Jaclyn Smith became a famous celebrity in the 1970s when she starred in the hit TV show *Charlie’s Angels*. Over the years, the Houston-born actress has also built a successful business and become a role model for millions of people.
While Jaclyn may no longer be at the peak of her fame as Kelly Garrett (the character who won hearts worldwide in the 1970s), she remains an inspiring and interesting figure.
Jaclyn has worked in show business for over 40 years. The award-winning actress and businesswoman has spent decades in the spotlight, and one thing stands out.
Unlike many Hollywood stars, Smith has always stayed true to her kind nature, showing love for her family and helping others through several charities.
Jaclyn Smith had a successful career and was also blessed with a loving family, including children and grandchildren. Today, at age 76, her life is still full of happiness.
Jaclyn Smith was born Jacquelyn Ellen Smith on October 26, 1945, in Houston, Texas. At just three years old, she put on her first pair of dance shoes, dreaming of becoming a professional ballerina.
For Jaclyn, family has always been her top priority, a value taught to her from a young age.
“Growing up in Houston, home was always a happy place for me. The values my parents gave me helped shape who I am today. Family is the foundation of my happiness and success,” she told Medium.
After high school, Jaclyn studied drama at Trinity University. She acted in several plays, including West Side Story and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Jaclyn’s career really began in 1973 when she got a TV job as a shampoo model for Breck. Her face soon became known across the country.
Later, she worked with Max Factor and even launched her own perfume called “Jaclyn Smith’s California” in 1989.
After college, Jaclyn moved to New York City to explore more opportunities. She tried different things, met great people, and found her passion for acting.
Jaclyn appeared in smaller roles on TV shows and movies in the early 1970s. However, everything changed in 1976 when she landed the role of Kelly Garrett in Charlie’s Angels.
Although she didn’t think she’d get the part, the producers saw great chemistry between Jaclyn and her co-stars, making her perfect for the role.
Charlie’s Angels was a huge hit, running for five seasons. Jaclyn became a household name, and by the time she left, she was earning nearly $40,000 per episode.
Even after Charlie’s Angels, Jaclyn’s career flourished. She was praised for her role as Jacqueline Kennedy in a TV movie and was called the “Queen of Mini-Series” for her roles in several popular mini-series.
Beyond acting, Jaclyn also started her own clothing line, which was very successful. She became a role model for many women, both in Hollywood and beyond.
In her personal life, Jaclyn married cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond in 1981. They had two children, Gaston and Spencer. Though they divorced in 1989, Jaclyn remained dedicated to her children.
After the divorce, Jaclyn moved with her kids to a beautiful mansion in Los Angeles. She loved the house and made it a cozy home for her family.
Now, Jaclyn is a proud grandmother. Her daughter Spencer welcomed her first child, Bea, in 2016, and her son Gaston had a daughter, Olivia Rose, last year.
Jaclyn often posts pictures of her family on Instagram, showing how much she cherishes her time with her grandchildren.
Jaclyn’s family keeps her feeling young, and she enjoys spending time with them, often having tea parties with her grandchildren in her backyard.
Though Charlie’s Angels ended in the 1970s, Jaclyn’s character Kelly Garrett has remained iconic. Jaclyn even appeared briefly in the 2003 movie Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and hopes to watch her old episodes with her grandchildren one day.
In 2003, Jaclyn was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, it was caught early, and after treatment, she fully recovered. Now, she supports several causes, including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the American Heart Association.
At 76 years old, Jaclyn looks amazing and continues to inspire many people with her positive outlook on life.
Jaclyn Smith has had a wonderful career and family life, and we’re glad to see her enjoying every moment.
Please share this story with friends and family if you love Jaclyn Smith!
This ’70s Blonde Bombshell Still Stuns Audiences Today – You Won’t Believe How
*All In The Family* was one of the greatest shows ever, and I believe its lessons are still relevant today. It made several actors famous – and Sally Struthers was one of them.
