‘I Dream of Jeannie’ Star Barbara Eden on the ‘Joy’ of Working at 92
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I Dream of Jeannie star Barbara Eden opened up about turning 92.
The actress continues to work to this day.
“Many people don’t realize what a joy it is and what a gift it is to be able to work in an arena that you really love,” she said.
The standard age for retirement in the United States may be 65, but longtime actress Barbara Eden is no rule follower—the I Dream of Jeannie star is still working at 92, a milestone she just celebrated this week.
From 1965 to 1970, Eden starred as Jeannie in the iconic sitcom—and she just kept going after that, appearing in 25 films, 19 TV movies, and five series over her seven-decade career.
“All through the years, I’ve noticed that many people don’t realize what a joy it is and what a gift it is to be able to work in an arena that you really love,” she recently told People. “So many people have to work in jobs they hate, and they have to do it just for sustenance, but aren’t we lucky when we can study for something, enjoy it, and know that other people enjoy it? I think that’s a gift that life gives us if we are willing to work for it.”
She is definitely willing—and her dedicated fans support her every step of the way. “They’re the best fans in the whole world,” she said. “They’re very well-read. They’re good, nice people. When I get up on the big stage, I speak, and then I do the Q&A, I’m sometimes surprised. They know more than I do about my work!”
To stay fresh, she told Page Six in 2021 that she works with a trainer to do resistance training and walks laps around her tennis court. “I feel young!” she said. And to celebrate that youthfulness this year, she and her family plan to enjoy a steakhouse dinner, each other’s company, and lemon merengue pie instead of cake, she told People.
After the celebration is over, it’s back to work. She’s scheduled to appear at Hazard Fest Autograph Convention Show in October and Rhode Island Comic Con in November, per People, and she’d like to spend some time writing—she released her first children’s book in 2021.
“I would like to do another children’s book,” she said. “That would be fun. As a child, I was always encouraged to read, and I find that it is a true gift that you can give to your child or to other children.”
Happy Birthday, Barbara!
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