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Florence Henderson Bio, Children, Case, Cause of Death, Net Worth
If there’s one emotion that Henderson’s achievements would wake up to, it’s fear. Yes, Florence Henderson has amassed a repertoire over her lifetime that will strike terror into the heart of any young actor/actress. Florence, who is best known for her role as Carol Brady on the hit series The Brady Band, began her career singing with her parents while standing on crates. As a teenager, she was already earning money for her local performances.
The efforts of this singer and actress have spread throughout the entertainment industry. Besides acting and singing, she was everything from show host to contestant to judge on different reality shows and series. Her career spanned six decades and she passed away in 2016, leaving a legacy worth emulating.
Florence Bio
Florence comes from a large family. She was born and raised in Dale, Indiana among 9 siblings, all of whom preceded her. Henderson was the last child born to Joseph and Elizabeth Henderson on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1934.
Her father was a tobacco sharecropper while her mother, Elizabeth, was a housewife. When she was just two years old, her mother – who had written about 50 songs herself – started teaching her to sing. This played a pivotal role in his early start. From the age of 8 to 12, “Florency,” as she was known, was a regular at local grocery stores.
Henderson went to St. Francis Academy in the town of Owensboro, Kentucky. From there, she would travel to New York, the theater capital of the United States, to continue her studies. She enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she belonged to the Delta Zeta sorority.
Professional music and acting career
Florence began her professional career in musicals, then performed at Lincoln Center with the touring production of South Pacific and Oklahoma!. In 1952, she made her Broadway debut in the musical I Wish You Were Here. She followed up with the lead role in the musical Pussy in 1954.
The 1950s saw her appear in numerous productions including an episode of the TV series J’espionne, two episodes of L’heure de l’acier in the United States. She also starred as Mary Jane in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and as Meg March in the CBS musical adaptation of Little Women in 1957 and 1958 respectively.
From 1958 to 1961, she appeared in advertisements for Oldsmobile on The Patti Page Show. In 1962, she received the honor of the Sarah Siddons Award in recognition of her contribution to Chicago theater. She also made history the same year by being the first woman to host The Tonight Show. She took over from Jack Paar as the show’s host, but gave way to Johnny Carson in October of that year.
In 1963, she was part of another Broadway production The Girl Who Came to Supper. the same year, she also signed with RCA Victor (now RCA Records) and began releasing her albums.
TV shows
The 1970s were the most successful years of his career as an all-around artist. She played Carol Brady on the classic ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974. She got the part in front of her best friend, Shirley Jones, who turned down the part only to accept a similar role in The Partridge Family. which also ended in 1974.
The success of this show has allowed Florence to rank 54th among the 100 greatest television icons, according to the rankings of Entertainment Weekly and TV Land.
As far as game shows go, Florence Henderson was a real fan. She was a panelist on the original Hollywood Squares, and a contestant on The $25,000 Pyramid, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and much more.
Henderson also aired his own cooking show called Country Kitchen on the Nashville Network. She was in commercials for Prange’s a Wisconsin department store chain. She was also a spokesperson for Wesson Cooking Oil from 1974 to 1996 and for Polident in the 2000s.
Florence Henderson has also done spinoffs from her hit series The Brady Bunch at different points in her career. They included: The Brady Bunch Hour, The Brady Girls Get Married, The Brady Brides, The Bradys and My Fair Brady.
The later years of his career saw him appear in various shows such as The Surreal Life, Ellen DeGeneres Show, WWE Raw, Dancing With The Stars etc. She also revived and hosted her eponymous show, The Florence Henderson Show from 2007 to 2009.
Henderson celebrated his handprints at the Disney Hollywood Studios theme park across from the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. She has also hosted the Mrs America and Mrs World beauty pageants several times.
Florence Henderson’s children, case, cause of death
Florence Henderson married her first husband, Ira Bernstein, in 1956. They had been married for about 30 years and had four children, but eventually divorced in 1985. Her second husband, Dr. John George Kappas, took her change two years later in 1987. They were married until his death in 2002
Henderson reportedly died of heart failure on the eve of Thanksgiving in 2016 in Los Angeles at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was 82 at the time of her death.
She was not ill before her death, which her manager, Kayla Pressman, said came as a shock. She was cremated and buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Net value
Florence Henderson over her lifetime has done enough movies, musicals, TV shows and commercials to earn her a net fortune. At the time of her death, she was valued at $10 million.