Maureen McCormick

Maureen McCormick Early life and career

McCormick was born in Encino, California, on August 5, 1956, the daughter of Irene (née Beckman) and William McCormick, a teacher. She won the Baby Miss San Fernando Valley beauty pageant. She attended Charles Evans Hughes Junior High and Taft High School. McCormick made her television debut in 1964 in Barbie doll and Chatty Cathy commercials. She also lent her voice to the redesigned Chatty Cathy doll that was introduced in 1970. She appeared in two episodes of Bewitched and played guest roles on I Dream of Jeannie, Honey West, The Farmer's Daughter and My Three Sons.

Maureen McCormick Marcia Brady

The Brady Bunch was an American situation comedy about a blended family that aired from 1969 to 1974 on ABC and whose continued popularity has led to spinoffs, movies and a largely uninterrupted airing in syndication. McCormick played the eldest daughter Marcia, a popular girl with a perky personality. Running plot lines revolved around middle sister Jan’s jealousy of Marcia’s popularity and Marcia’s unhappiness when something happens to her looks such as when she is fitted with braces or her nose is swollen after being hit by a football thrown by brother Peter. A popular episode revolved around ex Monkees singer Davy Jones. Disaster loomed when Marcia promised that Jones would play at her Junior High School prom before clinching the deal but it worked out in the end when Jones overhearing his manager rejecting her outside his rehearsal studio later agreed to perform at the prom. In one of the shows rare episodes about social concerns “The Liberation of Marcia” dealt with feminism.

Maureen McCormick Later career

McCormick attempted to further her career after the demise of The Brady Bunch. Although she made guest appearances in numerous television series such as Happy Days, Donny & Marie, Love Boat and Fantasy Island, and played supporting roles in a few B-movies (including 1979's Vacation in Hell, Skatetown, U.S.A. and 1987's Return to Horror High), she was never able to completely distance herself from her Brady role due to the sitcom's continuous daily syndicated reruns. McCormick claims she failed to a get a part as a hooker or heroin dealer for the movie Midnight Express because of the "Marcia connection"[3] Much later, she was the first of two actresses (Andrea Evans was the second) to play Rebecca Crane, conniving Gwen Winthrop's equally conniving mother, and co-conspirator, on the now cancelled soap opera, Passions. Ironically, neither she, or Evans who succeeded her in the role, were ever on contract.