Celebrity Profile: Candace Bergen

Candace Bergen. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Candace Bergen is one of the very few actresses who have been gifted with the beauty and great acting prowess. To this day, she is hailed as one of the best actresses ever to grace the television, as well as one of the finest performers in the motion picture industry.

Candice Patricia Bergen was born on May 9, 1946) in Beverly Hills, California, to Frances Westerman and Edgar Bergen. Westerman used to be a Powers model under the professional name Frances Westcott. meanwhile, the father was a ventriloquist, as well as comedian and actor.

Thanks to her father, who was a popularity entertainment personality in the 50s, Bergen was introduced into show business at a very young age. It was at her father's radio program that she made her first foray in the industry. In 1958, she appeared with her father on Groucho Marx's quiz show You Bet Your Life as officially introduced as Candy Bergen. It was on this show that she revealed that she wanted to become a fashion designer when she grow old.

Candace later went to the University of Pennsylvania. There, her captivating beauty helped her grab the Homecoming Queen and Miss University title. However, she admitted that she failed to seriously take her education, which resulted to her being asked to leave. She was eventually awarded an honorary doctorate by her alma mater in May 1992.

Bergen’s first love was modeling and until she became a popular TV star, she was actually working as a fashion model. Bergen’s fame on television was solidified as the leading star in two television series. As the eponymous lead in the situation comedy Murphy Brown (1988-1998), Bergen grabbed five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in Comedy.

In 2005, she was cast as Shirley Schmidt, the lead actress in the comedy-drama Boston Legal. The show lasted until 2008, garnering her two Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Bergen’s foray on movies was equally successful. Her first film was The Group (1965), based on Mary McCarthy's novel of the same name. Since the mid-60s until the 80s, Bergen has been regularly appearing on motion pictures, the most popular of which included The Sand Pebbles, Carnal Knowledge, The Wind and the Lion, and Gandhi. In 1979, she was nominated for the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in Starting Over.

Her recent movies, including Miss Congeniality (2000) and Sweet Home Alabama (2002), featured her as women of authority or high social status.