Small Screen 60’s Siren Turns 90

Barbara Feldon, the Pittsburgh native who turned heads in the 60s, celebrated her 90th birthday this past Monday, March 12th.

Born Barbara Anne Hall, and best known for her role as Agent 99, the beautiful, levelheaded spy on NBC’s (later CBS) “Get Smart”, Feldon graduated from Bethel Park High School and later from Carnegie Mellon University. Following her graduation from CMU in 1955, her first television appearance came in 1957 as the top prize winner on “The 64,000 Question”.

Modeling work followed soon after, as well as television commercials. She made guest appearances on “Flipper”, “12 O’Clock High” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E”, which would ultimately lead to the role that made her a household name in the latter part of the 1960s.

Feldon portrayed Agent 99 (her character’s real name was never revealed) on NBC from 1965 to 1969, and then CBS for two more seasons. Her nine-year marriage to advertising executive Lucien Verdoux-Feldon ended in divorce in 1967. A year later, she entered into a relationship with “Get Smart” producer Burt Nodella that lasted 12 years and did not end in marriage. Feldon had no children from either union.

After “Get Smart” ended in 1970, Feldon stayed busy in television, making guest appearances in series episodes and made-for-TV movies throughout the 1970s. Her distinctive purring voice was often heard in voiceovers for multiple commercials throughout the decade.

By the 1980s, Feldon’s TV roles became less frequent, but did appear on-camera in the early 80s as the spokesperson for Pittsburgh-based Allegheny International, which at that time parented small appliance brands like Sunbeam, Oster and Hanson.

Feldon made a return to her signature role in 1989 for the reunion movie “Get Smart: Again!” She also returned to the role for the same named revival series on Fox in 1995, which only lasted seven episodes. Feldon did not appear in the Get Smart reunion movie “The Nude Bomb” in 1980, nor did she appear in the 2008 motion picture adaptation starring Steve Carrell.

By the 21st Century, Feldon had all but retired from acting, delving into writing in her 2003 book “Live Alone and Love It”. Her last credited role to date is 2006’s “The Last Request”, a low-rated comedy where she played the wife of Beaver County native Danny Aiello.

Feldon remains in New York City, where she has been based professionally for more than five decades.