This ever-smiling blonde actress and singer portrayed the typical American mother Carol Brady in several series incarnations. Florence Henderson was first cast as the "lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely girls" in the ABC sitcom "The Brady Bunch" (1969-74). (The series seemingly would run forever in syndication.)
She first reprised the role for a 1977 ABC variety series, "The Brady Bunch Hour" and later had a go at it on "The Brady Brides" (NBC, 1981), the CBS holiday special "A Very Brady Christmas" (1988) and "The Bradys" (CBS, 1990). While Henderson was too old to portray Carol in the Betty Thomas' 1995 feature version (that role went to Shelley Long), she did make a cameo appearance as Carol's mother.
Henderson had a substantial career before Carol Brady, particularly on stage and in TV variety shows. She broke into theater with a small role in "Wish You Were Here" (1952), toured as Laurey in "Oklahoma!", played the title role of "Fanny" on Broadway in 1954 and has performed in such other classic roles as Anna in "The King and I", Maria in "The Sound of Music" and Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific".
Henderson was no stranger to the small screen, having first appeared in an episode of "The U.S. Steel Hour" in the 50s, before becoming a semi-regular on "The Jack Paar Show" (NBC, 1959-62). With Bill Hayes, she had co-hosted the "Oldsmobile Music Theatre" (NBC, 1959) and even spent more than a year on NBC's "Today" program adding feminine spice, as the culture dictated in the early 60s. At the height of her popularity as Carol Brady, Henderson even became the first woman to substitute host for Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show".
By the late 80s, she was hosting a cooking and chat show for The Nashville Network (TNN) and became recognized as the commercial spokesperson for Wesson Oil. Henderson and her daughter Barbara Chase hosted a informational series, "Our Generation" (Faith & Values Network, 1995-96) and she has continued to make guest appearances on various sitcoms, often trading on her image as Mrs. Brady.
Henderson made her feature debut in the biopic "Song of Norway" (1970). She made her next feature 22 years later in Bobcat Goldthwait's "Shakes the Clown" (1992). Henderson was praised for her turn as a clown groupie who engages in a one-night stand with the title character.
