Jaclyn Smith biography

Synopsis

Born on October 26, 1947, in Houston, Texas, Jaclyn Smith worked as a model for the Breck hair product line before landing a role she’d become famous for -- Kelly Garrett on the hit TV series Charlie’s Angels. Smith starred on all five seasons of the show and went on to do television and film work. In conjunction with K-Mart, she has also launched her own clothing and bed and bath line.

Early Life and Career

Born Jacquelyn Ellen Smith on October 26, 1945, in Houston, Texas, Jaclyn Smith is the only daughter of Margaret and Jack Smith. She enjoyed a carefree childhood before attending Trinity University in the nearby city of San Antonio. After completing just one year of college, Smith moved to New York City in hopes of launching a career in acting. Within two months of her arrival, she was cast in a slew of TV commercials for Breck shampoo. Shortly after her debut as the latest "Breck Girl," Smith landed her first film role as a model in Goodbye Columbus (1969).

'Charlie's Angels'

In the early 1970s, Smith performed in regional theater productions of West Side Story, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Bye Bye Birdie. In 1976, she landed the role for which she became famous -- that of showgirl-turned-private investigator Kelly Garrett on the glossy TV series Charlie's Angels, opposite Cheryl Ladd, Farrah Fawcett and John Forsythe. In her role as the cool and composed Angel, Smith remained on the show until its last broadcast in 1981.

Film and TV Career

Throughout the 1980s, Smith starred in a succession of biographical television movies. These included: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1981), George Washington (1984) and Florence Nightingale (1985). Later that year, she published The Jaclyn Smith Beauty Book, and started her own clothing line for the K-Mart chain of discount department stores.

During the 1989-'90 TV season, Smith played the recurring role of Christine Cromwell in a handful of well-received mysteries, which were featured on The ABC Saturday Mystery rotating series. Smith's popularity was confirmed, later that year, when she was listed among People magazine's "Fifty Most Beautiful People."

Throughout the 1990s, Smith continued to star in made-for-TV movies, including Love Can Be Murder (1992), Family Album (1994), Married to a Stranger (1997), and Three Secrets (1999). Most recently, she played a sophisticated New York journalist in the romantic drama Navigating the Heart (2000).

Personal Life

Smith has been married four times: To actors Roger Davis (1972-'75) and Dennis Cole (1978-81); cinematographer Tony Richmond (1981-89); and her current husband, heart surgeon Bradley Allan, whom she wed in 1997. Smith has two children, Gaston and Spencer, from her relationship with Richmond.