Candice Bergen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen at the 2006 Peabody Awards
Born	Candice Patricia Bergen (1946-05-09) May 9, 1946 (age 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1958–present
Spouse(s)	Louis Malle ​ ​ (m. 1980; died 1995)​ Marshall Rose ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	1
Parent(s)	Edgar Bergen Frances Bergen
Awards	Full list

Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles in popular TV shows and movies.

Candice Bergen won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. These were for her role as the main character in the TV show Murphy Brown (1988–1998, 2018). She also played Shirley Schmidt in the drama Boston Legal (2005–2008). In films, Bergen was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Starting Over (1979). She also received a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for Gandhi (1982).

Bergen started her career as a fashion model. She even appeared on the cover of Vogue. Her first movie was The Group (1966). She also starred in films like The Sand Pebbles (1966) and The Wind and the Lion (1975). She performed on Broadway in plays such as Hurlyburly (1984) and Love Letters (2014). Later film roles include Miss Congeniality (2000), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), and Book Club (2018).

Early life and beginnings

Candice Patricia Bergen was born on May 9, 1946, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Frances Bergen, was a model. Her father, Edgar Bergen, was a famous ventriloquist, comedian, and actor. Her grandparents were Swedish immigrants. They changed their last name to Bergen, which means "mountain branch" in Swedish.

Candice grew up in Beverly Hills, California. As a child, she sometimes felt overshadowed by her father's famous dummy, Charlie McCarthy. She was often called "Charlie McCarthy's little sister."

She appeared on her father's radio show when she was young. In 1958, at age 11, she was on Groucho Marx's quiz show You Bet Your Life. She later attended the University of Pennsylvania. She was popular there, but she left after two years. She received an honorary degree from the university in 1992. Before acting, she worked as a fashion model. She also trained at HB Studio in New York City.

Acting career

Early film roles

Candice Bergen's first movie was The Group (1966). She played a university student in this film. It was a success with critics and audiences. After this, Bergen left college to focus on acting.

She then played Shirley Eckert in The Sand Pebbles (1966) with Steve McQueen. This movie was also a big financial success. She appeared in the comedy The Day the Fish Came Out (1967). She also starred in the romantic drama Live for Life (1967) in France.

In 1970, Bergen was in the political satire The Adventurers. She earned $200,000 for this role. She also starred in the Western Soldier Blue (1970). This film was popular in Europe. Bergen received good reviews for her role in Carnal Knowledge (1971). She then took the lead in T.R. Baskin (1971). She said this was her first role where she felt she truly had to act.

After a short break, she returned in 11 Harrowhouse (1974). She also made a Western called Bite the Bullet (1975). In 1975, she starred with Sean Connery in The Wind and the Lion. She played a strong American woman kidnapped in the Moroccan desert.

Bergen was in Starting Over (1979) with Burt Reynolds. For this role, she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 1982, she appeared in the Oscar-winning film Gandhi. She played the photographer Margaret Bourke-White. This role earned her a BAFTA Award nomination.

Television and other work

Candice Bergen often hosted Saturday Night Live. She was the first woman to host the show. She was also the first woman to host five times, joining the exclusive Five-Timers Club in 1990. She has made cameo appearances on SNL in recent years. Bergen also guest-starred on The Muppet Show in its first season.

In 1984, Bergen joined the Broadway play Hurlyburly. On television, she appeared in the miniseries Hollywood Wives (1985). She also starred in TV films like Mayflower Madam (1987).

Murphy Brown success

In 1988, Candice Bergen took the main role in the TV show Murphy Brown. She played a tough television reporter. This role allowed her to show her comedic talent. The show often talked about politicians and current events.

In 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the show. He said the Murphy Brown character was "mocking the importance of fathers." The show then included Quayle's comments in an episode. Murphy Brown was shown watching his speech. She was surprised by his words about single mothers. Later, the show explored the idea of family values in different types of families.

Bergen's time on Murphy Brown was very successful. The show ran for ten seasons. Between 1989 and 1998, Bergen was nominated for an Emmy Award seven times. She won five of these awards. After her fifth win, she decided not to accept future nominations for the role.

After Murphy Brown

Candice Bergen at the 65th Annual Peabody Awards in New York City, 2006

After Murphy Brown ended in 1998, CBS asked Bergen to work as a real journalist for 60 Minutes. She declined, saying she wanted to keep acting and journalism separate.

Bergen later hosted Exhale with Candice Bergen on the Oxygen network. She was also a spokesperson for Sprint phone company from 1991 to 1998.

She appeared in films like Miss Congeniality (2000). In this movie, she played Kathy Morningside, a pageant host. She played the mayor of New York in Sweet Home Alabama (2002). She also appeared in three episodes of Sex and the City.

Boston Legal and recent work

In 2005, Bergen joined the TV series Boston Legal. She played Shirley Schmidt, a founding partner in a law firm. She worked with her Miss Congeniality co-star William Shatner on this show. She played Shirley for five seasons. She received Emmy nominations for her role in 2006 and 2008.

She has also made guest appearances on many other TV shows. These include Seinfeld, Law & Order, and Will & Grace.

Bergen appeared in the movies The Women (2008) and Bride Wars (2009). In Bride Wars, she played Marion St. Claire, a wedding planner.

She had a recurring role on House as Lisa Cuddy's mother. In 2012, she appeared on Broadway in The Best Man. She also returned to Broadway in Love Letters in 2014.

More recent films include Book Club (2018) and Let Them All Talk (2020).

Murphy Brown returns

In 2018, it was announced that Bergen would play Murphy Brown again. The new episodes aired on CBS in the fall of 2018. The show ran for 13 episodes before it was canceled in 2019.

Other interests

Besides acting, Candice Bergen has studied photography. She has worked as a photojournalist. She has also written many articles and two memoirs. Her memoirs are Knock Wood (1984) and A Fine Romance (2015).

In 2000, Bergen hosted her own talk show called Exhale on the Oxygen network. In 2016, Bergen started painting on handbags. Her daughter, Chloé Malle, helps with this business. The money raised from selling the handbags goes to charity.

Personal life

Candice Bergen and her mother, actress Frances Bergen, in 1990

Candice Bergen is interested in politics. In 1967, she took part in a fun protest with others. They threw dollar bills onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. This caused it to temporarily close. In 1972, she helped raise money for George McGovern's presidential campaign.

Bergen's father passed away in 1978. In her memoir, she wrote that he left her out of his will. He left $10,000 to his dummy, Charlie McCarthy. She felt her father had a stronger bond with Charlie than with her.

On September 27, 1980, she married French film director Louis Malle. They had one daughter, Chloe Françoise, in 1985. They were married until Louis Malle's death in 1995.

Since 2000, she has been married to Marshall Rose. He is a real estate businessman and philanthropist. Bergen has traveled a lot and speaks French very well.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Images for kids

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See also

In Spanish: Candice Bergen para niños