PIONEERS OF TELEVISION “SITCOMS”
PARTICIPANT BIOGRAPHIES
BARBARA EDEN has starred in five television series, scores of feature films and 15 top-
rated movies and, as a singer, has headlined at many of America‟s most popular concert stages
and theaters.
Discovered by a producer from 20th Century Fox, Eden‟s first roles were guest shots on shows
like “I Love Lucy” and “The Andy Griffith Show.” Soon, she was cast in the television show
“How to Marry a Millionaire,” which ran for two seasons. After “Millionaire” went off the air,
legendary producer Sidney Sheldon cast her as the adorable lady in the bottle, Jeannie, in “I
Dream of Jeannie.” The popular show ran for five seasons and has continued to be rerun on
television screens globally for 40 uninterrupted years. Eden‟s other television credits include
“Harper Valley,” “Dallas” (re-teaming her with “Jeannie” co-star Larry Hagman), “The Love
Boat,” “Perry Mason,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Army Wives.”
Eden also has starred in several successful television movies, including “Dead Man‟s Island,”
“Her Wicked Ways” and “Howling in the Woods.” She has been a musical guest star on more
than 50 variety shows, including 21 Bob Hope television specials.
Eden has had a lengthy career in film, from her first role in Back From Eternity to roles in such
hits as The Sound of Music and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Eden has worked actively on behalf of numerous national and local charities, including the
American Cancer Society, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, March of Dimes, American Heart
Association, Save the Children and Childhelp. She has been the recipient of the Pioneer
Broadcasters Award, a TV Land Award and two Golden Globe nominations. She was inducted
into the California Broadcasters Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
DICK VAN DYKE is a multiple Emmy and Tony Award winner who got his start working
part-time as an announcer on a local radio station in Danville, Illinois. After joining the Air
Force, he was recruited for a radio show called “Flight Time,” and he went on to do local
television in Atlanta when his tour of duty was finished. He soon moved to New York where he
began work on “The CBS Morning Show” with legends such as Walter Cronkite and Barbara
Walters.
After appearing on Broadway in New York, Van Dyke was signed to star in a comedy pilot that
became the wildly successful “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” The program premiered on CBS in
1961 and ran for five seasons. He went on to star in other television series, such as “The New
Dick Van Dyke Show” and “Diagnosis Murder.”
Van Dyke also has starred in several television movies, including “The Morning After,” where
his portrayal of a talented family man destroyed by alcoholism helped break new ground for
television drama.
He also has had an illustrious stage and screen career, starring in musicals such as Bye Bye Birdie
and The Music Man on Broadway and classic Disney films, including Mary Poppins and Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang.
Van Dyke‟s awards and honors include the Golden Heart Award from the Midnight Mission Los
Angeles, Dance Legend of the Year Award from the Professional Dancers Society of America,
the Disney Legend Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Comedy Awards
and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
ANDY GRIFFITH is best known for his work on the series “The Andy Griffith Show” and
“Matlock.” After earning a degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
he made appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Steve Allen Show” in the 1950s. His
monologues became bestselling records — most famously “What It Was, Was Football.”
On “The Andy Griffith Show,” Griffith portrayed a folksy small-town sheriff who shared simple
heartfelt wisdom. The show was one of the most popular series in history, and along with
generating successful spin-offs, it can still be seen in reruns to this day. In 1986, Griffith
produced and starred in another successful television series, “Matlock.” His other television
credits include “Mod Squad,” “The Bionic Woman,” “Hawaii Five-O” and “Fantasy Island.”
Griffith also has been seen in several television movies including “Roots: The Next Generation,”
“Strangers in 7A” and “Murder in Texas,” for which he was nominated for an Emmy.
His big screen credits include A Face in the Crowd and Waitress, and he has had a successful
stage career, receiving Tony nominations for his work in No Time for Sergeants and Destry
Rides Again.
Griffith also has had a successful recording career, putting out albums of standup comedy and
the gospel album I Love to Tell the Story, which became a Grammy Award winner.
