Candice Bergen, a stylish and sophisticated lady, initially emerged on the 1960s screen as a trendy "ice princess" with a poised elegance, but she later redefined her debutante image in the 1970s, both on- and off-camera. As a strong-willed and outspoken feminist, she brought a decisive edge to her film and television work, particularly in the late 1980s.
Born Candice Patricia Bergen in Beverly Hills, California, she was the daughter of renowned ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and former actress and "Chesterfield Girl" model Frances Bergen (née Westerman). At the age of six, she made her radio debut on her father's show. She attended Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles, the Cathedral School in Washington D.C., and later studied at the Montesano School in Switzerland. Although she began taking art history and creative drawing at the University of Pennsylvania, she did not complete her studies.
Before pursuing a career in acting, Candice worked as a Ford model to buy cameras for her passion, photography. Her Grace Kelly-like beauty made her an ideal candidate for Ivy League patrician roles, and she made an auspicious film debut as a Vassar-styled lesbian in Sidney Lumet's The Group (1966).
Film offers started coming her way, both domestically and internationally, due to her love of travel. She played top-notch roles in films such as Carnal Knowledge (1971) and The Wind and the Lion (1975),and also found a second career as a photographer and photojournalist, with her works appearing in various magazines, including Life, Playboy, and Esquire.
In the 1970s, Candice's films were often dismissed and unworthy of her talents, including Getting Straight (1970),Soldier Blue (1970),The Adventurers (1970),T.R. Baskin (1971),Bite the Bullet (1975),The Domino Principle (1977),and A Night Full of Rain (1978). However, she made a clever swipe at comedy, becoming the first female guest host of Saturday Night Live (1975) and starring in the dramedy Starting Over (1979),for which she received a "best supporting actress" Oscar nomination.
Candice made her Broadway debut in 1985, replacing Sigourney Weaver in David Rabe's black comedy "Hurlyburly." She married French director Louis Malle in 1980 and had one child, Chloe. In the late 1980s, she hit a new career plateau on comedy television as the title role in Murphy Brown (1988),playing a cynical and competitive anchor/reporter of a TV magazine show. With a superlative supporting cast, the CBS sitcom ran for ten seasons, earning Candice five Emmys and two Golden Globe awards.
After her husband's illness and death from cancer in 1995, Candice maintained a low profile for an extended period. She married Manhattan real estate developer Marshall Rose in 2000 and returned to acting with a renewed vigor, with many of her characters being enjoyable extensions of her sardonic "Murphy Brown" character.
Candice joined the 2005 cast of Boston Legal (2004),playing a brash, no-nonsense lawyer and trading barbs with William Shatner, earning an Emmy nomination in the process. In 2018, she revisited her Murphy Brown character in a revised series, but the show was cancelled after only one season.
Candice has also ventured into the romantic comedy film genre, starring in films such as Miss Congeniality (2000),Sweet Home Alabama (2002),The In-Laws (2003),Sex and the City (2008),The Women (2008),Bride Wars (2009),A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014),Rules Don't Apply (2016),The Meyerowitz Stories (2017),Home Again (2017),and Book Club (2018).
