Jan Smithers

Jan Smithers
Born
Karin Jan Smithers[1]

(1949-07-03) July 3, 1949 (age 75)[2]
North Hollywood, California[1]
Alma materChouinard Art Institute
Occupations
Years active1973–1987
Known for
Spouses
  • Kipp Whitman
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1971; div. 1972)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1986; div. 1995)​
Children1

Jan Smithers (born July 3, 1949) is an American former actress, model and singer. She is best known for playing Bailey Quarters on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982).

Early life

Smithers grew up in a middle-class family in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Her father was a lawyer, while her mother was a stay-at-home mom. She has three sisters, however her eldest sister died in a car accident at age 21.[3]

Smithers first reached the public eye as a teenager when, at 16, she was profiled and featured on the March 21, 1966 cover of Newsweek seated on the back of a motorcycle.[4][3] She received offers from Hollywood agents as a result of that appearance.[3][5]

Smithers graduated from the Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California.[6] She attended the Chouinard Art Institute which is now known as the California Institute of the Arts.[3]

Career

Smithers made her mark as a successful fashion model before embarking on an acting career.[6]

Smithers, in her early 20s, won a role in the 1974 feature film, Where the Lilies Bloom, about a household of children surviving in the Appalachian Mountains. In 1978 she got her biggest break, landing a role on the situation comedy, WKRP in Cincinnati playing Bailey Quarters.[3]

Personal life

She was the co-lead singer of the early 1970s band Hot Cup of Friends which featured Christopher Mancini (the son of Henry Mancini).[3]

Smithers's first marriage was to Kipp Whitman from 1971 to 1972. From 1986 to 1995, she was married to actor James Brolin[3] and was stepmother to his two children from a previous marriage; together they have one daughter, Molly Elizabeth. Smithers filed for divorce from Brolin in 1995.

After living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada "for a few years", she returned to California.[5] In June 2014, Smithers attended a reunion of surviving WKRP in Cincinnati cast members hosted by the Paley Center for Media.[7]

Television and filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1973 Love Story Barbara Episode: "Beginner's Luck"
1974 Where the Lilies Bloom Devola Feature film
1974 When the North Wind Blows Lady in the Zoo Feature film
1976 Starsky & Hutch Sharman Crane Episode: "Running"
1978 Our Winning Season Cathy Wakefield Feature film
1978–82 WKRP in Cincinnati Bailey Quarters Main cast (86 episodes)
1980 The Love Tapes Carol Clark TV movie
1982 The Love Boat Sabrina Drake Episode: "The Spoonmaker Diamond/Papa Doc/The Role Model/Julie's Tycoon"
1983 The Fall Guy Cynthia Caldwell Episode: "Spaced Out"
1983 The Love Boat Aurora Adams Episode: "Long Time No See/The Bear Essence/Kisses and Makeup"
1984 Legmen Sarah Turner Episode: "Take the Credit and Run"
1984 Hotel Lacey Grant Episode: "Encores"
1984 The Love Boat Carol Cooperman Episode: "By Hook or by Crook/Revenge with the Proper Stranger/Don't Get Mad, Get Even"
1984 Finder of Lost Loves Barbara Hensen Episode: "Old Friends"
1985 Mike Hammer Shia Walters Episode: "Firestorm"
1985 Cover Up Karen Morris Episode: "The Assassin"
1985 Murder, She Wrote Kathy Farrell Episode: "Sudden Death"
1985 Comedy Factory Barrie Shepherd Episode: "The Columnist"
1986 Hotel Janice Copeland Episode: "Triangles"
1987 Mr. Nice Guy Dr. Lisa Rayon Feature film

References

  1. ^ a b "Jan Smithers Biography". TV Guide. TV Guide. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Merrill, Brian (2006). On This Date: A Day-By-Day Look At Historical Events. Lulu.com. p. 127. ISBN 9781430305019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Jones, Abigail (May 12, 2016). "An Interview With Jan Smithers, Newsweek Teen Cover Star in 1966". Newsweek.
  4. ^ "The Teen-Agers". Newsweek. March 21, 1966.
  5. ^ a b "Whatever Happened To Actress Jan Smithers". July 3, 2006. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Sells, Joel (May 28, 2024). "21 Fascinating Facts About Jan Smithers". Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "Baby, If You've Ever Wondered: A WKRP in Cincinnati Reunion". The Paley Center for Media. June 4, 2014.

Further reading