Florence Henderson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Florence Henderson
Henderson in 2012
Born	Florence Agnes Henderson (1934-02-14)February 14, 1934 Dale, Indiana, U.S.
Died	November 24, 2016(2016-11-24) (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park
Alma mater	American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1952–2016
Known for	Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Fanny A Very Brady Christmas The Bradys
Spouse(s)	Ira Bernstein ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1985)​ John Kappas ​ ​ (m. 1987; his death 2002)​
Children	4
Awards	TV Land Pop Culture Award

Florence Agnes Henderson (born February 14, 1934 – died November 24, 2016) was a famous American actress and singer. She had a long career that lasted for over 60 years. Most people know her best for playing Carol Brady. This was the main character on the TV show The Brady Bunch.

Florence Henderson also acted in movies and on stage. She hosted many cooking shows and variety shows. She was a guest on lots of TV programs, including talk shows and game shows. In 2010, she even competed on Dancing with the Stars. Later in her life, she hosted her own talk show, The Florence Henderson Show. She also had a cooking show called Who's Cooking with Florence Henderson. Florence Henderson passed away at age 82 on Thanksgiving Day in 2016. She died from heart failure.

Florence Henderson's Early Life

Florence Henderson was born on February 14, 1934. She was the youngest of 10 children. Her hometown was Dale, Indiana, a small place in the southwestern part of the state. Her mother, Elizabeth, was a homemaker. Her father, Joseph, was a tobacco farmer.

During the Great Depression, Florence learned to sing. Her mother taught her when she was only two years old. Her mother knew about 50 songs! By the time Florence was eight, her family called her "Florency." When she was 12, she was already singing in local grocery stores.

Florence finished high school at St. Francis Academy in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1951. Soon after, she moved to New York City. There, she studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Florence Henderson's Acting Career

Florence Henderson began her career on stage. She performed in many musicals. These included touring shows like Oklahoma! and South Pacific.

Florence Henderson and William Tabbert in the Broadway show Fanny (1955)

Starting on Broadway

Her first Broadway show was Wish You Were Here in 1952. Later, she starred in the popular 1954 musical Fanny. She played the main character, Fanny, in this show, which ran for 888 performances. Florence also appeared on TV in 1954. She was in a special called General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein. She sang in the Oklahoma! part of the show.

She also appeared in a 1950s TV series called I Spy. She played Meg March in a TV musical version of Little Women in 1958.

Early TV Appearances

Florence was a guest on The United States Steel Hour twice. She played Mary Jane in a TV version of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1957. She also appeared in another episode in 1958.

From 1958 to 1961, Florence Henderson and Bill Hayes were in commercials for Oldsmobile cars. They appeared on The Patti Page Show. In 1959, she sang a song for an Oldsmobile musical. She also performed on Tonight Starring Jack Paar in 1960. In 1963, she was on Broadway again in The Girl Who Came to Supper.

In 1962, Florence won the Sarah Siddons Award for her theater work in Chicago. That same year, she made history. She became the first woman to guest host The Tonight Show. This was before Johnny Carson became the long-time host. She also worked on NBC's morning show, The Today Show. She was a "Today Girl," reporting on weather and light news.

Becoming Carol Brady

Henderson's most famous role was as Carol Brady – the mother on the classic 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch.

Her most famous role was Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch. This TV show aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. Her good friend, Shirley Jones, had turned down the role of Carol. However, Shirley later took a similar role. She played Shirley Partridge, a mother with five children, in The Partridge Family. That show aired from 1970 to 1974.

Because of her role as Carol Brady, Florence Henderson was very popular. TV Land and Entertainment Weekly ranked her as number 54 on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Icons.

Game Show Fun

Florence loved game shows. She was often a guest on Hollywood Squares. She also appeared on The $25,000 Pyramid. Other game shows she was on include Password, Match Game, and What's My Line. She even played with her Brady Bunch co-stars on Family Feud's All-Star weeks.

Later Career and Special Appearances

From 1974 to 1996, Florence was the spokesperson for Wesson cooking oil. During this time, she hosted a cooking show called Country Kitchen on TNN. She also appeared in commercials for Prange's department store.

Florence was a guest on The Love Boat several times. She also co-hosted the morning talk show Later Today from 1999 to 2000. In the 2000s, she was the spokesperson for Polident. In 2003, she even made a funny commercial for Pepsi Twist with Ozzy Osbourne.

Henderson's handprints at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park

Florence also appeared with her TV children on reality shows. She was on My Fair Brady with Christopher Knight. She also joined the cast of VH1's The Surreal Life.

Starting in the mid-1990s, Florence would sing "God Bless America" at the Indianapolis 500 car race. She was often joined by the Purdue All-American Marching Band.

She was in the music video for "Amish Paradise" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. In 2002, she was a guest on the comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. She even shared on-screen kisses with the comedians Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie.

From 2007 to 2009, Florence co-hosted a talk show called Living Live. The show was later renamed The Florence Henderson Show. It was even nominated for an Emmy award in 2010. On July 12, 2010, she was a guest host on WWE Raw.

Florence was one of the celebrities on the 11th season of Dancing with the Stars. The show started on September 20, 2010. Her dance partner was Corky Ballas. She was the fifth person to be eliminated from the competition on October 19, 2010.

In 2012, Florence voiced a character named Barbara on The Cleveland Show. She also made a special appearance on The Price Is Right for Mother's Day in 2012. In February 2013, she started hosting her cooking show, Who's Cooking with Florence Henderson. Florence also hosted the Mrs. America and Mrs. World beauty pageants many times.

Helping Others: Charity Work

In the 2000s, Florence Henderson became a supporter of the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana. Some of these nuns had been her teachers when she was young. She appeared in their videos and helped them raise money. She won money for the sisters on the game show Weakest Link. She also won $32,000 for them on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2001.

Florence Henderson's Personal Life

Florence Henderson married her first husband, Ira Bernstein, in 1956. They had four children together. They divorced in 1985. In 1987, she married her second husband, Dr. John George Kappas. He was a hypnotherapist who had helped her with depression and stage fright. They were married until he passed away in 2002. Florence Henderson had five grandchildren.

Florence Henderson's Death

Florence Henderson died on November 24, 2016. She passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She was 82 years old. She had been in the hospital since the day before. Her manager, Kayla Pressman, said that Florence died from heart failure.

Just three days before she died, Florence had gone to watch Dancing with the Stars. She was there to support her friend and former TV daughter, Maureen McCormick. Her manager said that Florence was not sick before she went to the hospital. Her death was a "shock." Florence was cremated, and her ashes were placed at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Awards and Honors

Florence Henderson received several awards for her work.

• In 2008, she won an Individual Achievement Award at the 33rd Annual Gracie Awards Gala. She also won for Outstanding Host for The Florence Henderson Show.
• In 2012, she won another Outstanding Host award at the 37th Annual Gracie Awards Gala. This was for co-hosting Good Food, Good Deeds.

There is even a horse race named after her! It's called the Florence Henderson Stakes. This race is for female horses aged three and older. It takes place at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino every September.

Selected Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Stage Shows

See also

In Spanish: Florence Henderson para niños