'I Dream Of Jeannie' Star Barbara Eden Unbottles Her Tragic Life in Memoir
Life isn't quite a fantasy for 'I Dream Of Jeannie' star Barbara Eden. Now 75, the actress is penning a tell-all memoir called 'Jeannie Out of the Bottle' that details her public and private tragedies that came with her Hollywood fame,
The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The book will also include intimate details about her two failed marriage, how she survived an abusive cocaine-addicted husband and her "emotional breakdown" following the loss of her only son to drugs.
"Like Jeannie, I've been bottled up long enough -- it's time for me to pop the cork and talk about the amazing people I've been fortunate enough to meet along the way, and the highs and lows of my everyday living," Eden said in a statement.
A source tells the
National Enquirer that she "longed for what she didn't have - a happy family life," and it will all finally be revealed in her memoir, which is due out next year.
Although Eden will mostly be remembered as a smiling, naive genie on the '60s sitcom 'I Dream Of Jeannie,' Eden's life has been a roller coaster. She was born in Tucson, Arizona, and her parents divorced when she was three. The Great Depression deeply affected her family, who were unable to afford many luxuries.
Her start in Hollywood came after she starred in a play with James Drury. Film director Mark Robson, who later directed her in the movie 'From The Terrace,' had come to the play and wanted her for 20th Century Fox studios. She went on to star in 'The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and 'Swingin' Along.' Her last film for 20th Century Fox was 'The Yellow Canary' in 1963; she left due to budget cuts.
Her personal life was littered with several upsets as well. Eden has been married three times. She met actor Michael Ansara in October 1957, as part of a blind date arranged by her publicist. They married in 1958. But the marriage began to fall apart when Eden had difficulty conceiving and her first pregnancy in 1961 ended in miscarriage.
Her son Matthew Ansara was born Sunday, August 29, 1965, during the of the first season of 'I Dream of Jeannie.' In the book, Eden reveals Matthew started smoking pot at 10, then began shooting heroin. He eventually died on June 25, 2001 at age 35 from a drug overdose.
Her third pregnancy ended abruptly in 1971 when she delivered a stillborn baby six weeks before her due date. Ansara and Eden divorced in May 1974. At this point, Eden reveals she had "an emotional breakdown."
Eden was married to her second husband, Chicago Sun-Times executive Charles Donald Fegert, from September 1977 to 1983. She married her third and current husband, a Los Angeles real estate developer Jon Trusdale Eicholtz in 1991.
The book's title also implies the book will have its share of 'I Dream of Jeannie' stories and what it was like portraying a 2,000-year-old genie who shacks up with a Florida astronaut, played by actor Larry Hagman. Eden plans dish about her encounters with celebrities including Elvis Presley, Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball,
The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
While many of the books more juicy details haven't been revealed, Eden is nervous about the public's reaction. "Quite frankly, it scared the dickens out of me," Eden told
The NY Times. "I was quite frightened of doing this. I've been asked several times, and it's daunting to talk about yourself. It gets to the soft spots inside you ... I'll just hold my nose and jump in."
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By the way, people in the 60's could spell, too! There should be they're or they are! Take that you Young Whipper Snapper!
aw, , , stupidity reigns in the young generation . who think they are invincible.
she is still beautiful at 75 !!!!!
I am sure that Barbara Eden and Betty White know that the contraction of they are is
they're and not there. Go back to school and get the very basics. Your ignorance of
your mother tongue (English) shows how little attention you paid in school.
Learn to spell!!!
you idiot
Wow, how old are you? 12? Seriously!
have a heart! many of us grew up on this show with the Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, The Waltons, Bewitched, The Flying Nun, That Girl and My Three Sons. All greek to you isn't it!!!LOL!!! but you can look at the values in those shows and the ones today like Family Guy and that 70's show [nothing like the real 70's!] and see the difference in society reflected in them...
Don't act like an idiot...
What an idiot to make a remark like that.She is stil beautiful even at the age of 75. YOU should be so lucky to meet a woman like this.
LOL What are you living under a rock somewhere?? Don't have the channel TV Land?? They broadcast mostly shows from 60's & 70's!! Barbara Eden was my dreamgirl back then! I would've done anything to be in Larry Hagman's shoes for a day!! And Betty White is another lovely woman, although she has 13 years on Barbara!!
No TV at your house? Because my daughter (25) saw it since she was born even though it was from my time... This series was showing 'til the other day... It is the same time as Bewitched...
You my friend are a Moron. This lady, and she is a LADY, is still beautiful. Just hope that you look half as good at her age. She is also vey talented.
Hey idiot,Betty White is in her late 80,s!!Barbara Eden was one of the hottest babes on tv. Do a little homwwork Kid!!
STUPID PUNK, GO CHANGE YOUR DIAPER
At least in that "generation" they knew how to spell "THEIR"... go back to school and then hopefully you WILL grow up.
Are you kidding me? Your asking what century this show was made in? You need to get out from under your rock, it was made in the 60's.........HELLO!
Totally enjoyed Barbara Eden in "I Dream of Jeannie" and I am 63. I am sad to hear of the many heartbreaks in her life and the death of her precious son. I also lost a son who was 36 to a tragic heart attack. He was only 36. I pray that the Lord will be with her and make her latter days much better than her former ones.
Hey, I think KT really didn't know..let's not be too hard on her...I don't like when we call folks idiots on the board, this is how we learn and inform..
Yeah, Barbara Eden was VERY glamourous to me when I was growing up. Had no idea her life was so hard. Good for her for writing a book, can't wait to read it! It's been a pleasant trip down Memory Lane on this board, reading about the cool 60's shows!! Do you think she is on You-Tube?!
what century???? your an idiot. what planet are nyou from?