Eve Plumb

Eve Aline Plumb (born April 29, 1958) is an American actress, singer and painter. She is best known for portraying the middle daughter Jan Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''.

A native of Southern California, Plumb began appearing in commercials at age seven, and also had guest roles on the televisions series ''Family Affair'', ''The Big Valley'' and '' The Virginian'' between 1966 and 1967. She was cast as Jan Brady on ''The Brady Bunch'' in 1969, and portrayed the role until the series' end in 1974. After, Plumb continued to work in television, portraying a teenage prostitute in the NBC television film '' Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway'' (1976), and as Elizabeth March in the 1978 miniseries ''Little Women''.

Plumb continued to reprise her role as Jan Brady in numerous reunion series and films, including '' The Brady Brides'' (1981) and ''A Very Brady Christmas'' (1988). She made her feature film debut with a minor role in '' I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' (1988), and later appeared in Gregg Araki's black comedy '' Nowhere'' (1997). In 2010, Plumb made her New York stage debut in ''Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage'', followed by stage productions of Nora Ephron's ''Love, Loss, and What I Wore'', and '' Same Time, Next Year''. She subsequently had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed thriller '' Blue Ruin'' (2013).

Early life

Plumb was born in Burbank, California, to Flora June (née Dobry) and Neely Ben Plumb. She has one sister, Flora, and a brother, Ben.

Career

1966–1974: Early work and ''The Brady Bunch''

Plumb began her acting career in TV commercials in 1966. The following year, she appeared on '' The Virginian'', ''The Big Valley'' and ''Lassie''. (She was also cast as "Bonnie Braids" in a TV pilot version of the comic strip Dick Tracy, but does not actually appear in the program itself, only in the opening credits.) In 1968, she appeared on '' It Takes a Thief'' and ''Family Affair''; in the latter, she played a terminally ill girl on the episode "Christmas Came A Little Early". In 1969, she appeared on an episode of ''Gunsmoke''.

From 1969 to 1974, Plumb appeared as middle sister Jan Brady in the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Her featured storylines included Jan's embarrassment over not having a boyfriend, concerns about her future appearance, being a middle child, and her insecurity over wearing glasses. Several episodes centered on Jan's jealousy of older sister Marcia, resulting in the famous whiny-complaint catchphrase "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!", that has arguably become the quintessential quote of the series. Plumb also supplied the voice of Jan in the ABC Saturday morning cartoon '' The Brady Kids'' from 1972 to 1973. After ''The Brady Bunch'' was canceled in 1974, it went on to even greater success in syndicated reruns. The sitcom has never left the television airwaves and eventually spawned numerous spin-offs, reunion specials, feature films, and parodies.

Several episodes of the sitcom featured the Brady kids singing and as a result, Plumb and the rest of the younger cast recorded several albums. Plumb would also provide a monologue for the Pat Williams Orchestra's 1974 recording of "California Love Story". The single was co-produced by Plumb's recording executive father, Neely Plumb.

1975–2000: Other projects and ''Brady Bunch'' reunions

After ''The Brady Bunch'' ended, Plumb's first notable role was that of a teenage prostitute in the NBC television movie '' Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway'' (1976). She also appeared in the sequel '' Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn'' (1977). Plumb starred as "Beth" in NBC productions of ''Little Women'' (1978), both a television movie and a short-lived series. Plumb also made numerous guest-starring appearances in such series as ''Here's Lucy'', ''The Love Boat'', ''Fantasy Island'', ''Wonder Woman'', '' One Day at a Time'', '' The Facts of Life'', ''Murder, She Wrote'', '' The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' and ''All My Children''. She appeared in the episode "The Force of Evil" from the 1977 series ''Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected'' (known in the United Kingdom as ''Twist in the Tale'').

Plumb was the only original cast member who declined to reunite for the 1976–77 variety show '' The Brady Bunch Hour'' on ABC. Much was made of her absence, including accusations that she no longer wanted to be associated with the Bradys. Plumb has stated in interviews that she was willing to do the variety show's original special episode, but could not commit to a five-year option for additional shows. Her role would be filled by Geri Reischl, who went on to be known among ''Brady Bunch'' fans as "fake Jan".

Plumb returned to the "Jan" role for the NBC TV movie ''The Brady Girls Get Married'' (1981), which led to '' The Brady Brides'', a short-lived sitcom in which she co-starred with Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia Brady. She also appeared in the CBS television movie ''A Very Brady Christmas'' (1988) and its 1990 spin-off dramedy series, '' The Bradys''. To promote their latest incarnation, the cast appeared on an episode of ''Sally Jessy Raphael'', which is remembered for having been shot outdoors in Florida during a rainstorm.

In 1993, Plumb had a brief role as Mrs. Noah in the B-Movie mockumentary '' ...And God Spoke''. Two years later she was interviewed as part of a 1995 retrospective special titled ''Brady Bunch Home Movies'', produced by Susan Olsen, who played Cindy Brady. That same year, Plumb appeared on a special "child stars" installment of ''The Jenny Jones Show''. From 1995 to 1997, Plumb was a member of the cast of the Saturday morning sitcom ''Fudge'', playing the title character's mother, Mrs. Anne Hatcher. The show aired on ABC in its first season and moved to CBS for its second season. To promote the series, Plumb appeared on ''The Jon Stewart Show''. Plumb also appeared in the movie '' Fudge-a-Mania'' (1997). In 1996, she reminisced about her Brady years on ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' and on the ''E True Hollywood Story: The Brady Bunch''. In 1998, Plumb was the original Pam Burkhart on ''That '70s Show'' (only seen in episode 6, "The Keg").

2001–present: Television, film, and stage

In 2001, Plumb appeared on a special Brady-themed edition of the NBC game show ''The Weakest Link''. In 2004, she was part of the TV Land production '' The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years''. Plumb appeared on the December 18, 2006 premiere episode of the NBC game show ''Identity''.

In 2007, Plumb was the only surviving cast member who was not on hand when TV Land honored ''The Brady Bunch'' with its Pop Culture Award. In 2008, she appeared on a special ''Brady''-themed week of the syndicated game show '' Trivial Pursuit: America Plays'', hosted by Christopher Knight, who played Peter Brady. Also in 2008, Plumb was a guest on ''The Florence Henderson Show'' on RLTV, hosted by her former TV mother.

Plumb appeared in several made-for-television movies, including ''The House on Greenapple Road'' (1970), ''The Force of Evil'' (1977), ''Telethon'' (1977), ''Secrets of Three Hungry Wives'' (1978), ''The Night the Bridge Fell Down'' (1983) and ''Yesterday Today'' (1992). Her film credits include '' I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' (1988), ''... And God Spoke'' (1993), '' Nowhere'' (1997), ''Breast Men'' (1997) and ''Manfast'' (2003). In August 2008, Plumb appeared on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''.

In 2010, Plumb originated the title character in the New York production of ''Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage'', inspired by a book and website of the same name. The role was her first New York stage role. She was next seen on the New York stage when she starred in Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron's award-winning ''Love, Loss, and What I Wore'', and she co-starred in '' Same Time, Next Year'' with Broadway's John Bolton at the Surflight Theater in Beach Haven, New Jersey

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