Candice Bergen
She transformed from a glacial fashion model into a sharp-witted, groundbreaking sitcom journalist who challenged a vice president on air.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American actress·Birthday: May 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Candice Bergen entered public life as a striking presence, the daughter of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen who first made her mark as a fashion model and a composed, often cool actress in films like 'Carnal Knowledge'. For years, she seemed destined for a career of elegant, somewhat distant roles. Then came 'Murphy Brown' in 1988, a casting that ignited a revolution in her career and on television. As the brilliant, fiercely competitive, and famously messy broadcast journalist, Bergen shed her poised image to deliver a performance of unparalleled comic timing and depth. The character became a flashpoint in America's culture wars, most famously drawing the ire of Vice President Dan Quayle. Bergen owned the role for a decade, winning five Emmys, and later reinvented herself again as the shrewd, elegant attorney Shirley Schmidt on 'Boston Legal', proving her versatility extended well beyond the newsroom.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Candice was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Candice Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Candice's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- She won five Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on 'Murphy Brown'.
- Her portrayal of Murphy Brown sparked a national political debate after Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the character's single motherhood.
- She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 'Starting Over' (1979).
- She is one of the few performers to achieve success as a leading fashion model, a film actress, and a television star.
Did You Know?
She was a contributing photographer for 'Rolling Stone' magazine in the 1970s.
Her father, Edgar Bergen, was a famous ventriloquist, and his dummy Charlie McCarthy was named her godfather.
She turned down the role of Diane Chambers on 'Cheers', which later went to Shelley Long.
She is an accomplished needlepointer and has published books on the subject.
“I think you have to be able to be laughable. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and not take yourself so seriously.”
