Tragedy and magic wishes: Barbara Eden's life and career as the I Dream of Jeannie star celebrates turning 94 – with the help of an unlikely fan

I Dream of Jeannie star Barbara Eden is celebrating her 94th birthday – with a little help from her fans including the likes of Paris Hilton.

The Hollywood legend marked the occassion by sharing a photo on her official Instagram page, in it she flashed her signature Jeannie pose.

Stream episodes of I Dream of Jeannie for free on 9Now.

"Let's all take a moment to wish our favorite blonde, entertainment icon and Hollywood legend Barbara Eden a very VERY Happy Birthday today!" a post from Eden's official team read.

"We invite you to share your birthday wishes for Ms. Eden here as she celebrates her 94th Birthday!"

Dozens of fans did exactly that as they flocked to the comment section to celebrate the milestone with the actress.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBARA🎈. I ❤️you!" fellow actress Jennie Garth wrote.

Comedian and Sabrina the Teenage Witch star Caroline Rhea commented: "Happy Birthday ageless beauty!"

While Paris Hilton sent her birthday wishes by sharing a picture of herself dressed up as Jeannie.

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Another fan wrote, "I grew up seeing you on TV and all your appearances gave me such a joyful feeling. Happy and [blessed] birthday."

What is Barbara Eden doing now?

At 94, Eden resides in Beverly hills with her husband of 34 years, Jon Eicholtz and their dog Bentley.

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While Eden is no longer acting – she only officially retired four years ago – she's still active in the media often engaging in interviews and interacting with fans.

Most recently she appeared on Bill Maher's podcast Club Random to talk about her iconic role as Jeannie.

In the interview she revealed she gave her iconic genie bottle from set to the Smithsonian, America's largest museum and education institution.

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When asked if she ever gets sick of reliving her iconic role for fans, Eden said no.

"I enjoyed doing it, I felt very lucky that I was doing it," she explained.

Listen to some of the podcast right here:

Barbara Eden's career

Over her 70-year career, Eden has starred in more than 25 films, 19 TV movies and five TV series.

Her big break happened in 1955 when she became a recurring sketch performer on The Johnny Carson Show.

She made a handful of appearances on I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best and The Andy Griffith Show.

Of course Eden is best known for her role in I Dream of Jeannie as the title character Jeannie, a 2000-year-old genie who crosses paths with astronaut Major Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman).

They eventually fall in love and build a life together but in between their love story, Jeannie's wish-granting ways often cause chaos for Major Nelson.

She played the happy-go-lucky blonde for five seasons from 1965 to 1970.

Eden's most recent acting role was in the 2019 Christmas film My Adventures with Santa, in which she played Mrs. Claus alongside Denise Richards and Patrick Muldoon.

Barbara Eden's personal life

Eden was born in 1931 as Barbara Jean Morehead in Tuscon, Arizona to parents Alice Mary and Hubert Henry Morehead.

After her parents divorce, Eden and her mother moved to San Francisco.

Eden has been married three times, first in 1958 to actor Michael Ansara. The pair met while he was filming his hit TV series Broken Arrow.

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Eden and Ansara's marriage spanned across her time on I Dream of Jeannie and Ansara made several guest apperances on the show. They split after 16 years together in 1974.

The couple had one son together, Matthew Ansara, who tragically died of a heroin overdose on June 25, 2001.

In an interview with People, said she doesn't think there is "anything worse than to lose your child".

"As a parent, I had a lot of guilt and anger, and following his death I was always on the edge of tears. Even though he was 35, he was still my baby," she said.

Following her divorce from Ansara, Eden married Chicago Sun-Times executive Charles Fegert in 1977. The couple was together for five years before they divorced in 1982.

In 1991, Eden married her third husband, real estate developer Jon Eicholtz, and the pair have been together ever since.

Stream episodes of I Dream of Jeannie for free on 9Now.

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