 
From
the boards of the Broadway stage to television
and the silver screen, Florence Henderson
has conquered just about every aspect of
entertainment. So successfully in fact,
that the multi-talented actress, talk show
host, recording artist, author, Broadway
veteran, and philanthropist was inducted
into the Smithsonian Institute's first permanent
Entertainment History Exhibit as one of
the greatest pop cultural icons of all time
in Nov 2008, as well as receiving her star
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her enthusiasm,
professionalism, commitment to quality and
artistry has made Ms. Henderson one of the
most respected and endearing performers
of our time.
Henderson's
career is as active today as when she first
appeared as the "Today Girl" on
NBC's TODAY SHOW and the first woman to
host THE TONIGHT SHOW. Florence is
no stranger to television today, appearing
on her very own RLTV Network's FLORENCE
HENDERSON SHOW currently airing on DirectTV.
Florence's shows are lively and spontaneous,
offering a nostalgic pop cultural program
including interviews with legendary guests
and on location visits to famous Hollywood
landmarks as well as first hand experiences
such as flying with the Lima Lima Aviation
Team. Of course, she will always be
best known in syndication worldwide as "America's
Favorite Mom" and matriarch Carol Brady,
on the classic hit TV series THE BRADY BUNCH.
Acknowledged
as one of the top leading spokespersons
in the U.S., Florence has been a celebrity
spokeswoman for Oldsmobile, Polident, Tang,
Rainsoft, and of course, Wesson Oil for
22 years. She is currently the spokesperson
for Bausch & Lomb's new CRYSTALENS.
In fact, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, based
on consumer appeal, rated her #5 out of
the 10 top television endorsers. So, it
was no surprise when she was approached
as a spokeswoman to help viewers get ready
for the Analog-to-Digital TV Conversion
in 2009. With a career built on trust and
talent, Florence maintains a busy schedule
as one of the most popular and sought after
motivational speakers as well as performing
her one-woman show entitled ALL THE LIVES
OF ME.A Musical Journey.
The
audience interactive experience of ALL THE
LIVES OF ME.A Musical Journey, retraces
her life starting as a child growing up
during the Depression. Florence's penchant
for performing began as the youngest of
10 children to a sharecropper and his wife
in a close-knit midwestern family. Henderson's
mother taught her to sing, and at age two
she had a repertoire of 50 songs, note perfect.
At 8, Henderson was working in her father's
fields, and by 12 she was singing at the
local store for groceries.
Her
acting career began at age 17, when Florence
entered New York's prestigious American
Academy of Dramatic Arts with financial
assistance from a schoolmate's parents.
By age 18 she was making her Broadway debut,
and then landed a part in Joshua Logan's
musical, WISH YOU WERE HERE. Although the
part was small, Florence's flair and sheer
talent attracted the attention of the legendary
team of Rodgers & Hammerstein, who promptly
stole her away to play the lead in the last
national tour of OKLAHOMA!
Ms.
Henderson's reputation as a bright new star
preceded her to Hollywood, where she starred
in THE GREAT WALTZ for the Los Angeles Civic
Light Opera. Logan "reclaimed"
her, and she returned to New York to originate
the starring role of FANNY. Florence's already-impressive
resume includes her Brava performance as
"Maria" in THE SOUND OF MUSIC,
the lead in THE GIRL WHO CAME TO SUPPER,
Noel Coward's last show on Broadway and
her performance to sell-out crowds in the
Lincoln Center production of SOUTH PACIFIC
as "Nellie Forbush." Her drawing
power and incredible appeal propelled her
into to the starring role of "Anna"
opposite Ricardo Montalban's "King
of Siam" in the production of THE KING
AND I, which opened the Los Angeles Music
Center.
Florence's
magic touch was hardly limited to the stage.
Her first feature film, THE SONG OF NORWAY,
was shot over 8 months on location in Europe,
bringing her into the international spotlight.
This multi-faceted actress broke new
ground in television, as the star of one
of the medium's most beloved and longest-running
situation comedies, THE BRADY BUNCH. In
1969, when Henderson took the role, she
wanted to make Carol a bit more realistic,
begging the studio to let the character
have a job, but her request was refused.
The classic series aired for 5 seasons (1969-1974);
has never been off the air in this country,
and currently airs in 122 countries around
the world.
As
a producer and a talk-show host, her credits
include 9 seasons on The Nashville Network's
cooking and comedy series COUNTRY KITCHEN
and the experiences inspired her to write
a cookbook, A Little Cooking, A Little Talking
and A Whole Lot of Fun.
In
the mid 80's Florence met and married John
Kappas who introduced her to the study of
hypnotherapy, and eventually becoming a
hypnotherapist herself. In 2002, Florence
faced the ultimate family challenge when
her husband of 18 years was diagnosed with
terminal cancer. Since that time, Florence
has become a featured health care and motivational
speaker, specializing in women's health
and is a spokeswoman for City of Hope Cancer
Research Center among her other humanitarian
interests.
Whether
on stage, screen, feature films, television
or the printed page, her legion of fans
internationally and nationally can count
on her to continue sharing the many talents
she possesses, and the warmth and exuberance
with which she does so.
|