The 13 Best Candice Bergen Movies and TV Shows of All Time

Born May 9, 1946, in Beverly Hills, California to famed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and model Frances Westerman Bergen, Candice Patricia Bergen got her start in showbiz as part of her father’s puppet act. She eventually followed in her mother’s footsteps by modeling for Vogue in 1967 after she made her big screen debut in the drama, The Group (1966). But she soon made her own mark.

Although she's best known as the five-time Emmy award-winning title character on the CBS sitcom Murphy Brown (1988-1998; 2018), her most famous roles were in films, including comedic drama Carnal Knowledge (1971), Oscar-nominated romantic comedy Starting Over (1979) and eight-time Oscar-winning historical drama Gandhi (1982).

Her early successes included dramas The Sand Pebbles (1966), The Adventurers (1970), Soldier Blue (1970), The Hunting Party (1971), The Wind and The Lion (1975),  A Night Full of Rain (1978), Oliver’s Story (1978) and Rich and Famous (1981).

She became the first woman to host Saturday Night Live in 1975, and the first woman to join the Five-Timers Club in 1990.

Her memoir, Knock Wood, was released in 1984, nearly a decade before she was attacked by then-Vice President Dan Quayle for being a bad role model because of the unwed mother she portrayed on Murphy Brown.

Despite changing times, she has always stayed relevant.

Bergen executive-produced 73 episodes of the decade-long Murphy Brown; played Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) boss, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, in the rom-com Sex and The City franchise and was nominated for two Emmys for her role on drama Boston Legal (2005-2008).

She also hosted Oxygen talk show Exhale With Candice Bergen (2000-2001), continued to appeared on the big screen over the next 20 years and entered the streaming world with HBO Max’s Let Them All Talk (2020).

Bergen was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2010, and while she persevered in showbiz, she also made time for family. Wed to filmmaker Louis Malle from 1980 until his death in 1995, she became mom to Chloe Malle, before tying the knot with real estate developer Marshall Rose in 2000. She will next be seen in the pandemic-era comedic drama Harvest Moon.

Take a look back at her top 13 projects:

13. Let Them All Talk (2020): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

Bergen plays social justice advocate Roberta, one of author Alice’s (Meryl Streep) old pals, whom she invites on a transatlantic Queen Mary 2 cruise to avoid flying so she can collect the acclaimed Footling Prize in the U.K. in this HBO Max comedic drama.

12. A Night Full of Rain (1978)

In this R-rated romantic drama, Bergen stars as American photographer Lizzy, who is rescued from a fight in an Italian village by communist journalist Paolo (Giancarlo Giannini), who tries to seduce her. They ultimately marry despite their different perspectives.

11. Boston Legal (2005-2008): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

Bergen was nominated for two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Drama in 2006 and 2008 for her portrayal of authoritative Shirley Schmidt, a founding partner in the law firm Crane, Poole & Schmidt as featured on Boston Legal, the ABC comedic crime drama spinoff of The Practice (1997-2004).

10. Sex and The City (2002-2004), Sex and The City movie (2008) and revival And Just Like That… (2021)

As Vogue editor-in-chief Enid Fricke, Bergen criticized Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) writing to the point she wanted to quit her freelance gig in the iconic HBO series. For the R-rated movie spectacle, Bergen reprised her role, doling out advice to Carrie, and in the revival of the comedic drama, Enid is working on a newsletter and online magazine after being fired from the magazine.

9. The Wind and the Lion (1975): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

Set in 1900s Morocco, Bergen plays American widow Eden Pedecaris, who is kidnapped with her children by Berber chieftain Raisuli (Sean Connery) in this PG-rated action-adventure drama. The crime triggers an international incident that gets Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Keith) involved.

8. Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

Bergen plays wealthy New York Mayor Kate Hennings, the mother of confident Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), who is set to wed fashion designer Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) in this PG-13-rated romantic comedy. With her future husband and mother-in-law in tow, Melanie returns to her Alabama hometown and trailer-park roots to finalize a seven-year separation from estranged husband Jake (Josh Lucas) before tying the knot. The twist? He wants her back.

7. Miss Congeniality (2000): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

Kathy Moringside (Bergen) is a fading pageant founder in this PG-13-rated comedy starring Sandra Bullock as FBI agent Gracie, who goes undercover as a contestant in the Miss United States pageant to prevent terrorists from bombing the event.

6. Bride Wars (2009)

This time out, Bergen plays snippy wedding planner extraordinaire Marion in what's a PG-rated romantic comedy about competitive best friends Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway), who set the same wedding date at the same venue, New York’s Plaza Hotel.

5. Book Club (2018) and its sequel Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

In the PG-13-rated romantic comedy, four longtime pals — Diana (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) — are changed by reading 50 Shades of Grey in their regular book club. In the sequel, the ladies head to Italy for their first girls’ trip together.

4. Gandhi (1982): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

In this film she's American photographer Margaret Bourke-White in the biographical drama about the life of Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the Indian revolutionist who fought British rule through nonviolent protest. The PG-rated flick scored eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Kingsley), Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Film Editing.

3. Starting Over (1979): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

This R-rated romantic comedy is about newly-divorced Phil (Burt Reynolds), who falls in love with a new woman named Marilyn (Jill Clayburgh), but still yearns for his ex-wife, Jessica (Bergen, who received an Oscar nomination in the category of Best Supporting Role).

2. 'Carnal Knowledge' (1971)

An R-rated comedic drama directed by Mike Nichols that is a 30-year look back at the political and sexual history of two driven college roommates — nice guy Sandy (Art Garfunkel) and player Jonathan (Jack Nicholson) – who seek to lose their virginity. Bergen is virginal Susan, who ultimately marries Sandy, who is unaware she cheated on him with Jonathan.

1. Murphy Brown (1988-1998; 2018): Candice Bergen movies and TV shows

Clocking in at 258 episodes, Bergen starred as the title character, investigative broadcast journalist Murphy Brown, in the CBS sitcom about the ups and downs of her personal and professional lives.

As noted, Bergen won five Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in A Comedy Series for Murphy Brown in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1995, having also been nominated in 1991 and 1993. From 1996-1998, she withdrew herself from the competition, in an effort to give others a chance to win TV’s top prize.

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