Actress Florence Henderson will always be associated with her portrayal of Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, one of the most popular mothers in television history. Her own childhood, however, was far from ideal. The 10th child of a tobacco sharecropper, she was only 12 when her mother departed the impoverished family, leaving her with an alcoholic father. Henderson’s ability to sing was her ticket out, eventually leading her to stardom on the stage and screen. In her first memoir, Life Is Not a Stage: From Broadway Baby to a Lovely Lady and Beyond (Hachette Book Group/Center Street, Sept.), Henderson describes the highs and lows of a journey she hopes readers will find “inspirational.”
Henderson tells Show Daily she had been asked “many times” to write a memoir but was always concerned about hurting feelings. “I have always been a private person. Not a whole lot is known about me, and luckily, the great bulk of my career has been before TMZ.” At this stage of her life she says the time was right to tell a story that is honest and encouraging. “By writing about my challenges and triumphs I want people to know that you do not have to be a victim of environment or your mistakes. You can go on and live a valiant life.... If I can help one person who has suffered, that would bring me more joy than just about anything.”
Fueled by talent, determination, and a healthy competitive spirit, as her recent stint on Dancing with the Stars confirmed, Henderson left rural Indiana for New York City at age 17. She soon found herself under the wing of Broadway composers Rodgers and Hammerstein, and was an early television personality. It was the 1969 debut of The Brady Bunch, however, that sealed her place in pop culture stardom. “Carol Brady was a wonderful person I created, but she is certainly not all the dimensions of my life,” says Henderson, who at times suffered from depression, severe postpartum crisis, unhappy relationships, and the pressure to be the perfect wife and mother.
Henderson says the process of writing a memoir was occasionally “daunting,” but it did give her a chance to re-examine her life. “I always say the journey within yourself is the most difficult, but it is also the most rewarding. Life is ever evolving, but I feel like I am in a good place. I think writing the book helped me get there.” A true “people person,” she adds, “a small act of kindness is one of the most important things you can do in life. I call them moments of grace. In the book I hope there are moments of grace for a lot of people and for me as well.”
Henderson will be at the Center Street booth (3626) at 10 a.m. today. Galleys of Life Is Not a Stage will be distributed.
