Barbara Eden and Agnes Moorehead are two of the most iconic actresses of the 1960s, known for their roles in I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched, respectively. But are they related by blood or marriage? The answer is no, they are not. Here are some facts that explain why:
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Barbara Eden’s Real Name and Family Background
Barbara Eden was born as Barbara Jean Morehead on August 23, 1931, in Tucson, Arizona. Her parents were Alice Mary (née Franklin) and Hubert Henry Morehead, who divorced when she was young. She moved to San Francisco with her mother, who remarried a telephone lineman named Harrison Connor Huffman. Barbara took her stepfather’s surname and became Barbara Huffman. She later changed her surname to Eden when she started her acting career.
Barbara Eden is a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.She has a half-sister named Alison Scanlon from her mother’s second marriage. She has been married three times: to actor Michael Ansara (1958-1974), with whom she had a son named Matthew Michael Ansara (who died of a drug overdose in 2001); to journalist Charles Fegert (1977-1982); and to real estate developer Jon Eicholtz (1991-present).
Agnes Moorehead’s Real Name and Family Background
Agnes Moorehead was born as Agnes Robertson Moorehead on December 6, 1900, in Clinton, Massachusetts. Her parents were Mary (née McCauley), a former singer, and John Henderson Moorehead, a Presbyterian minister. She was of English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry.
Agnes Moorehead had a younger sister named Margaret Ann “Peggy” Moorehead. She was married twice: to actor John Griffith Lee (1930-1952), with whom she adopted a son named Sean; and to actor-director Robert Gist (1954-1958). She died of uterine cancer on April 30, 1974, at the age of 73.
Why Some People Think They Are Related
Some people may think that Barbara Eden and Agnes Moorehead are related because they share the same surname (Moorehead) in their birth names. However, this is just a coincidence and not an indication of any familial connection. In fact, Barbara Eden’s birth name was spelled Morehead, while Agnes Moorehead’s was spelled Moorehead.
Another possible reason why some people may think they are related is because they both starred in popular fantasy sitcoms that aired around the same time in the 1960s: I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970) and Bewitched (1964-1972). Barbara Eden played Jeannie, a genie who falls in love with an astronaut named Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman). Agnes Moorehead played Endora, the mother of Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery), a witch who marries a mortal named Darrin Stephens (Dick York/Dick Sargent). Both shows featured magical antics and comedy.
However, despite their similar genres and time periods, the two shows were not related or connected in any way. They were produced by different networks (NBC for I Dream of Jeannie and ABC for Bewitched) and different studios (Screen Gems for I Dream of Jeannie and Ashmont Productions/Filmways for Bewitched). They also had different casts, writers, directors, and producers.
Conclusion
Barbara Eden and Agnes Moorehead are not related by blood or marriage. They are two separate individuals who happened to have similar surnames in their birth names and starred in similar shows in the 1960s. They never worked together or met each other in person. They are both admired for their talents and achievements in the entertainment industry.
