Who Was Charles Donald Fegert? The Untold Life Story of Barbara Eden’s Second Husband

Charles Donald Fegert is widely and generally best known as the second husband of actress Barbara Eden, widely recognised for her starring role as the title character in the classic sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Long before their difficult five-year marriage came to an end, Fegert built a successful career in Chicago newspaper advertising, working his way up to a senior executive position well before his relationship with one of American television’s most beloved stars began. This article brings together the verified facts of his life, his marriage to Barbara Eden, and the long, varied television career that made her a household name across the entire world.

Bio Table

Detail	Information
Full name	Charles Donald Fegert
Born	November 8, 1930, Chicago, Illinois
Died	September 25, 2002, Chicago, Illinois (aged 71)
Known for	Second husband of actress Barbara Eden
Career	Advertising executive, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News
Married	September 3, 1977
Marriage ended	Divorced 1983

Who Was Charles Donald Fegert?

Charles Donald Fegert was born on November 8, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, growing up on the city’s South Side in a working-class family whose father worked in the steel industry, a background that shaped his own early career path before he eventually built a successful life in advertising. He briefly worked in mills and served in the United States Coast Guard before graduating from Loyola University Chicago in 1955 with a degree in business administration, laying the foundation for the advertising career that would define much of his professional life in the decades that followed.

Fegert married actress Barbara Eden on September 3, 1977, several years after her career-defining role as the title character in I Dream of Jeannie had already made her one of the most recognisable faces on American television, beginning a marriage that would last until their separation in March 1982 and formal divorce the following year.

Charles Donald Fegert’s Career in Advertising

Charles Donald Fegert began his professional career as an advertising salesman at the Chicago Sun-Times in 1955, the same year he graduated from Loyola University Chicago, working his way steadily up through the organisation over the following years. He was promoted to advertising manager in 1969, and by the early 1970s he had risen to serve as Vice President of Advertising and Marketing for both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News, a senior position that reflected his reputation for building strong, lasting relationships with advertisers rather than simply transacting ad space on a purely commercial basis.

A Career Built on Relationships and Reputation

Several key details define the advertising career Charles Donald Fegert built in Chicago:

1. He began as an advertising salesman at the Chicago Sun-Times in 1955, the same year he graduated from Loyola University Chicago.
2. He was promoted to advertising manager in 1969, following more than a decade of steady work within the organisation.
3. He served as Vice President of Advertising and Marketing for both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News during the early 1970s.

Barbara Eden’s Rise to Television Stardom

To understand the woman Charles Donald Fegert married in 1977, it helps to look closely at her career. Barbara Eden was born on August 23, 1931, in Tucson, Arizona, and achieved lasting fame through her starring role as Jeannie in I Dream of Jeannie, which aired from 1965 to 1970 and saw her play a magical genie released from her bottle by an Air Force astronaut, a role that spanned 139 episodes across five seasons and made her one of the most recognisable actresses of her generation.

Timeline of Key Events

• November 8, 1930: Charles Donald Fegert is born in Chicago, Illinois.
• August 23, 1931: Barbara Eden is born in Tucson, Arizona.
• 1955: Charles Donald Fegert graduates from Loyola University Chicago and joins the Chicago Sun-Times.
• 1965 to 1970: Barbara Eden stars as Jeannie in I Dream of Jeannie.
• September 3, 1977: Charles Donald Fegert marries Barbara Eden.
• March 1982: Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden separate.
• 1983: Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden’s divorce is finalised.

Barbara Eden’s Marriage to Charles Donald Fegert

Barbara Eden has spoken candidly in later interviews and in her memoir about the difficulties of her marriage to Charles Donald Fegert, revealing that he was reportedly still married to someone else when their relationship first began, a complicated start to a union that would ultimately prove short-lived. Eden has described Fegert as verbally abusive during their marriage and has stated that he associated with heavy drinkers and cocaine users during the years they were together, circumstances that contributed significantly to the couple’s eventual separation in March 1982 and their divorce the following year.

Barbara Eden’s Career Beyond I Dream of Jeannie

Barbara Eden’s career extended well beyond her most famous role, spanning film, theatre, and television appearances from 1955 through to recent decades, a career longevity that few actresses of her generation have managed to sustain so successfully. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1988, a recognition of her decades-long contribution to American entertainment, and she has continued to make public appearances and give interviews reflecting on her career well into her nineties, offering a rare, sustained perspective on more than half a century in the entertainment industry.

Eden’s career before I Dream of Jeannie included a range of film roles throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, building a reputation as a versatile performer well before her television breakthrough brought her global recognition as one of the medium’s most beloved comedic actresses. Her ability to sustain a career across multiple decades, adapting to changing entertainment trends from classic Hollywood films to television sitcoms and later stage work, reflects a professional resilience that has kept her relevant to audiences across several distinct generations, long after many of her contemporaries from the same era of American television had largely faded from public view.

