Credits: Youtube/daihoang2
Jaclyn Smith rose to fame in the 1970s in the legendary TV series Charlie’s Angels star. The Houston native has also become a successful businesswoman and a role model for millions of people.
Jaclyn may no longer be Kelly Garrett (who caught people’s minds worldwide in the 1970s), but she is still an inspiring and fascinating woman.
Jaclyn has worked in the entertainment industry for almost 40 years. The award-winning actress and entrepreneur have been in the spotlight for decades, yet one thing stands out.
Unlike many Hollywood stars, Smith has always stayed true to her caring roots. She loves her family and helps people worldwide through different foundations.
Credits: Shutterstock
Jaclyn was lucky to have a successful career and a lovely family that included both children and grandchildren. She is currently 76 years old.
Jaclyn Smith
On October 26, 1945, in Houston, Texas, Jacquelyn Ellen Smith gave birth to Jacquelyn Smith. When she was barely three years old, she acquired her first pair of dance shoes and began to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballerina.
Jaclyn was raised with the idea that her family came first, which has always been her top priority.
“Growing up in Houston, the home was always a happy refuge for me, and the values my parents instilled in me, although I may not have known it at the time, would help me define myself later in life.” “Family was and continues to be the foundation for all my happiness and success,” she told Medium.
After completing her high school education, Jaclyn enrolled at Trinity University to study acting. She soon had lead roles in various plays, such as West Side Story and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Image Credits: Flickr / rocor
Despite having made it to the stage, Jaclyn still wished to be a dancer. In 1973, she received her first television job as a shampoo model for Breck. Her face became well-known throughout the country.
She worked with Max Factor, which led to her signature scent, Jaclyn Smith’s California, launched in 1989.
Jaclyn Smith, career
However, many things had to occur before Jaclyn could proudly present her fragrance. She decided to go to New York City after finishing her undergraduate studies. It would prove to be a wise decision.
“It was there, a thousand miles away from home, that I was lucky enough to try many different experiences, meet many wonderful people, learn my craft, hone my skills, and be open to finding a path that was right for me,” she explained.
Image Credits: Youtube/TownsendAgencyHQ
“While I started in dance, I was pulled into acting in commercials and miniseries and just loved it.” “As I began to take on more roles and explore new and exciting characters, the more I knew this was what I wanted, and I am grateful for a wonderful career on the big and small screens.”
In the early 1970s, Jaclyn had several smaller parts in TV shows and films, including Switch and McCloud.
She would eventually be recognized as the “Queen of Mini-Series,” but in 1976, when she earned the role of Kelly Garrett in Charlie’s Angels, everything changed for her.
The teenage actor wasn’t confident she would get the role as she read for it.
Jaclyn Smith, Charlie’s Angels
She wasn’t feeling the readings very much, and after the casting, she was certain she’d been left over for the job.
“I just know it wasn’t my best moment.” So I just got it out of my mind. “I didn’t even think there was a chance for me to get Charlie’s Angels,” she said.
“I wasn’t a driving, ambitious actress like, ‘I have to get this role.” “I just went in; I had fun.”
Image Credits: Getty Images
Initially, the producer appeared to prefer someone other than Jaclyn since they were looking for a redhead to balance the blond Farrah Fawcett-Majors and brunette Kate Jackson.
But once the other three women were cast, the producers realized that Smith would be the best choice because the chemistry between the three was so good.
Credits: realjaclynsmith
Charlie’s Angels aired on television in 1976. It didn’t take long for it to be deemed a success.
The crime-fighting adventures of Kelly Garrett, Sabrina Duncan, and Jill Munroe, who worked for a private detective firm in Los Angeles, were hugely successful.
After five seasons, Charlie’s Angels was nominated for several Golden Globe and Emmy Awards.
The program caused controversy initially because it broadcasted many bikinis into millions of Americans’ homes. Jaclyn, however, had not considered that at the time.
“Queen of Mini-Series”
‘The feminists didn’t like us because they said we were Barbie dolls prancing around.” We wore pretty things, but we didn’t flaunt our sexuality. “It wasn’t salacious,” she said. “But I didn’t feel exploited.” I would have walked away if I had felt that way. “In my heart of hearts, I knew who I was.”
Jaclyn started on the episode making $5,000 per episode, according to IMDB.
By the time she departed, she was earning about $40,000 per episode, and the Angels were also a part of spin-offs for products that brought in even more money.
Image Credits: Flickr / rocor
“They did lunch kits and hair accessories, and we were part of the design of our dolls,” she claimed.
Jaclyn participated throughout the entire run of the event, and her riveting performance opened up a lot of new doors for her.
She played the First Lady in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, one of history’s most well-regarded television movies. It was broadcast in 1981, the same year Charlie’s Angels ended its run.
Jaclyn was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the renowned first lady in this role.
Around this time, Jaclyn began to gain a reputation as “The Queen of Mini-Series,” having starred in critically acclaimed mini-series like Rage of Angels, George Washington, The Bourne Identity, and Family Album.
Jaclyn Smith is a clothing brand.
However, Jaclyn’s favorite part was that of Florence Nightingale in the 1985 TV movie.