Today, the beautiful woman with her iconic blonde hair looks quite different – but she’s still working in the industry…
**A Precocious Talent**
For many of us, Sally Struthers will always be remembered for her role as Gloria Stivic in the ’70s sitcom *All In The Family*. The iconic show was about a working-class white family living in Queens, New York, and it received an incredible 73 award nominations and won 42 times during its run.
However, I wonder if people born after the show ended can really understand how groundbreaking it was. There had been funny sitcoms before, but they rarely addressed social issues and taboos. *All In The Family* took many of these topics and made them funny, heartbreaking, or sometimes both.
Watching old episodes of the show on YouTube really makes you feel young again. It makes you laugh and helps you forget about today’s problems. Many of the issues back then are still the same ones we face today, just presented in a comical way.
The main characters in *All In The Family* are Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor), Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton), Gloria Bunker-Stivic (Sally Struthers), Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner), and Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois). They all had great chemistry together.
In my opinion, Sally Struthers was very talented and often underrated as an actress. She even sang in some episodes of *All In The Family*, and I could see how she grew as a performer throughout the series.
“At first, I behaved like an idiot on the set. I thought that was how to get people to like me. I’ve learned to be myself, and now they respect me,” she told *Longview Daily News* in 1973.
When the series premiered in January 1971, Sally was a 22-year-old unknown with little TV experience. Producer Norman Lear, who Sally called the “father of us all,” discovered her while she was dancing on *The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour*.
Despite her lack of experience, Sally did a fantastic job, just like the rest of the cast. Six months after the premiere, she was a certified star as *All In The Family* became the No. 1 show on television.
At the peak of her fame, she could hardly walk outside or go to dinner without being swarmed by fans. For an innocent 22-year-old, it was a very challenging experience.
During the first seasons of the show, Sally was happy playing Gloria Stivic. However, she was rarely given a chance to fully develop her character or showcase her acting skills. During a break from *All In The Family*, she told producers that she wanted to try a more dramatic role.
“When we go on hiatus, I want to do something different,” she said.
“There are so many ways to represent a woman. I would like to play a murderess, an unwed mother, a nun, and an old Jewish mother. At the end of my career, I’d like people to say that I am as funny as Judy Holliday and as respected as Ruth Gordon.”
Unfortunately, typecasting can hurt a career – how often do we see someone become famous from an iconic show, only to struggle afterward?
Sadly, that was somewhat true for Sally.
She won two Emmy Awards for her role as Gloria and was given leading parts in a few other shows after leaving *All In The Family*. But the reality was that she didn’t receive many offers, and work soon began to slow down for her.
In the 1990s, Sally was a semi-regular panelist on the game show *Match Game*. Others might recognize her as Babette Dell in *Gilmore Girls*.
Today, she has been a regular at the Ogunquit Playhouse since the early 2000s. This regional theater is located in Ogunquit, Maine, and produces four or more shows each season.
In 2022, she starred alongside AJ Holmes as Frau Blucher in Mel Brooks’ *Young Frankenstein* at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
The *All In The Family* star has also worked hard to advocate for impoverished children in developing countries. Sally has been a spokesperson for the Christian Children’s Fund for many years and has appeared in their well-known TV commercials.
**Sally Struthers’ Daughter**
Many might not know this, but Sally is a mother of one, even though she never really wanted a child at first. After meeting famous psychiatrist William C. Rader, she changed her mind. The couple married in 1977, and two years later, they welcomed a daughter named Samantha.
Over the years, Sally has had her ups and downs. She lost her mother to Alzheimer’s in 1996; her mother passed away in Sally’s arms just two days before Christmas. Sally has also faced mean comments about her looks and weight over the years, mostly from random people on social media.
But the actress has handled all these challenges with charm, integrity, and a sense of humor.
“From the time I was able to walk and say a few words, my whole aim in life was to make people laugh,” she told *Spectrum News* in 2022.
“And when I hear other people laugh, and I know that some silly face I’ve made or some line reading has made them double over, I’m transported to heaven. That’s my thing. Laughter.”
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