See the ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ Cast Young: Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman and Others Before the Magic
Before 'Jeannie,' Barbara took Marilyn Monroe's role and Larry starred with his mom on the London stage
Of all the fantasy sitcoms of the 1960s, there’s no question that Bewitched was the most successful of them all, but equally true is the fact that I Dream of Jeannie, created by Sidney Sheldon, was a close second. And while there are a lot of people who would claim that the latter is a magical rip-off of the former, Jeannie did plenty in the originality department to delight audiences throughout its 1965 to 1970 run, while turning stars Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Bill Daily and Hayden Rorke into classic TV icons.
The actors would continue to work after the show ended, Eden only retiring as she moved into her 90s, Hagman delighting new generations as J.R. Ewing on Dallas and Daily proclaiming, “Hi, Bob!” weekly as a cast member of The Bob Newhart Show. But for anyone wondering what these beloved actors did prior to taking up residence in Cocoa Beach, Florida, the answer regarding the I Dream of Jeannie cast when they were young will be here before you know it — and if you somehow don’t know the premise of the show, just check out the intro of the first season in the video below.
Barbara Eden (Jeannie)
BORN: August 23, 1931 in Tucson, Arizona, Barbara is now 93
BEFORE I DREAM OF JEANNIE: As a child she sang in church choirs, which led to her singing in local bands as a teen, which in turn — at age 16 — had her taking vocal lessons at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as acting with the Elizabeth Holloway School of theatre. Beauty pageants were next, following guest star appearances on television on a variety of shows (Father Knows Best, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show and I Love Lucy among them). From 1957 to 1959 she starred in the TV version of the Marilyn Monroe feature film How to Marry a Millionaire. On the big screen, she would appear with Elvis Presley and Paul Newman (1960’s Flaming Star and From the Terrace, respectively) and Tony Randall (1964’s 7 Faces of Dr. Lao).
AFTER I DREAM OF JEANNIE: A handful of feature films and 23 TV movies that really allowed her to demonstrate her range as a performer. There would be quite a few guest star appearances as well as starring roles in the TV series Harper Valley PTA (1981 to 1982) and Brand New Life (1989 to 1990), and she enjoyed success on the stage, appearing in 15 shows between 1970’s The Sound of Music and 2019’s Love Letters.
PERSONAL: Barbara Eden has been married three times, to actor Michael Ansara from 1958 until 1974, Charles Fegert from 1977 to 1982 and Jon Eicholtz since 1991. She and Ansara had a son, Matthew, who died in 2001 from a drug overdose.
1957
In the “Hostage Copter” episode of Highway Patrol, Barbara Eden plays Kathy O’Shea in 1957.
Ricky Ricardo seems taken by Barbara Eden’s Diana Jordan in the “Country Club Dance” episode of I Love Lucy in 1957.
Barbara Eden’s first TV series was How to Marry a Millionaire, based on the Marilyn Monroe film of the same name, which aired from 1957 to 1959.
1959
(Original Caption) A Private’s Affair finale production number. Front row (l to r), Sal Mineo with Terry Moore, Gary Crosby with Barbara Eden, Barry Coe with Christine Carere.
1960
Paul Newman as David Alfred Eaton and Barbara Eden as Clemmie Shreve in the 1960 film From the Terrace.
Barbara Eden and Elvis Presley in publicity portrait for the film Flaming Star, 1960.
1961
Barbara Eden on set of the sci-fi film Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, 1961.
1962
Barbara Eden seeks an autograph from Karlheinz Böhm while Walter Slezak plays cupid in the back in a scene from the film The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, 1962.
Barbara Eden, barefoot, wearing purple swimsuit, posing in leather chair, 1962.
1964
Barbara Eden with elves as she reads ‘The Night Before Christmas’ story book in a publicity pose circa 1964.
Larry Hagman (Tony Nelson)
NAME: Larry Hagman
CHARACTER: Major Anthony Nelson
BORN: September 21, 1931 in Fort Worth, Texas
BEFORE I DREAM OF JEANNIE: The son of Broadway actress Mary Martin, Larry Hagman’s acting career began in 1950 in productions at the Woodstock Playhouse in Woodstock, New York, which would be followed by other stage shows in New York, New Jersey and a London production of South Pacific with his mother. In 1952 he was drafted and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he remained for four years. Afterwards, there were more off-Broadway and Broadway shows and a move into television as a guest performer on a wide variety of shows. In 1964, he appeared in two films, Ensign Pulver and Fail Safe. The next year he became a part of I Dream of Jeannie.
