Florence Henderson: The Real-Life Woman Behind America’s Favorite TV Mom

Lori Acken Today, 6:00 am

Florence Henderson composite image — Everett Collection

No other small-screen matriarch tops more “best TV mom” lists than the shag-coiffed, “O Come All Ye Faithful”-warbling, perpetually cheery Mrs. Carol Brady (Florence Henderson). The Brady Bunch‘s pantsuit-and-miniskirt-loving Carol is the loving mama of her own three lovely ladies, Marcia, Jan and Cindy, as well as the nurturing stepmom to husband Mike’s Greg, Peter and Bobby. And while real-life blended families have scoffed at the Brady gang’s effortless, (mostly) argument-free bonds, it’s awfully hard to argue that they don’t make for some cozy TV.

And The Brady Bunch has been exactly that, for more than five decades. In fact, since its first syndicated broadcast in September 1975, an episode of the show has aired somewhere in the world every single day of the year.

Ron Thal/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection

Though the role of Carol Brady seemed to fit Henderson like one of Carol’s comfy block-heeled loafers, truth was, Henderson was a New Yorker when she was asked to audition, and aspired to loftier roles. But she soon realized she had something that the now iconic role — and the show overall — needed: Henderson was the only real-life parent in the bunch, as well as the product of a 10-child family.

“I understood kids,” the twice-married Henderson told People Magazine. “I felt close to them. I was the only one on the set who was married, who had children, who had an ongoing relationship. The others didn’t.”

Here are some more fun facts about the multi-faceted Henderson, who died in 2016 at age 82.

1 She played Meg March in a 1958 TV production of Little Women

LITTLE WOMEN, from left: Zina Bethune, Florence Henderson, 1958.

Everett Collection

The well-received telefilm marked Henderson’s film debut. Among her costars: EGOT-winner Joel Grey as Laurie, young Meet Me in St. Louis star Margaret O’Brien as Beth, and soap legend Bill Hayes as Meg’s husband John Brooke. She is pictured above with Zina Bethune.

2 She auditioned for the Brady Bunch on the Star Trekset

STAR TREK, William Shater (2nd from left), George Takei (3rd from right), Leonard Nimoy (2nd from right) on-set, 1966-69

Everett Collection

Because she was performing music in California when her agent called her about the audition, Henderson agreed to meet with Brady creator Sherwood Schwartz and a few other executives. They asked her screen test on the spot, and, with no other place to go, the Star Trek set filled the bill.

“They made me up in the Star Trek dressing room,” Henderson recalled. “William Shatner was there — not overly friendly, I might add. I’ve razzed him about that many times over the years.”

She won the role before she even arrived at her next engagement, had to cancel that performance and was almost forced to bail out of a costarring role in 1970s big-budget flop Song of Norway.

3 She wore a wig for Brady‘s first season

THE BRADY BUNCH, Florence Henderson, (Season 1), 1969-74

Everett Collection

Henderson had no idea that the Brady Bunch was in her future when she took the role of Song of Norway‘s Nina, so she adopted a pixie cut to make her Norway wigs more comfortable. Carol’s fluffy bob-meets-bouffant ‘do in Season 1 is courtesy of a wig.

4 Henderson became a licensed hypnotherapist, which led to love … and reality TV

Depressed by her divorce from first husband, Ira Bernstein — with whom she had four kids — Henderson sought relief in hypnotherapy. She was so fascinated with the process that she became a therapist in her own right. The diversion led to her meeting her second husband, fellow therapist Dr. John Kappas. Henderson also appeared on the sixth season of VH1’s reality series The Surreal Life, serving as cast therapist “Dr. Flo.”

5 She was the face of Wesson cooking oil and hosted a few cooking shows, but …

COUNTRY KITCHEN, (aka FLORENCE HENDERSON'S COUNTRY KITCHEN), Garth Brooks, Florence Henderson, (1990), 1985-1994.

Jim Hagans/TNN/courtesy Everett Collection

Carol Brady rarely cooked, leaving the honors to family maid Alice. However — perhaps playing off her TV housewife reputation — Henderson hosted Country Kitchen on the now defunct TNN, Who’s Cooking with Florence on the former Retirement Living TV and several other short-lived cooking shows. But Henderson was the first to admit that it was a darn good thing that someone else was cooking with her, telling the audience of a recent Brady podcast that she struggled to boil water.

Henderson also joked with ReMIND‘s sister publication, Channel Guide magazine, about her lacking cooking skills when she competed on the former Food Network cooking competition, Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. Recalling RLTV approaching her to host Who’s Cooking under the assumption that she was as domesticated as her former TV character, “I thought, ‘Boy are they wrong!’” Henderson “I can cook, but to be honest with you, I’d rather be singing and dancing.”