Jan Brady Looks Gorgeous More Than Four Decades After 'The Brady Bunch'

Jul 05, 2021

Eve Plumb is an American actress that is best known for her role as Jan Brady on the popular television series "The Brady Bunch." Plumb is a southern California native who has been working in Hollywood since she was a child. Plumb is often remembered for delivering her famous line, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia." Portraying Jan Brady was a good experience for Plumb, but it did make it more difficult for her to get other roles in the future.

Despite her difficulty finding work at times, Plumb still went on to star in the leading role of the television film "Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway." She also appeared in the comedic films "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" and "Nowhere." In 2013, Plumb got to try something new when she  had a supporting role in the thriller "Blue Ruin."

Although she was the only cast member not to return for the variety show "The Brady Bunch Hour," Plumb was involved with several other reunion specials for "The Brady Bunch." The star was not ready to sign a five-year contract, so she declined to appear on the show. However, she returned as Jan for the TV specials "The Brady Girls Get Married" and "A Very Brady Christmas."

Plumb is also a master of stage performance along with film and television. She starred in Nora Ephron's stage productions of "Love, Loss, and What I Wore," "Same Time, Next Year," and made her New York stage debut in "Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage." 

These days Plumb is still working in show business. She had a small role on the television series "Bull" in 2020. The actress is also interested in design and is on the HGTV show "Generation Renovation." Read on to learn more about Plumb's life and to see her recent photos. 

Plumb was born in Burbank, California, on April 29, 1958, to Flora June and Neely Ben Plumb. She has a brother and a sister named Flora and Ben. Plumb began acting in 1966 when she was just seven years old, and she first appeared in television commercials before moving on to TV shows. 

In 1967, Plum appeared on the television series "The Virginian," "Lassie," and "The Big Valley." She would continue to make frequent appearances on popular TV shows in the late 60s before starting work on "The Brady Bunch." 

The actress recalled how she began her career in show business at such a young age. Plumb told Closer Weekly, "A children's agent moved next door to me when I was a kid and I got a commercial, then I kept getting more. I shot TV pilots, appeared on 'The Big Valley,' then 'Lassie,' then 'The Brady Bunch' came."

Plumb started working on "The Brady Bunch" in 1969, and the show ran until 1974. However, being a child star wasn't always easy for her. "I had so much success as a child. But once you age out of being the cute kid, then what? If you're not ready for it, it can be very difficult," she shared with Closer. 

Fortunately, Plumb's parents were very supportive of her work and did their best to make sure she turned out okay. She explained, "My father ran my career and invested my money very well. My mother was with me on set every day. They never took a cent from me!"

Playing such an iconic character can sometimes restrict an actor's choices when it comes to future roles. "I'll always be Jan Brady to so many people. I can't escape it, but I can do other things. If it gets me in the door (for jobs), then fine! If you're surprised to learn I can do other things, then great," said Plumb. 

At times it felt like Plumb was letting other people down by not always being Jan Brady. "That's what's so disappointing to everybody — that I'm not her," she told The Washington Post. the star told a story about a fan who did not understand that she was not really Jan in real life. "I had a waitress say to me, 'Are you Jan Brady?' 'I played her on TV.' 'No, but are you her?' she insisted." 

The actress continued, "Things go in cycles. You have down times, up times, busy times, not-so-busy times. I'm having to fight against that stigma of being an ex-child star and, yes, I've reconciled to the fact that the Brady series is what gets me that attention and what deflects what I'm doing now. We all grow up, but not everyone wants us after we do. It's difficult because in our industry the people who cast shows either want a fresh face or established people."

Feeling misunderstood by the media can also negatively impact a person's career. Plumb said in her interview with The Washington Post:

"Don't get me wrong. The series was — and is — a wonderful thing. . . . Sometimes I am sensitive. You do get defensive. It can be tiring sometimes trying to answer the same questions all the time. It's easy to get defensive about it."

She continued, "People so often are looking for the bad story. People love to extrapolate things into bad stories: 'You're bitter, you're angry.' You answer their question and then they perceive it in a way you didn't mean. After a while, you just can't be responsible for the way people react because you're damned if you do and damned if you don't."

Plumb makes a point not to be ashamed of her child-star roots. "I think everyone who lives long enough has questions about roads taken or not, and choices made," Plumb said. "To say `if I'd only. . .' is to drive yourself insane and not see the opportunities that are available now. My career is what it is, with good and bad parts, embarrassing parts and things to be proud of. But Mary Pickford almost burned all of her movies when she was older, and aren't we glad she didn't?"