AFTER I DREAM OF JEANNIE: Can anyone say Dallas? Actually, before playing J.R. Ewing on that 1978 to 1991 series (which ran for an astounding 356 episodes), he made guest appearances and scored roles in some films, while also starring in the shows The Good Life (1971 to 1972) and Here We Go Again (1973). After Dallas he would star in Orleans (1997), five episodes of Nip/Tuck (2006), and play J.R. once again in 17 episodes of a revival of the show (2012 to 2013). One thing he did not do was reprise the role of Tony Jelson in the TV movie I Dream of Jeannie: Fifteen Years Later, despite the fact that we saw Jeannie and Tony fall in love in the original series (instead, Wayne Rogers played Tony Nelson).
PERSONAL: He was married to Swedish-born Maj Axelsson from 1954 until the time of his death (she would pass away in 2016). Their children are daughter Heidi Kristina, born 1958; and son Preston, born 1962.
DIED: Larry Hagman died on November 23, 2012 at the age of 81 as a result of acute myeloid leukemia.
1950
Profile of aspiring actor Larry Hagman
1951
ORIGINAL CAPTION: American actress and singer Mary Martin goes over the music for South Pacific, in which she stars, with her son Larry Hagman. Miss Martin is staying in London during the run of the production, 1951.
ORIGINAL CAPTION: 12/14/51-London, England: Daughter Heller (CQ), 10, does the serving as Mary Martin and family relax in their London apartment. Completing the group are Richard Halliday, husband; and son, Larry, 19 (standing), who has a small part in the London production of South Pacific. Miss Martin stars in the role she made famous on Broadway.
1952
February 4, 1952: Actors Larry Hagman and Betta St John wearing exotic costumes during a stage show.
1957
An image of Larry Hagman that was sent out representing one of the “new faces” of Hollywood in 1957.
1964
Henry Fonda and Larry Hagman in 1964’s Fail Safe.
Bill Daily (Roger Healy)
NAME: Bill Daily
CHARACTER: Major Roger Healey
BORN: August 30, 1927 in Des Moines, Iowa
BEFORE I DREAM OF JEANNIE: Following high school he tried his hand as a professional musician and played the upright bass in jazz bands in the midwest, though he was sidetracked when he was drafted into the Korean War in the early 1950s. Following his discharge, he decided to get into stand-up comedy and began performing at a variety of clubs, which would lead in the early 1960s to guest star appearances on episodic television shows like Bewitched, The Farmer’s Daughter and My Mother the Car. These would lead to his being cast as Roger Healy on I Dream of Jeannie.
AFTER I DREAM OF JEANNIE: Bill scored another series in the form of The Bob Newhart Show, which ran from 1972 to 1978, on which he played airplane co-pilot Howard Borden. After that, there was a recurring role in Aloha Paradise (1981), starring parts in Small & Frye (1983) and Starting from Scratch (1988), and guest star roles. He also appeared in the Jeannie reunion movies, which he found highly disappointing. As he admitted to the Archive of American Television, “Those are the worst. I thought Larry was going to be on it. I’m in my dressing room and Wayne Rogers walks in with Larry’s suit on. He wasn’t funny on M.A.S.H. And the show was just written so badly. Then I get the next script, and it’s even worse. I said, ‘I can’t do this,’ but then they said we’d be spending five weeks in Vancouver and I’m, like, ‘Five weeks in Vancouver? Maybe the script isn’t that bad.’ But it was.”
PERSONAL: He was married three times, to Patricia Anderson from 1949 to 1976, Vivian Sanchez from 1980 to 1983 and Becky Daily from 1993 until her death in 2010. Bill Daily was also the father of 2 adopted children.
DIED: Bill died on September 4, 2018 at the age of 91.
Bewitched, 1964
Bill Daily in an episode of The Farmer’s Daughter, 1964.
Hayden Rorke (Alfred Bellows)
NAME: Hayden Rorke
CHARACTER: Colonel Alfred Bellows
BORN: October 23, 1910 in Brooklyn, NY
BEFORE I DREAM OF JEANNIE: He enjoyed great success as an understudy on Broadway, there for a reported 1,312 performances in a total of seven different productions, working 31 weeks a year. Then actual stage and roles started coming to him as did films and TV appearances, including The Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy. He was a regular on the 1957 show Mr. Adams and Eve.
AFTER I DREAM OF JEANNIE: Not a lot of opportunities — guest roles on shows like The Love Boat, films like The Barefoot Executive, the miniseries The Moneychangers (1976) and, of course, the Jeannie reunion movies. Additionally, there were some stage appearances.
PERSONAL: Hayden Rorke enjoyed a relationship of more than 40 years with Justus Addiss.
DIED: The actor passed away on August 19, 1987 at the age of 76.
1952
Hayden Rorke in 1952’s Above and Beyond.
1960
Mary Flynn, Doris Day and Hayden Rorke in 1960’s Midnight Lace.
1963
Hayden Rorke costarred with Doris Day and James Garner in 1963’s The Thrill of It All.
1965
Hayden Rorke with actress and singer Judy Garland and her husband, actor Mark Herron, attend the 37th Academy Awards, held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, April 5, 1965.
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