For his professional and personal success, Griffith has been awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, a People‟s Choice Award, a TV Land Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame.
MARY TYLER MOORE is a seven-time Emmy Award winner who holds a special place
in people‟s hearts as a symbol of female independence and strength, both in her work and
personal life.
Moore has starred in two of the most highly regarded comedies in television history. Her first
taste of success came as Laura Petrie on the 60s hit “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” During the
1970s, she starred in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” a series often regarded as one of the
earliest TV portrayals of a happy and successful career woman. The show eventually garnered 29
Emmys during its seven-year run, including four for its star.
She also has starred in several television movies, including “Lincoln,” “Stolen Babies” and “Like
Mother, Like Son,” which ranked number seven of all primetime programs the week of its
broadcast.
Moore also has transferred her talents to films, including Ordinary People for which she earned
an Academy Award nomination, Six Weeks and the highly acclaimed comedy Flirting With
Disaster. She has been seen on Broadway in such productions as Whose Life Is It Anyway? for
which she received a Tony award.
Moore is the International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is active in
numerous animal welfare organizations and funds scholarship programs in the arts and
academics.
JOYCE RANDOLPH still receives praise for her role as Trixie Norton on the iconic
television show “The Honeymooners.” As the only surviving member of the classic quartet, she
continues to be a figure in the entertainment industry.
Randolph, a Finnish-American actress from Detroit, arrived in Manhattan in 1943, where she
began taking roles on Broadway. A chorus girl and featured performer in Broadway musicals,
she was even cast opposite soon-to-be “Honeymooner” co-star Audrey Meadows in a summer
stock production of No, No, Nanette.
In 1951, while starring in a Clorets commercial, she caught the eye of Jackie Gleason and
graduated to a serious skit on “Cavalcade of Stars,” Gleason‟s variety show on the DuMont
Television Network. She soon landed the role of Trixie, the spiky marital partner of the Slinky-
limbed sewer worker Ed Norton (played by Art Carney) on “The Honeymooners.” Success led
the press to dub her “The Garbo of Detriot” in reference to her fellow Scandinavian, actress
Greta Garbo. She went on to appear on “The Jack Benny Show” and in the independent film
Lips.
Randolph is still active with the U.S.O., of which she is a board member.
MARLO THOMAS is an actress, producer, author and social activist who has been a
guiding force in the entertainment industry for more than 40 years. Throughout her career, she
has been a constant presence on television earning four Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Grammy
along the way.
As a young girl, Thomas came up with the idea for her father‟s successful sitcom, “Make Room
for Daddy.”
Thomas‟ major break in television came when she was cast as Joey Bishop„s sister on the sitcom
“The Joey Bishop Show.” She went on to guest star on shows such as “Bonanza,” “McHale‟s
Navy” and “The Donna Reed Show.” In 1965, she became the star of the hit show “That Girl,” a
sitcom following Ann Marie, a single, independent young woman trying to make it as an actress
in New York City. The show‟s five-year run made Thomas a household name. She has continued
to appear on the small screen in series, including “Friends” and “Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit” and in the television movies “It Happened One Christmas” and “Nobody‟s Child.”
She also has been seen on Broadway in productions for Thieves, Who’s Afraid of Virginia
Woolf? and Six Degrees of Separation.
Over the years, Thomas has created a string of bestselling books and records, including the
groundbreaking children‟s project Free to Be ...You and Me which was not only a platinum
album, but also a television special.
Thomas‟ passion for children also is reflected in her personal life, where she is the
National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children‟s Research Hospital, which was founded by her
father. She also has been recognized by several organizations for her outstanding professional
and personal work, including receiving the George Foster Peabody Award, the ACLU‟s Thomas
Paine Award, the NAACP‟s Pathway to Excellence Award and induction into the Broadcasting
Hall of Fame. She is also a founding director of the Ms. Foundation for Women and Vice Chair
of the Museum of Television and Radio.
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