Barbara Feldon

Barbara Feldon (born Barbara Anne Hall; March 12, 1933) is an American actress primarily known for her roles on television. Her most prominent role was that of Agent 99 in the 1965–1970 sitcom Get Smart which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Early life Feldon was born Barbara Anne Hall in Butler, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Feldon and her older sister Patricia were the daughters of Raymond Dorsey Hall and Juliet Harriet ( Stewart). She graduated from Bethel Park High School and trained at Pittsburgh Playhouse. In 1955, she graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Arts in drama. She was initiated into the Delta Xi chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. In 1957, she won the grand prize on The $64,000 Question in the category of William Shakespeare.

Career Feldon studied acting at HB Studio. Following working as a model, Feldon's break came in the form of a popular and much-parodied television commercial for "Top Brass," a hair pomade for men by Revlon. Lounging languidly on an animal-print rug, she purred at the camera, addressing the male viewers who use it as "tigers."

This led to small roles in television series. In the 1960s, she made appearances on Twelve O'Clock High (season one episode "End of the Line"), Flipper (season one two-parter episode "The Lady and the Dolphin") and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (in "The Never-Never Affair", which aired spring 1965). In 1964, she appeared with Simon Oakland in the episode "Try to Find a Spy" of CBS's short-lived drama Mr. Broadway.

Feldon was cast in this new show as "Agent 99". She starred opposite comedian Don Adams, who portrayed Maxwell Smart, "Secret Agent 86".

The character was unusual for the era, showing a capable woman succeeding in a stressful career. Feldon noted, "A lot of women said 99 was a role model for them because she was smart and always got the right answer." Feldon almost lost her role as 99 because the sponsor of Get Smart was a deodorant soap, and she had done a deodorant commercial for Revlon. Feldon was also noticeably taller than Adams, her male co-star, another rarity for the time.

Feldon reprised her role as "Agent 99" in the made-for-television film Get Smart, Again! (1989) and in a short-lived revival of Get Smart in 1995. She wrote and provided audio commentaries and introductions for the DVD release of the original Get Smart series in 2006, but did not take part in the 2008 film adaptation that starred Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart. Feldon guest-starred as a former TV spy star on a 1993 season one episode of Mad About You as Diane "Spy Girl" Caldwell.

Feldon played Lauren Hudson, Sam Malone's annual Valentine's Day love interest, in the 1991 Cheers episode "Sam Time Next Year".

Feldon's distinctive voice has been heard in numerous TV and radio commercials and film and TV documentaries. She has occasionally acted in off-Broadway plays but said she is "no longer interested in performing".

Feldon is an accomplished writer and is still actively writing. In 2015, she had two editorial pieces featured in Metropolitan Magazine. She wrote two books, Living Alone and Loving It, in 2003, and Getting Smarter: A Memoir in 2021.

Personal life Feldon has been the actress's last name since she married Lucien Verdoux-Feldon in 1958. They divorced in 1967 due to Lucien's growing drug addiction. In 1968, while living in Los Angeles, she began a 12-year relationship with Get Smart producer Burt Nodella. Upon ending her relationship, she moved back to New York City, and was still living there as of 2024.

Awards and nominations

+Awards Year Award Category Production Result 1968 Emmy Awards Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series Get Smart 1969 Emmy Awards Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series Get Smart

Works