Barbara Feldon
| Barbara Feldon | |
|---|---|
Feldon as Agent 99 in Get Smart, 1965
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|
| Born |
Barbara Anne Hall March 12, 1933 Butler, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation | Actress, model, television host, writer |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Spouse(s) | Lucien Verdoux-Feldon (1958-1967; divorced) |
| Partner(s) | Burt Nodella (1968-1979) |
Barbara Feldon (born March 12, 1933) is an American character actress who works mostly in the theatre, but is primarily known for her roles on television. Her most prominent role was that of Agent 99 on the 1960s sitcom Get Smart. She also worked as a model.
Feldon was born Barbara Anne Hall in Butler, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. She graduated from Bethel Park High School and trained at Pittsburgh Playhouse. In 1955 she graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) as a Bachelor of Arts in drama. She was initiated into the Delta Xi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. In 1957, she won the grand prize on The $64,000 Question in the category of William Shakespeare.
Following some work as a model, Feldon's break came in the form of a popular and much parodied television commercial for "Top Brass", a hair pomade for men. Lounging languidly on an animal print rug, she purred at the camera, addressing the male viewers as "tigers".
This led to small roles in television series. In the 1960s, she made appearances on Twelve O'Clock High, Lorne Greene's Griff, Flipper, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (in "The Never-Never Affair"). In 1964, she appeared with Simon Oakland in the episode "Try to Find a Spy" of CBS's short-lived drama Mr. Broadway.
One substantial guest-starring role was opposite George C. Scott in the TV drama East Side/West Side (S1 E19). It was produced by Talent Associates, who were also developing a TV comedy, with two prominent writers, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. They created Get Smart, an Emmy Award-winning spy comedy series.
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