Florence Henderson was born on Valentine's Day 1934 to a family of 10 kids. Her father was a share-cropper, and the family did all it could to help with the responsibilities of farm living. Henderson showed an aptitude for singing early on and developed a repertoire of 50 tunes by the time she was two. Her acting career really began at age 17, when she entered New York's prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In 1952, while attending the academy, she appeared in the Joshua Logan musical "Wish You Were Here." That led directly to a lead role in Rogers & Hammerstein's national company of "Oklahoma!" which she followed up with performances in "The Great Waltz," "Fanny," "The Sound of Music," "The King and I" and "South Pacific."

Henderson became a familiar face by appearing on a number of variety shows as well as a high-profile spot on The Today Show. She also has the distinction of being the first woman to have hosted The Tonight Show. While continuing her stage career, Henderson nabbed the role of Carol Brady, and became one of TV's all-time favorite moms.

After The Brady Bunch, she continued to be broadcast into people's homes in commercials for Wesson Oil -- as well as never missing a reunion show. Today her credits are numerous and she continues to appear on the sitcom and talk-show circuit. Henderson hosted Country Kitchen on the Nashville Network for nine seasons, was a frequent guest on Hollywood Squares and The $25,000 Pyramid and appeared on Christopher Knight's reality show My Fair Brady as well as on the sixth season of The Surreal Life.

Character Bio

Carol Tyler Martin's fist husband disappeared without an explanation, leaving the poor woman to raise her three girls on her own. Did he die? Did he divorce her? We may never know. What we do know is that Carol Ann is the perfect match for Michael Paul Brady. Together they make a perfectly symmetrical family.

For her time, Carol is a liberated woman (Maybe that's what scared off her first husband?). Although she chooses to be a stay-at-home mom, she is anything but a housewife. She's a freelance writer, a sculptor, a political activist and a singer. She also organizes plays and PTA events while keeping dinner on the table. Some of her favorite things are a large terra-cotta vase, dangly earrings and singing in church. She also loves telling corny jokes and finding clever ways of zinging her husband.