You had their posters on your bedroom wall, you wanted their hair, you knew everything about them. The women of the 70’s were liberated and empowering, leading their generation in the field of acting, music and the arts. They were fashion icons and role models for the female population and adored greatly by the males of the world. Some have stayed in the public spotlight and some have not. Now you have the chance to find out where your favorite women of the 70’s are now!
Hailing from Encino, California, Maureen first appeared on US television screens in commercials for Barbie and Chatty Cathy dolls. She first acted in minor roles in productions such as Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, before the role she will always be known for came about - Marcia Brady. The Brady Bunch began in 1969 and ran until 1974. Marcia was a popular character and it won her many admirers, although it did come at a cost to McCormick. After the show’s cancellation in 1974, her personal life spun out of control due to her addiction to drugs.
The Brady Bunch had been canceled but was still hugely popular on TV as reruns so a series of spin-offs and films would follow for McCormick. She took part in numerous, including the likes of The Brady Kids, The Brady Bunch Hour, The Brady Brides and A Very Brady Christmas. Despite these successes, life was not easy for this star and her problems with drug addiction continued, leading many producers and directors in Hollywood to be wary of casting her due to her unreliability. Thankfully today, she has managed to curb her demons through stints in rehab.
Born in 1946 in Pasadena, California, Sally was a cheerleader in High School before launching her acting career. She got her first break as a crazy surfer girl in the sitcom Gidget in 1965, but the show was not popular and was canceled after a single season. ABC saw her as a star, though, and wanted to find a project for her. They cast her in a new show called Flying Nun. It took her to the mid-70s in order to break out of the sitcom world, when she landed a role in the 1976 movie Sybil, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1977.
Playing a young woman with multiple personality disorder was the break she really needed, and following that success the hit roles came flooding in for Sally. She co-starred with Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason in 1978’s second highest grossing film, Smokey and the Bandit, before landing her most iconic role in 1979 in Norma Rae. After the 70’s, Sally became a household name for the new generation with roles in huge Hollywood hits like Mrs. Doutbfire and Forest Gump. Even more recently, she starred in the hit show Brothers and Sisters.
Another Californian girl, Bo was born in Long Beach, California in 1956. She more or less dropped out of high school aged 16 when she fell in love with a man 30 years her senior, John Derek. John divorced his wife soon after meeting Bo and the two moved to Germany together. Bo made her film debut in the horror film Orca, which was supposed to be the director Michael Anderson’s answer to Jaws. It was a disastrous film but it did launch her career! Following Orca, Bo landed a role in the movie 10, for which she is still most famous for until this day.