Plumb did not appear in as many projects throughout the 90s, and that made the public assume the worst. "It's funny. Unless you're on the evening news every night, they think you're dead," she joked. "I just haven't been in the public eye every breath I take. I've chosen to live my life as normally as possible. I don't have a rags-to-riches story. I'm not sensational. It's not like I've had to pull myself out of the gutter, or pull myself from the dead." 

After some time, Plumb grew to accept that Jan was always going to be part of her life. "I keep thinking (the stigma) is going to end, but there's other times when I realize it's always going to be with me," she said. 

The star decided that she would find a way to live her life on her own terms, and she took some advice from a fellow actress that changed her outlook on life and her personal look as well. "Lisa Kudrow told me to go really dark red. Go all out," Plumb told The Washington Post in 2000. 

She continued, "I thought, `oh, yeesh'. . . Well, I went with red hair and realized I didn't get noticed as much. I could go out to a flea market or antique shop and open up and talk to strangers. We could have regular conversations and that was part of having a normal life that I really enjoyed." 

A desire for individuality is normal for anyone, but it is especially important for a person who spends all day pretending to be someone else. Finally, feeling free to go out into the world and experience life as herself, separate from Jan, truly made a difference in Plumb's life. 

In the end, Plumb had to admit that getting other acting roles was a serious challenge because she was so recognizable. Yet, the actress is able to maintain a positive attitude and persevere. She said in the same interview: 

"I love TV, I want to be on TV. But Hollywood is all about getting in the door, and if I could figure out why I don't get more calls, hopefully I could do something to change that. But if I keep asking myself, 'why, why, why'. . . well, you can drive yourself insane trying to figure it out. So I can only be saying to myself, 'I'll keep trying.'"

Plumb has had a successful career, but acting isn't the only thing she loves. The star is also an avid painter and designer. "I like to think that when people meet me and talk to me, they say, `Look at her! She's normal. She's happy. She's alive and creative.' I don't know if they do. But that's just my perception," said Plumb.

Plumb opened up about her love for painting and how it differs from performing. "With acting, you have to wait for somebody to call you, then you have to wait to see if they like you, and a lot of times they don't. With painting, I love the control. I get to choose it all: When I do it, how it's presented. It's mine. By the time I put a painting on the wall, it's out of my hands. If people like it, fine; if they don't, that's fine, too," Plumb said, according to her page on IMDB.

One of Plumb's passions is renovating and designing homes. She and her husband star together on the HGTV show "Generation Renovation." Plumb said in a statement from HGTV, "You know me from TV and film, and, of course, as Jan Brady from 'The Brady Bunch.' Most people don't know that I love older homes, was on a design review board and have redone more than 10 homes of my own over the years." Plumb served on the design review board in Laguna Beach, California, beginning in 2010.

Beginning in 2019, Plumb and the other five remaining cast members of "The Brady Bunch" starred in a miniseries on HGTV called "A Very Brady Renovation." The show follows the progress of the renovation of the house in Studio City, California, that was used for the exterior shots in "The Brady Bunch." 

Plumb shared in her HGTV statement, "I loved working on the replication of the Brady Bunch house with my TV siblings in 'A Very Brady Renovation' and can't wait for viewers to see the work that Brett, Ken and I do in 'Generation Renovation.'" The home was purchased by the network in 2018 for $3.5 million. 

Ken Pace is a business and technology consultant, and he and Plumb have been married since 1995. The couple loves to renovate together, and according to the Los Angeles Times, as of 2010, they reside in Laguna Beach. 

In 2016, the Los Angeles Times reported that Plumb had sold the home she bought when she was 11 years old for $3.9 million. The star bought the home in 1969 for $55,000, and it is located in Malibu, California. The 1950s style cottage sits at the south end of Escondido Beach and features "a cantilevered design with walls of floor-to-ceiling glass, a retractable 'moon roof' and a two-story garage wrapped in perforated metal."

Altogether the home has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms in 3,500 square feet of space. The beautiful home entered the market in 2016 with plans for a modern-style residence designed by Meis Architects, designer of the Staples Center. 

Plumb is still acting; in 2017, she had a guest appearance on the popular crime drama "Blue Bloods," and in 2020, she appeared as Joan Lawson in the television series "Bull." There is no news right now about any future acting projects for her, but Plumb can still be seen fixing up houses with her husband on "Generation Renovation." We look forward to whatever wonderful and likely artistic project she works on next.

Eve Plumb has had a long career, starting as a child actor in the late '60s. Did you enjoy her character on "The Brady Bunch?" Would you watch other films or television shows starring Plumb? Let us know what you think, and be sure to send this story along to your friends and family.