Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original
Cape Fear (1962) opposite
Gregory Peck and
Robert Mitchum. She had roles as the romantic interest in three
Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis comedy films in the early 1950s:
At War with the Army, ''
That's My Boy,
and The Stooge. She was featured in a number of Westerns during the 1950s, including Warpath, Arena,
and Escape from Fort Bravo. She starred in the horse-racing comedy Fast Company; she starred as the first female United States President in Kisses for My President; and as the wife of James Garner in the romantic comedy Move Over, Darling'', which also starred
Doris Day. Bergen's later roles included Mrs. Vernon-Williams in
Cry-Baby, a John Waters film. Bergen received an Emmy Award for her portrayal of the true-life title
subject in the episode
"Helen Morgan" of the 1950s television series
Playhouse 90. Signed to
Columbia Records, she also enjoyed a successful recording career during this era. She recorded an album in 1957 titled,
Bergen Sings Morgan, which included the song "
Bill". In the 1950s, she became known as "the Pepsi Cola Girl", having done a series of commercials for this product. She was a regular panelist on the game show
To Tell the Truth during its original run. She was an occasional panelist and appeared three times as the mystery guest on ''
What's My Line?. She appeared on the interview program Here's Hollywood. She earned two Emmy Award nominations for her role as Rhoda Henry, wife of Captain "Pug" Henry (played by Robert Mitchum), in two miniseries: The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance''. Bergen starred in a 2001 Broadway revival of
Stephen Sondheim's
Follies at the Belasco Theater and received a
Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2003, she starred at the same theatre in
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks opposite
Mark Hamill in a role she took over from
Rue McClanahan. In 2004, Bergen played
Fran Felstein on HBO's
The Sopranos, the fictional former mistress of
Johnny Soprano and
John F. Kennedy. From 2007 to 2011, Bergen had a guest role in
Desperate Housewives as
Stella Wingfield, which earned her an
Emmy Award nomination. ==Personal life==