Jaclyn loved it even though she had a lot of other projects to work on concurrently, and the fact that critics didn’t like it.
Image Credits: Shutterstock
She began producing her line of women’s clothing and accessories for Kmart.
They also achieved great success. Jaclyn gradually built up her brand as a symbol and role model for many women in the entertainment sector and the general public.
Jaclyn Smith married cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond in 1981. The following year, they welcomed a son, Gaston Richmond, and a daughter, Spencer Margaret Richmond, born in 1985.
Jaclyn and Anthony B. Richmond got divorced in 1989.
A few years later, she moved to Los Angeles’s Holmby Hills with her two kids. Jaclyn purchased a six-bedroom, six-bath Georgian Colonial mansion because she likes ancient houses.
She eventually purchased a new home for herself thanks to her success with Charlie’s Angels, but it needed some work.
“I love the 18th century, but I also love comfort, so our upholstery pieces are modern—pieces that you can sink into,” Jaclyn told People in 2014.
Jaclyn’s mansion is in the wealthiest urban neighborhood in the United States, home to celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Bing Cosby.
“It’s a great family home with a lot of sunlight coming through the windows,” she says, “and many lands surround it.”
The mansion has a tennis court where Jaclyn’s son Gaston used to play, as well as a lovely pool where Stephanie used to relax. There is also office space for Jaclyn and her new husband, heart surgeon Dr. Brad Allen.
“The kitchen was the only room that needed to be renovated,” said Allen. “But she redid every room in the house.”
Jaclyn has placed new furniture and a dollhouse in her yard for the grandchildren today. She often posts pictures of her garden and flowers on Instagram. She knows how to take care of plants.
Jaclyn Smith, family
Jaclyn Smith is now 76 years old, but her family keeps her young at heart.
She says that her family is “the rhyme and reason of everything” because she had a great childhood with great parents and a very interesting grandfather.
Credits: Actress Jaclyn Smith, daughter Spencer Richmond and son Gaston Richmond (Getty Images)
“It makes you work harder.” It makes you appreciate everything more. “Balance also keeps me young at heart,” Jaclyn Smith says. “My work is something that’s mine.” And I think it fulfills me and makes me a whole human being. Certainly doing the Spencer baby collection with my daughter, who designed it, with three generations coming together—I’m about all that.”
Smith has lovely children and a wonderful husband in Brad Allen, whom she has been married to since 1997, and she is now a grandmother.
Bea, the first granddaughter of her daughter Spencer, was born in 2016. Then, last year, her son Gaston gave birth to his first child and Jaclyn’s second granddaughter, Olivia Rose.
Credits: Instagram
Jaclyn was named one of People Magazine’s “Glam-mas” in August 2019. (Glamorous grandmas). She frequently posts photos of her adorable family on Instagram.
Love for her family
And, just as Jaclyn Smith enjoys having her family close by, it appears that her children, Spencer and Gaston, and her grandchildren enjoy spending time together.
“They visit me all the time,” Smith said. “This house is open to them.” Bea knows that there’s a drawer in my closet filled with candy, and she goes right for the gummy bears. She knows that I’m a soft touch for candy.
“I mean, Bea is an explorer. She has her little playhouse in the back, and we have tea parties and go out. But Bea is good with unstructured time, too, and entertaining herself. So we go out in the yard and talk about the flowers. Olivia is just so tiny.
Furthermore, the closure of the Charlie’s Angels series in the 1970s did not mean the end of the classic characters.
Smith was uncredited in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, released in 2003. She reprised her role as Kelly Garrett in the latest film last year.
Keeping the legacy alive
Sure, it wasn’t as great a hit as it was in the 1970s, but she intends to watch her legendary role as Kelly Garrett with her grandkids in the future.
Smith says she can’t wait to relive her memorable role with her family in the future. And they don’t call her grandma; they call her “Mimi.”
“My kids never really watched it that much,” she says. “If they saw me on film, they’d go, ‘Oh, there’s Jaclyn Smith,’ and they wouldn’t say, ‘There’s Mom.’ I bet I’ll have fun watching it with Bea and Olivia. That might be fun to say, “Hey, here’s your Mimi from a long time ago.” “I’d like them to see how things change, and I think it’s important for them to see their history, where they came from.”
Jaclyn Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. Fortunately, she found cancer early and received successful treatment, which included surgery and multiple rounds of radiation therapy.
Jaclyn Smith – cancer.
She made it through, and at 76 years old, she looks fantastic!
She has volunteered for numerous foundations over the years.
Jaclyn supports the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the John Wayne Cancer Institute, among others.
Image Credits: Wikipedia Commons / M j c
She is also passionate about AbilityFirst, for which she serves as an honorary chair, holds fundraisers, and serves as a spokesperson at numerous events.
“Just surround yourself with loved ones, support, girlfriends,” Smith said of her cancer treatment.
“And educate yourself the right way, not on the internet.” Forget it. “Get the recommendations from your doctor and somebody who’s experienced these things.”
Credits: Instagram
Jaclyn Smith has had a great career, and we are happy to see her spending time with her children and grandchildren.
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