Florence Henderson: The Real-Life Woman Behind America’s Favorite TV Mom

No other small-screen matriarch tops more “best TV mom” lists than the shag-coiffed, “O Come All Ye Faithful”-warbling, perpetually cheery Mrs. Carol Brady (Florence Henderson). The Brady Bunch‘s pantsuit-and-miniskirt-loving Carol is the loving mama of her own three lovely ladies, Marcia, Jan and Cindy, as well as the nurturing stepmom to husband Mike’s Greg, Peter and Bobby. And while real-life blended families have scoffed at the Brady gang’s effortless, (mostly) argument-free bonds, it’s awfully hard to argue that they don’t make for some cozy TV.

And The Brady Bunch has been exactly that, for more than five decades. In fact, since its first syndicated broadcast in September 1975, an episode of the show has aired somewhere in the world every single day of the year.