Many people have wondered if the late actress and singer Polly Bergen was related to the Emmy-winning star of Murphy Brown, Candice Bergen. The two women shared a last name and a profession, but were they actually family? The answer is no, they were not related by blood or marriage. Here are some facts about their lives and careers that show how different they were.
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Polly Bergen: A Versatile Performer and Entrepreneur
Polly Bergen was born Nellie Paulina Burgin in 1930 in Knoxville, Tennessee. She began her career as a radio singer and then moved on to films, television, and Broadway. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her portrayal of singer Helen Morgan in Playhouse 90. She also starred in films such as Cape Fear, The Caretakers, and Move Over, Darling. She was a regular panelist on the game show To Tell the Truth and hosted her own variety show, The Polly Bergen Show, in 1957-1958.
Polly Bergen was also a successful entrepreneur who created her own cosmetics line, jewelry line, and shoe brand. She wrote three books on beauty, fashion, and charm. She was married three times and had two adopted children and one stepchild. She converted from Southern Baptist to Judaism when she married her second husband, Hollywood agent-producer Freddie Fields. She died in 2014 at the age of 84 from natural causes.
Candice Bergen: A Model Turned Actress and Activist
Candice Bergen was born Candice Patricia Bergen in 1946 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of famous ventriloquist and comedian Edgar Bergen and former model Frances Bergen. She grew up in Beverly Hills and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she was elected Homecoming Queen and Miss University. She started her career as a fashion model and appeared on the cover of Vogue before she made her film debut in The Group in 1966.
Candice Bergen is best known for her role as the title character on the sitcom Murphy Brown, for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She also starred in films such as Starting Over, Gandhi, Miss Congeniality, and Book Club. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Starting Over and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Gandhi. She also appeared on the drama Boston Legal and the HBO series Sex and the City.
Candice Bergen is also an activist who supports various causes such as feminism, gun control, and environmentalism. She was married twice: first to French director Louis Malle, with whom she had one daughter, Chloe Malle; and second to real estate magnate Marshall Rose. She revealed in her memoir that her mother had an affair with Louis Malle’s older brother, Jean-Francois Malle, which caused a rift in their relationship.
Conclusion: No Relation Between Polly and Candice
As you can see, Polly Bergen and Candice Bergen had very different backgrounds, careers, and personal lives. They were not related by blood or marriage, nor did they ever work together professionally. They only shared a common surname that originated from their Swedish ancestors who anglicized their original name of Berggren. So the next time you hear someone ask if Polly Bergen was related to Candice Bergen, you can confidently say no and share some of these facts with them.
