I Dream of JeannieStarBarbara Eden Says She's 'So Grateful' as She Celebrates Her 93rd Birthday (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Barbara Eden in 2016.Photo:Harry Langdon/Getty Images

Harry Langdon/Getty Images

“I am so grateful to have completed another trip around the sun,” she says in a statement. “I’ll be spending my birthday having lunch with my husband and some dear friends. I will also be enjoying the weekend with my family, my sister Alison, her husband, and their children. I want to thank all my friends and fans around the world for their outpouring of love and well wishes on my special day.”

Barbara Eden dressed as Jeannie from ‘I Dream of Jeannie’.Thomas Niedermueller/Life Ball 2013/Getty Images

She is best known for portraying the role of Jeannie, a 2,000-year-old genie who falls in love with astronaut Major Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) on NBC’sI Dream of Jeannie,which ran for five seasons from 1965 to 1970.The beloved sitcom catapulted Eden to stardom and made her a household name.

While fans continue to identify the actress with Jeannie, Edenshared with PEOPLEin August 2023 that viewers also approach her about smaller roles she’s played, too.

“Every time I make a personal appearance, someone comes up and asks me about the manicurist, which I did one episode as onThe Andy Griffith Show,” she explained at the time. “I also did one episode ofILove Lucy,and fans remember that, too. When I was doing it, I just didn’t think about it, that it would ever live that long or people would remember it.”

Barbara Eden and husband Jon Eicholtz in October 2016.Todd Williamson/Getty Images

Todd Williamson/Getty Images

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Longevity and a dedication to her craft have been key for Eden, who married her husband Jon Eicholtz in 1991.

“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 also told PEOPLE in 2023. “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."

source: people.com