Barbara Feldon

Barbara Feldon (born March 12, 1933) is an American former model and a prolific character actress of stage who is primarily known for her roles on television. Her most prominent role was that of Agent 99 on the popular 1960s sitcom, Get Smart.

Early life

Feldon was born as Barbara Hall in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1955, with a Bachelor of Arts in drama. In 1957, she won the grand prize on The $64,000 Question in the category of William Shakespeare.
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Career

Following some work as a model, Feldon's break came in the form of a popular and much parodied television commercial for "Top Brass," a hair pomade for men. Lounging languidly on an animal print rug, she purred at the camera, addressing the male viewers as "Tiger." This led to small roles in television series. In the 60s, she made appearances in shows such as Twelve O'Clock High, Lorne Greene's Griff, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Flipper and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (in "The Never-Never Affair"). In 1964, she appeared with Simon Oakland in the episode "Try to Find a Spy" of CBS's short-lived drama Mr. Broadway, starring film actor Craig Stevens.

Then she was cast as "Agent 99" in the spy comedy series Get Smart opposite Don Adams. She played the role for the duration of the show's production from 1965 until 1970, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1968 and 1969.

Feldon's more recent work includes appearances in Cheers and Mad About You for television. Feldon acted in such feature films as Fitzwilly (1967) and Smile (1975). She was a commercial voice performer for The Dinosaurs! Flesh on the Bone (1993).

Feldon reprised her role as "Agent 99" in made-for-television film Get Smart, Again! (1989) and a short-lived television series also titled Get Smart in 1995. She provided audio commentaries for the DVD release of the original Get Smart series in 2006.

Feldon has served as the actress' last name since her first marriage to Lucien Verdoux-Feldon in 1958. The pair divorced in 1967 and Feldon then embarked on a relationship with Get Smart producer Burt Nodella. That union lasted twelve years and upon its ending Feldon moved back to New York City where she resides to this day. She wrote a book, "Living Alone and Loving It" in 2003.


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