Charles Donald Fegert’s Family Life

Charles Donald Fegert had three children from previous marriages, daughter Lisa and sons Michael and Chip, and by the time of his death in 2002 he had become grandfather to seven grandchildren, reflecting a family life that extended well beyond his relatively brief marriage to Barbara Eden. Following his divorce from Eden, Fegert married his second wife, Trish Althaus, a model, in a ceremony held at Kraft Chapel’s North Shore Baptist Church, beginning a new chapter of his personal life that took place largely outside the public attention that had briefly surrounded his marriage to one of television’s most famous actresses.

Barbara Eden’s Life After Her Marriage to Fegert

Following her divorce from Charles Donald Fegert in 1983, Barbara Eden went on to marry her third husband, Jon Eicholtz, in 1991, a marriage that has continued for more than three decades since, considerably longer and by all accounts considerably happier than her earlier marriage to Fegert. Eden’s personal life also included considerable heartbreak, having lost her only child, Matthew Ansara, from her first marriage to actor Michael Ansara, to a drug overdose in 2001, a tragedy she later described in her memoir as one of the most devastating experiences of her entire life, one that occurred not long after her more difficult years married to Fegert had already passed.

Eden’s decision to write candidly about her marriage to Fegert in her memoir reflected a broader willingness, later in her career, to discuss the more difficult periods of her personal life rather than presenting an entirely polished public image, a choice that many longtime fans of I Dream of Jeannie found to be a surprising but ultimately admirable degree of honesty from an actress so closely associated with a lighthearted, family-friendly television role. Her account of the marriage to Fegert offered a considerably more complicated picture of a period in her life that had previously received little public attention, standing in contrast to the more thoroughly documented details of her earlier marriage to Michael Ansara and her later, more enduring marriage to Eicholtz.

How Charles Donald Fegert’s Career Shaped His Public Legacy

Charles Donald Fegert’s reputation within Chicago’s advertising and publishing industry extended well beyond his brief marriage to Barbara Eden, having built a career defined by genuine relationships with advertisers rather than purely transactional business dealings during his decades at the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. He was known locally as a regular master of ceremonies at Chicago business events, a role that reflected his standing within the city’s business community independent of any connection to his more famous second wife.

Why People Search for Charles Donald Fegert

Interest in Charles Donald Fegert tends to arise from fans of Barbara Eden and I Dream of Jeannie researching the actress’s personal history, particularly given how candidly she has discussed the difficulties of their marriage in her memoir and subsequent interviews over the years. Because so little detailed information exists about Fegert’s life outside his connection to Eden, curiosity about the Chicago advertising executive who briefly became her husband continues to draw readers researching the fuller picture of her personal history during the years following her most famous television role.

Key Takeaways About Charles Donald Fegert

Charles Donald Fegert was the second husband of actress Barbara Eden, marrying her on September 3, 1977, and remaining married until their eventual separation in 1982 and divorce the following year. He built a successful career in Chicago advertising, rising to Vice President of Advertising and Marketing for the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News, a role well established before his marriage to Eden began. He died on September 25, 2002, in Chicago, at the age of 71, having remarried and gone on to become a grandfather of seven in the years following his divorce from Eden.

Conclusion

Charles Donald Fegert’s place in Barbara Eden’s story connects him to one of the more genuinely difficult chapters of her personal life, a marriage she has since described candidly as troubled and ultimately unsustainable, standing in contrast to the considerable professional success he independently built within Chicago’s advertising industry across several decades of steady work. While their marriage ended in divorce after five years, Fegert went on to build a separate and genuinely fulfilling family life of his own, remarrying and becoming a grandfather before his eventual death in 2002. His story is a genuine reminder that even brief marriages to famous public figures often sit within much longer, considerably fuller personal histories that extend well beyond the relatively few years of public attention such unions briefly attract.

FAQs

Who exactly was Charles Donald Fegert married to?

Charles Donald Fegert was married to actress Barbara Eden, best known for starring in I Dream of Jeannie, from September 1977 until their divorce in 1983.

What was Charles Donald Fegert’s career?

Charles Donald Fegert worked in advertising for the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News, eventually rising to the position of Vice President of Advertising and Marketing for both publications.

Why did Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden ultimately divorce?

Barbara Eden has described the marriage as troubled, stating that Fegert was verbally abusive and associated with heavy drinkers and cocaine users during their years together.

Did Charles Donald Fegert have any children?

Yes. Charles Donald Fegert had three children from previous marriages, daughter Lisa and sons Michael and Chip, and became a grandfather to seven grandchildren by 2002.

When exactly did Charles Donald Fegert die?

Charles Donald Fegert died on September 25, 2002, in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 71, passing away peacefully from natural causes.