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Jaclyn Smith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the American actress. For the Canadian actress, see Jaclyn A. Smith. For the American rower, see Jaclyn Smith (rower).
Jaclyn Smith
Smith in June 2006
Born (1945-10-26) October 26, 1945 (age 79)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma materTrinity University (Texas) (unfinished)
Balanchine School of American Ballet
OccupationActress
Years active1968–present
Known for
Spouses
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(m. 1968; div. 1975)​
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(m. 1978; div. 1981)​
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(m. 1981; div. 1989)​
Brad Allen
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(m. 1997)​
Children2
RelativesFran Kranz (former-son-in-law)
AwardsHollywood Walk of Fame

Jaclyn Smith (born October 26, 1945)[1] is an American actress. She is most notable for her role as Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels (1976–1981), and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run. She reprised the role with cameo appearances in the films Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) and Charlie's Angels (2019). Her other films include Nightkill (1980) and Déjà Vu (1985). Beginning in the 1980s, she began developing and marketing her own brands of clothing and perfume.

Smith began her career in 1968 in minor roles. In 1976, she was cast in Charlie's Angels, alongside Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. The show propelled all three to stardom, including an appearance on the front cover of Time magazine. She was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film for the title role in the TV film Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1981), and went on to star in numerous TV films and miniseries over the next 20 years, including Rage of Angels (1983), George Washington (1984), The Bourne Identity (1988), Kaleidoscope (1990) and Nightmare in the Daylight (1992). She had a recurring role from 2002 to 2004 in the drama series The District and appeared as Olivia Hodges in two episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2012.

Early life

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Smith was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Margaret Ellen (née Hartsfield)[citation needed] and Jack Smith (born Jacob Kupferschmidt),[citation needed] a dentist.[2] Her father was of Russian-Jewish descent,[citation needed] whereas her mother had English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh heritage.[citation needed] She graduated from Mirabeau B. Lamar High School in 1964.[3] She majored in psychology and drama at Trinity University (Texas) in San Antonio but completed only a year. Instead, she moved to New York and joined the Balanchine School of American Ballet.[4]

Career

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Early career

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Smith's career aspirations shifted to modeling and acting as she found work in television commercials and print ads, including one for Listerine mouthwash.[5] In 1968, she auditioned for the role of Victoria Winters on the ABC daytime series Dark Shadows, but was not hired.[citation needed] The role went instead to Kate Jackson, but the two did not meet until Smith auditioned for Charlie’s Angels, in which Jackson was already cast after pitching her idea for the television series to producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.

First appearing uncredited in Goodbye, Columbus (1969), Smith had a noticeable role in The Adventurers (1970), in which she played a journalist. Both movies were filmed in 1968. Smith followed these up with guest spots on shows like The Partridge Family, McCloud, Switch and The Rookies. She landed a job as a "Breck girl" for Breck Shampoo in 1971, and a few years later joined Farrah Fawcett as a spokesmodel for Wella Balsam shampoo.[5] She was in the made-for-television movies Probe (1972) and Bootleggers (1974).

Charlie's Angels

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Smith (left) with Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson in Season 1 of Charlie's Angels

On March 21, 1976, Smith first played Kelly Garrett in Charlie's Angels; the show was aired as a movie of the week, starring Smith, Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett as private investigators for Townsend Associates, a detective agency run by a reclusive multi-millionaire whom the women had never met. Voiced by John Forsythe, the Charles Townsend character presented cases and dispensed advice via a speakerphone to his core team of three female employees, to whom he referred as "Angels". They were aided in the office and occasionally in the field by two male associates, played by character actors David Doyle and David Ogden Stiers. The program earned a huge Nielsen rating, causing the network to air it a second time and confirm production for a series, with all of the principal characters with the exception of Stiers. The series formally debuted on September 22, 1976, and ran for five seasons. The show would become a big success not only in the U.S. but, in successive years, in syndication around the world, spawning a cottage industry of peripheral products, particularly in the show's first three seasons, including several series of bubble gum cards, two sets of fashion dolls, numerous posters, puzzles, and school supplies, novelizations of episodes, toy vans, and a board game, all featuring Smith's likeness. The "Angels" also appeared on the covers of magazines around the world, from countless fan magazines to TV Guide (four times) to Time magazine.[6]

Fawcett departed at the end of the first season, and Cheryl Ladd was a successful addition to the cast, remaining until the end of the series. Jackson departed at the end of the third season, and proved harder to replace, as first Shelley Hack and then Tanya Roberts were brought in to try re-igniting the chemistry, media attention and ratings success enjoyed by the earlier teams. Smith played her role for all five seasons of Charlie's Angels until 1981, also portraying the Garrett character in a cameo in the 2003 feature film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and later in the 2019 film Charlie's Angels.

