In Memory of TV's 'I Dream of Jeannie' Actress Emmaline Henry: 45 Years After Her Tragic Death

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Overview

It's been 45 years since TV's I Dream of Jeannie co-star Emmaline Henry succumbed to brain cancer on October 8, 1979.

Born on November 1, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Henry became best known for her role as Amanda Bellows on the classic 1960s TV supernatural sitcom.

A Closer Look

Although Emmaline Henry found success as an actress, music was her first love. She had always wanted to be a singer. By her teenage years, she was performing on local radio stations in Philadelphia.

In the early 1950s, Henry arrived in Hollywood and was soon cast into the chorus of several musicals. But producers soon realized that she had significant comedic chops, as opposed to her average vocal talents.

Henry also began making TV guest appearances, including one as a magician's assistant in the first black-and-white season of I Dream of Jeannie.

The following year, when the show turned to color, Henry was cast as Mrs. Bellows, wife to Hayden Rorke's frazzled Dr. Bellows.

A few years after Jeannie ended, Henry (who was married to Mark Roberts from 1969 to 1974) was allegedly scheduled to be a semi-regular on Three's Company, playing Suzanne Somer's TV boss J.C. Braddock. But those plans were altered when Somers and the series parted ways.

Henry's final performance was on the one-hour family comedy-drama, Eight is Enough, in the episode, "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do," which premiered on September 19, 1979, a mere 21 days before her demise.

Conclusion

Millions of classic TV fans around the world will forever remember Emmaline Henry's iconic performance as Amanda Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie.