- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJean Shufflebottom
- The daughter of show business parents John Shufflebottom and Lily Peat, Carson was born as Jean Shufflebottom in Pudsey, Yorkshire. In her early British films, she performed under the name Jean Carson, but later changed her given name to "Jeannie" to avoid confusion with the similarly named American actress Jean Carson.
Carson acted in Love from Judy (1953) in London. After producer Max Liebman saw her in that production, he signed her to a contract to appear on television in the United States. In January 1953, aged 24, she released her first recording on the newly formed Philips label "Barrels And Barrels of Roses".
In 1956, she starred in her own series, Hey, Jeannie! (1956), which aired on CBS. The series lasted one season before being cancelled in 1957, although six new episodes with a revamped format were broadcast in syndication in 1958 with the title "The Jeannie Carson Show", and reruns of Hey, Jeannie! (1956) were aired in prime-time during the summer of 1960, also under the title "The Jeannie Carson Show".
Carson also appeared in television soap operas and in musical theatre opposite her husband Biff McGuire, as well as on Broadway. She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- IMDb mini biography by: Robert Sieger - Jeannie Carson was born in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, but only spent four days there, as her parents were in theatre and had to move on to their next engagement. She was eventually evacuated to Brighton during World War II. She left school at the age of 14, and went to London with two other girls, who together had become a variety act and toured in revue. She then played Aladdin in pantomime, and had a starring part in Love From Judy, which made her a star. In 1953, she was named Musical Comedy Star of the Year.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5
- SpousesBiff McGuire(November 29, 1960 - March 9, 2021) (his death, 2 children)William Redmond(June 1949 - August 1960) (divorced)
- Pert, pretty, petite and popular Yorkshire comedienne from the London stage who made a brief stab at light comedy films in England before being invited to test the waters of American TV in the mid 50s. She didn't become a TV star but did hit it quite big on Broadway starring in the musical "Finian's Rainbow" a few years later.
- Met American husband Biff McGuire while both were singing on Broadway with "Finian's Rainbow" in 1960. They married that year and went on tour together the following year with "Camelot". Biff played "King Arthur" and Jeannie co-starred as "Guinevere".
- Tried to hit light comedy stardom in 1956 with Hey, Jeannie! (1956) as a tried-and-true Scottish lass learning to adjust to the American way of life. The series, which co-starred Allen Jenkins as a friendly cabbie, failed after a season but Jeannie decided to settle in the States and returned to her theatre roots.
- Performed at the Seattle Repertory for 15 years, often with husband Biff McGuire.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content