In 1977 on the first episode of the Aaron Spelling produced comedy, The San Pedro Beach Bums, the Bums try to recruit the women of Charlie's Angels to judge the Miss Harbor Beauty Contest. The "Angels" – Smith, Jackson and Ladd – guest-star as themselves.

Christina Chambers portrayed Smith in the 2004 television film Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels.[7]

Interim work

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Smith's first two acting ventures outside the Angels mold (as an actress of note) was the CBS-TV movie of the week Escape from Bogen County in 1977, and Season 1 Episode 2 of "The Love Boat" (aired October 1, 1977) where she played Janette Bradford cruising solo while being watched by the private eye her husband hired. Then came a leading role in Joyce Haber's The Users with Tony Curtis and John Forsythe in 1978. In 1980, Smith starred with Robert Mitchum in the suspense thriller Nightkill. Following the cancellation of Charlie's Angels in 1981, Smith starred in the title role of the critically acclaimed television movie Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. In 1983, Smith starred as Jennifer Parker in the TV movie Rage of Angels, based on the novel by Sidney Sheldon. The film was the highest rated in the Nielsen ratings the week it aired. Smith reprised the role in the 1986 sequel, Rage of Angels: The Story Continues.[8]

After Charlie's Angels

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Smith greeting President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan in 1986

Smith continued to appear in a number of television movies and miniseries during the 1980s and 1990s including George Washington, The Night They Saved Christmas (both 1984), Florence Nightingale (1985), Windmills of the Gods (1988) – another TV film based on a Sidney Sheldon novel – The Bourne Identity[9] (also 1988); adapted from author Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name; Settle the Score (1989), Lies Before Kisses, The Rape of Dr. Willis (both 1991), In the Arms of a Killer (1992), and several TV versions of Danielle Steel novels, including Kaleidoscope (1990) and Family Album (1994).

In 1985, Smith starred in the feature film Deja Vu, directed by her then-husband Tony Richmond. In 1989, she played the title role in Christine Cromwell, a mystery television series based in San Francisco, but which only lasted one season. That same year, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[10][11]

From 2002 to 2004, Smith had a recurring role as Vanessa Cavanaugh in the TV series The District. She reprised her role as Kelly Garrett for a cameo in the 2003 feature film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,[12] the only "angel" from the original series to appear in a film adaptation. In August 2006, Smith reunited with her angels co-stars Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson at the 58th Primetime Emmy awards in tribute to producer Aaron Spelling who had died earlier that year.[13] Her appearance there subsequently led Bravo TV's producers to cast Smith as the celebrity host of Bravo's weekly competitive reality series Shear Genius, which began airing in March 2007.[14] Smith hosted the show for its first two seasons.[15]

In March 2010, Smith returned to acting after a five-year absence with a guest role on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In March 2012, Smith guest-starred on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Olivia Hodges, the mother of David Hodges (played by Wallace Langham).[16]

In January 2019, Smith was seen promoting the Charlie's Angels television series on the MeTV network. She reprised her role as Kelly for a cameo appearance in the 2019 feature film Charlie's Angels, Smith's second cameo in the film franchise.[17]

Designing

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In 1985, Smith entered the business world with the introduction of her collection of women's apparel for Kmart. She pioneered the concept of celebrities developing their own brands rather than merely endorsing others. A season 15 episode of The Simpsons ("The Fat and the Furriest") lampooned Smith's many business successes, portraying her as having her own line of axe heads. In May 2009, Smith allowed a documentary crew to profile her home life, design philosophy and relationship with Kmart in an online video series sponsored by Kmart.[18] Her foray into home furnishings was extended to Kmart stores in the fall of 2008, with the chain's introduction of its Jaclyn Smith Today product line of bedding and bath accessories.[19]

In September 2008, Smith launched the STYLE by Jaclyn Smith wig collection for Paula Young Wigs.[20] The wigs are designed by hair stylist José Eber.[21] In 2024, she had a line of beautiful woman's clothing for sale on the Home Shopping channel (HSN).

