Barbara Feldon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Feldon
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Feldon as Agent 99 in the sitcom Get Smart in 1965
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| Born |
Barbara Anne Hall
March 12, 1933 Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1957–2006 |
| Known for | Get Smart |
| Spouse(s) |
Lucien Verdoux-Feldon
(m. 1958; div. 1967) |
| Partner(s) | Burt Nodella (1968–1979) |
Barbara Feldon (born Barbara Anne Hall; March 12, 1933) is an American actress. She is most famous for her TV roles. Her best-known part was playing Agent 99 in the funny TV show Get Smart, which ran from 1965 to 1970.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Barbara Anne Hall was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, a town near Pittsburgh. She had an older sister named Patricia. Barbara went to Bethel Park High School. She also studied acting at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
In 1955, she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University (then called Carnegie Institute of Technology). She earned a degree in drama. In 1957, she won a big prize on a TV show called The $64,000 Question. She answered questions about the famous writer William Shakespeare.
Acting Career Highlights
Barbara Feldon studied acting at HB Studio. Her big break came from a very popular TV commercial. It was for a men's hair product called "Top Brass". In the ad, she would playfully call the men who used it "tigers".
This commercial helped her get small roles in TV shows. In the 1960s, she appeared in shows like Twelve O'Clock High, Flipper, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E..
Becoming Agent 99
Barbara Feldon got a very important guest role in a TV drama called East Side/West Side. The same company was also creating a new comedy show called Get Smart. This show was created by famous writers Mel Brooks and Buck Henry.
Feldon was chosen to play "Agent 99" in Get Smart. She starred alongside comedian Don Adams, who played Secret Agent 86, Maxwell Smart. She played Agent 99 for the entire show, from 1965 to 1970. Her acting earned her nominations for an Emmy Award in 1968 and 1969.
Agent 99 was a special character for her time. She was a smart and capable woman who was good at her job. Barbara Feldon said that many women saw Agent 99 as a role model. This was because the character was intelligent and always found the right answers. It was also unusual that Feldon was taller than her male co-star, Don Adams.
After Get Smart
After Get Smart, Barbara Feldon appeared on many other TV shows. She was a guest on The Dean Martin Show several times, where she sang, danced, and did comedy skits. She also appeared on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
In the 1970s, she guest-starred in shows like The Carol Burnett Show, Thriller, McMillan & Wife, and Griff.
She also acted in TV movies. These included Getting Away from It All (1972) and Let's Switch! (1975). She voiced the character Patti Bear in an animated TV special called The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (1973).
Her feature films include Fitzwilly (1967), Smile (1975), and No Deposit, No Return (1976). Her most recent film was Last Request in 2006.
Later Appearances and Writing
Barbara Feldon played Agent 99 again in the TV movie Get Smart, Again! (1989). She also returned for a short TV series revival of Get Smart in 1995. She helped with the DVD release of the original Get Smart series in 2006.
She guest-starred in a 1993 episode of Mad About You. She played a former TV spy star named Diane "Spy Girl" Caldwell. In 1991, she appeared in the Cheers episode "Sam Time Next Year".
Barbara Feldon's unique voice has been used in many TV and radio commercials. She has also narrated films and TV documentaries. She has acted in some off-Broadway plays. However, she has said she is "no longer interested in performing" as much.
Feldon is also a talented writer. She is still actively writing today. In 2015, she wrote two articles for Metropolitan Magazine. She also wrote a book called Living Alone and Loving It in 2003.
Personal Life
Barbara Feldon's last name, Feldon, comes from her marriage to Lucien Verdoux-Feldon in 1958. They later divorced in 1967. In 1968, she started a 12-year relationship with Get Smart producer Burt Nodella. After this relationship ended, she moved back to New York City. She was still living there in 2024.
Awards and Nominations
Barbara Feldon was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as Agent 99.
| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series | Get Smart | Nominated |
| 1969 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series | Get Smart | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Barbara Feldon para niños
