Career
Following some work 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. Lounging languidly on an animal print rug, she purred at the camera, addressing the male viewers as "Tigers." This led to small roles in television series. In the 1960s, she made appearances in shows such as Twelve O'Clock High, Lorne Greene's Griff, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Flipper and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (in "The Never-Never Affair"). In 1964, she appeared with Simon Oakland in the episode "Try to Find a Spy" of CBS's short-lived drama Mr. Broadway, starring film actor Craig Stevens.
Then she was cast as "Agent 99" in the spy comedy series Get Smart opposite Don Adams. She played the role for the duration of the show's production from 1965 until 1970, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1968 and 1969.
She appeared in the cult-classic TV-movie thriller A Vacation In Hell (1979) with Maureen McCormick and Priscilla Barnes.
Feldon's more recent work includes appearances in Cheers and Mad About You for television. Feldon acted in such feature films as Fitzwilly (1967) and Smile (1975). She was a commercial voice performer for The Dinosaurs! Flesh on the Bone (1993).
Feldon reprised her role as "Agent 99" in made-for-television film Get Smart, Again! (1989) and a short-lived television series also titled Get Smart in 1995. She provided audio commentaries for the DVD release of the original Get Smart series in 2006.
She appeared as a former tv spy star on a 1993 episode of Mad About You, as Diane "Spy Girl" Caldwell.
Read more about this topic: Barbara Feldon
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