Personal life

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Smith has been married four times. Her first marriage was to actor Roger Davis (1968–1975).[22] She was married to Dennis Cole from 1978-1981; he was an actor who appeared on several episodes of Charlie's Angels. Smith remained close to Joe Cole, Dennis's son from a previous marriage. Joe was murdered in 1991 at the age of 30, a crime which remains unsolved. In 1981, Smith married filmmaker Tony Richmond, with whom she had two children, Gaston (b. 1982) and Spencer Margaret (b. 1985), before divorcing Richmond in 1989. Smith has been married to Houston cardiothoracic surgeon Brad Allen since 1997.[23]

Smith was treated for breast cancer in 2003.[24][25] In 2010, Smith was featured in 1 a Minute, a documentary about breast cancer.[26][27]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Film Role Other notes
1969 Goodbye, Columbus Wedding Guest Uncredited role
1970 The Adventurers Girl journalist Belinda
1972 Probe Stewardess Television film
1974 Bootleggers Sally Fannie Tatum
Sin, American Style Susan Cole TV movie
1976 The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper Cathy Martin
1977 Escape from Bogen County Maggie Bowman
1978 The Users Elena Scheider
1980 Nightkill Katherine Atwell
1981 Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Jacqueline Kennedy TV movie
Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1983 Rage of Angels Jennifer Parker Miniseries
1984 Sentimental Journey Julie Ross-Gardner TV movie
George Washington Sally Fairfax Miniseries
The Night They Saved Christmas Claudia Baldwin TV movie
1985 Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale
Déjà Vu Brooke/Maggie
1986 Rage of Angels: The Story Continues Jennifer Parker Miniseries
1988 Windmills of the Gods Mary Ashley
The Bourne Identity Marie St. Jacques
1989 Settle the Score Katherine Whately TV movie
1990 Kaleidoscope Hilary Walker
1991 Lies Before Kisses Elaine Sanders
The Rape of Doctor Willis Kate Willis
1992 In the Arms of a Killer Maria Quinn
Nightmare in the Daylight Megan Lambert
Love Can Be Murder Elizabeth Bentley
1994 Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story Donna Yaklich
Family Album Faye Price Thayer
1996 My Very Best Friend Dana Griffin
1997 Married to a Stranger Megan Potter
1998 Before He Wakes Bridget Smith Michaels
1999 Free Fall Renee Brennan
Three Secrets Diane
2000 Navigating the Heart Edith Iglauer
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Kelly Garrett Cameo
2005 Ordinary Miracles Judge Kay Woodbury TV movie
2015 Bridal Wave Felice Hamilton TV movie
2019 Charlie's Angels Kelly Garrett Cameo
Random Acts of Christmas Lauren Larkin TV movie

Television series

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Year(s) Title Role Seasons Notes
1976–1981 Charlie's Angels Kelly Garrett 1–5 115 episodes
1989–1990 Christine Cromwell Christine Cromwell 1 4 episodes
2002–2004 The District Vanessa Cavanaugh 3 & 4 13 episodes
2007–2009 Shear Genius Host 1 & 2 19 episodes

Television appearances

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Year Title Role Episode titles Notes
1970 The Partridge Family Tina "When Mother Gets Married" Season 1, episode 5
1973 McCloud Jackie Rogers "Showdown at the End of the World" Season 3, episode 4
1975 Margaret 'Ellie' Hart "The Man with the Golden Hat" Season 5, episode 6
Get Christie Love! Sari Lancaster "A Fashion Heist" Season 1, episode 20
Switch Allie McGuiness "Pilot Episode" AKA "Las Vegas Roundabout" Pilot
"The Late Show Murders" Season 1, episode 2
"Death Heist" Season 1, episode 7
The Rookies Judy March "The Code Five Affair" Season 4, episode 15
1976 The Captain and Tennille Show Herself Season 1, episode 8
1977 The San Pedro Beach Bums Herself "The Angels and the Bums" Season 1, episode 1
The Love Boat Janette Bradford "A Tasteful Affair/Oh, Dale!/The Main Event" Season 1, episode 2
2000 Becker Megan "The Wrong Man" Season 3, episode 6
2001 "Pretty Poison" Season 3, episode 14
2004 Hope & Faith Dr. Anne Osvath "Natal Attraction" Season 2, episode 6
"Stand by Your Mandi" Season 2, episode 7
2006 Mornings with Kerri-Anne Herself - Guest TV series Australia, 1 episode
2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Susan Delzio "Bedtime" Season 11, episode 18
2012 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Olivia Hodges "Malice in Wonderland" Season 12, episode 18
"Homecoming" Season 12, episode 22
2021 All American Wendy Fine "Ready or Not" Season 3, episode 14
2023 "Sabotage" Season 5, episode 19
2024 "Connection" Season 6, episode 6
"I Do (Part II)" Season 6, episode 15

