the filming of
The Brady Bunch in
Los Angeles, Henderson returned to the family's
New York home each weekend to spend time with her children. In
1985, she divorced him after almost 29 years of
marriage. She later married Dr. John Kappas, a
hypnotherapist she met when battling
depression in the mid 1980s. Henderson studied hypnotherapy and is a licensed therapist. Kappas died in
2002.
In recent years she's been a big supporter for the Sisters of St. Benedict in
Ferdinand, Indiana. She was taught by one of the Sisters when she was young and has very fond memories of the Sisters. She appeared in a number of
videos and made appearances for the Sisters in their time of need. She was very important in their fund raising bids and even won money for them on the game show,
Weakest Link. When Florence appeared on the
VH1 show
Surreal Life Florence made a point of not disrespecting the Catholic church and nuns by dressing up as a Sister for a skit.
Filmography
Television
Film
Song of Norway (1970)
Shakes the Clown (1992)
(1994) (Cameo)
The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
Holy Man (1998) (Cameo)
Get Bruce (1999) (documentary)
(2003)
Venus & Vegas (2006)
For Heaven's Sake (2006)Further Information
Get more info on 'Florence Henderson'.
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