ARKANSAS, USA — When actress Barbara Eden was a young adult, she was an accomplished singer, but her mother wanted her to take acting classes. Her acting coach thought she had talent, but Eden was shy and it could be a problem in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. The coach hatched a plan.
Eden entered the Miss San Francisco beauty pageant in 1951. She won. From there, she would cultivate a decades-long career in the movies, in television and music, and on the live acting stage that culminated with her iconic role as the genie in the television show “I Dream of Jeannie.”
The 90-year-old actress told Talk Business & Politics that competition changed her life.
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