Tributes

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  • A number of style editorialists and magazine polls have attested to Smith's popularity and declared her one of the most beautiful women in the world. The difficult-to-please Mr. Blackwell once named her "The World's Best Dressed Woman".[28] In 1979, McCall's ran a poll of "Whose Face Most Women Would Like To Have"; Smith topped the list.
  • In the April 1984 issue of People, Smith was voted as having one of the "Ten Great Faces of Our Time".
  • In 1985, McCall's named Smith as having one of "America's 10 Best Bodies". People named Smith twice in its annual list of the "Most Beautiful People in the World".[29] Also in 1985, Ladies' Home Journal sampled 2,000 men and women in 100 different locations in the United States to determine "America's Favorite Women"; Smith came top of the list as the "Most Beautiful Woman in America", with actress Linda Evans coming in second.
  • In 1991, TV Guide readers voted Smith as the "Most Beautiful Woman Not on Television".[30]
  • The French band Air was inspired by Smith's Charlie's Angels character Kelly Garrett to record the song "Kelly Watch the Stars" for their critically acclaimed 1998 album Moon Safari, and the track was released as a single.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "UPI Almanac for Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023". UPI. October 26, 2023. actor Jaclyn Smith in 1945 (age 78)
  2. ^ Rourke, Mary (May 24, 1985). "Fantasy a Reality to 'All-American' Jaclyn". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  3. ^ de Luna, Marcy (October 30, 2018). "Ageless Angel: Houston native Jaclyn Smith turns 73". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Knight, Gladys (2010). Female Action Heroes: A Guide to Women in Comics, Video Games, Film, and Television. ABC-CLIO. p. 49. ISBN 9780313376122.
  5. ^ a b Armstrong, Lois (December 6, 1976). "Heavens Above! Charlie's Sexy Angels Are Old-Fashioned Girls Who Really Get Along". People. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  6. ^ "Charlie's Angels". barewalls. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  7. ^ Lowry, Brian (March 7, 2004). "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels TV Show Review". Variety.
  8. ^ "Welcome to SidneySheldon.com: The Official Website of the World's Master Storyteller". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  9. ^ "Richard Chamberlain Online Article 136". Richard-chamberlain.co.uk. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  10. ^ "Jaclyn Smith | Hollywood Walk of Fame". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  11. ^ Blake, Meredith (June 24, 2010). "Jaclyn Smith - Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  12. ^ Dillon, Nancy (October 4, 2012). "Jaclyn Smith recalls breast-cancer fright". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  13. ^ "Emmy, 'Angels' remember Aaron Spelling". Today Show. August 27, 2006. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  14. ^ Nguyen, Hanh (April 11, 2007). "Jaclyn Smith on her reality show and Farrah's big 'do". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Jaclyn Smith, local stylists make the 'Shear Genius' cut". San Francisco Examiner. June 21, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  16. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (February 9, 2012). "'CSI' casts 'Charlie's Angels' star Jaclyn Smith". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  17. ^ Labonte, Rachel (November 16, 2019). "Charlie's Angels 6 End-Credits Scenes Explained: Who Are The New Recruits". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  18. ^ Kmart website Archived June 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ "Home Decor: Jaclyn Smith Today". Kmart. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  20. ^ "STYLE by Jaclyn Smith website". Paula Young. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  21. ^ Cowen, Diane (August 29, 2016). "Catching up with Jaclyn Smith, Houston's 'Angel'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  22. ^ "Heaven Sent".
  23. ^ "New Program to Help Heal Babies'Hearts". Distinctions. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. February 2004. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  24. ^ Cohen, Elizabeth (October 18, 2007). "Olivia Newton-John, Jaclyn Smith on surviving breast cancer". CNN. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  25. ^ Parade, 6/22/08, p. 4
  26. ^ "1 A MINUTE". Uniglobe Entertainment. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  27. ^ Rothman, Michael (June 19, 2015). "Melissa Etheridge: How My Life's Changed 10 Years After Cancer". ABC News. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  28. ^ Epstein, Benjamin (January 24, 1986). "Blackwell Dubs Princess Worst-Dressed". Los Angeles Times.
  29. ^ "The Most Admired Women". Sun-Sentinel. Deerfield Beach, Florida. October 10, 1985. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  30. ^ "She's The Most Beautiful Woman Not On Television". Orlando Sentinel. August 6, 1991. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  31. ^ Burchill, Julie (November 17, 2000). "Once upon a time there were three little girls who went to the police academy..." The Guardian. Manchester. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
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