Saturday, June 25, 2011

Biographies of the Actors of Charlie's Angels

Farrah Fawcett aka Jill Munroe
Farrah FawcettA Corpus Christi girl at heart, Farrah left her home town to attend The University of Texas, and began her major in Biology (later changed to Art). Farrah left college in her Junior year and headed to Hollywood. There she met Lee Majors and fell head over heels in love. One of Farrah's first films was 1969's Myra Breckenridge and soon after she went on to be a semi-regular in Lee's series Owen Marshall Attorney at Law and The Six Million Dollar Man. Farrah and Lee got married and she became known as "The Bionic Wife." Farrah's own career took a huge turn after she auditioned for and won a starring role in a new series called Charlie's Angels. Farrah Fawcett-Majors became known as the sexy blond Jill Munroe. Charlie's Angels became a huge success but Farrah became a phenomenon. She was a house-hold name around the world, and before anyone knew it her famous "swimsuit pose" was hanging in everyone's bedroom. Farrah shocked the world when she left the hit series after only one year to pursue her film career. She went on to a court battle with the shows producers, Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. Farrah settled the court suit by appearing on Charlie's Angels for six episodes during the next two years. During that time, Farrah shot three films: Somebody Killed Her Husband, Sunburn, and Saturn 3. Unfortunately the three S's were bombs. Farrah and Lee split and she found her true love, Ryan O'Neal. Farrah returned to television in the film Murder in Texas, in which she won the critics' praise. She was next found off Broadway performing the lead role in Extremities. Broadway critics raved about her performance which won her the title role in the television film, The Burning Bed. The Burning Bed was Farrah's strongest role of her long career. After The Burning Bed, Farrah as an actor was never questioned. Farrah then when on to do the film version of Extremities. Soon after, Farrah was graced with her son, Readmond, by long time lover, Ryan O'Neal. In 1991, Farrah and Ryan starred together in the short lived series Good Sports. In December of 1995 Farrah finally gave in and did a pictorial for Playboy. Farrah's Playboy issue sold over four million copies making it the biggest issue for Playboy for the nineties.   Farrah was nominated Emmy  for her work on  CBS's The Guardian.  On March 23, 2005,  TVLand's Chasing Farrah a reality show starring  Farrah hit the airwaves.
In 2006 Farrah, Kate & Jaclyn surprised the world when they reunited for a tribute to the late Aaron Spelling on the 60th Emmy Awards.
Farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006.  In February 2007 she was declared cancer free but the cancer returned.  Farrah fought her cancer until she passed away on June 25, 2009.  Farrah was 63. 

Kate Jackson aka Sabrina Duncan
Kate Jackson After getting bitten by the acting bug, Kate moved to New York City from her home town of Birmingham, Alabama. While in New York, she enrolled into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Kate's big break came when she played a "ghost" in the daytime drama, Dark Shadows. After three months on Dark Shadows she had guest roles in TV's Bonanza and a semi-regular on NBC's short-lived series The Jimmy Stewart Show. Then she hit the big time with a role on the crime show, The Rookies. Kate played nurse Jill Danko for producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. The producers decided after The Rookies ended that she was strong enough for her own series. The producers and Kate created the skeleton shell for a series called Charlie's Angels. Kate was to become known around the world as Sabrina Ducan, the "smart" Angel. After a very successful three-year run, Kate decided to leave the series after the producers did not allow her out of her "Angel" contact to film Kramer vs. Kramer. After Charlie's Angels,, Kate tried her hand at comedy in the television remake of Topper (starring with first husband Andrew Stevens) and hit the big screen with the cutting edge film Making Love, about a man and his struggle with homosexuality. As her film career was blossoming, Kate was offered a new series for television called Scarecrow and Mrs. King. She fell in love with the character of Mrs. King (a mother of two boys who worked as a Secret Agent) and took on the series. Scarecrow became an huge hit. After four years, Scarecrow left the air, and Kate again returned to television in Baby Boom, which was based on the hit film. The series did not have the same pull as the film and quickly ended. The hardest role Kate had to play was her personal battle with breast cancer in 1987 and in 1989. She shared her experience with the world to show other women the importance of mammograms and cancer prevention. In September 1995, Kate was given her greatest challenge, the adoption of her first child, Charles Taylor Jackson. She has said being a mother is her greatest role. Kate has settled into motherhood and has found herself once again in front of the camera. In 1996 she was seen in The Family Channel's Panic in the Skies, ABC's Gail Sheehy's New Passages, and in 1997 CBS's film What Happened to Bobby Earl?  Angelic Heaven will keep you updated with the latest in Kate's career!

Jaclyn Smith aka Kelly Garrett
Jaclyn & Kmart Born in Houston, Texas, Jaclyn moved to New York to begin her modeling career. Jaclyn was quickly signed for modeling contracts by Max Factor and Breck hair products and was soon known as the "Breck Girl". Jaclyn's first film breaks were in The Adventurers and The Bootleggers. In 1975, she auditioned for a new show called Charlie's Angels and won the role of Kelly Garrett. Although she was the only Angel to last all five years of the series, Jaclyn was already making a new name for herself as the "Queen" of miniseries. One of her earliest films was The Users (with John Forsythe), and she continued her miniseries career after Charlie's Angels closed the office in 1981. Jaclyn won critical and audience acclaim in such television films as: George Washington, Rage of Angels and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. In 1989, she returned to television with the short lived series, Christine Cromwell. Although the series did not last, Jaclyn has continued to work in television films.

She stays busy working on her very successful Kmart signature collection. Jaclyn has survived three marriages and has two children, Gaston and Spencer Margaret. She most recently married Brad Allen and was most recently a semi-regular on CBS's THE DISTRICT. Jaclyn's newest 
Hallmark Channel movie Ordinary Miracles will air on May 7, 2005 @ 9pm. The film will be set in a courtroom in San Diego, CA.


Cheryl Ladd aka Kris Munroe     Cheryl LaddCheryl Ladd (Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor) from Huron, South Dakota, began singing with a band called The Music Shop Band during High School. After she graduated she and the band went on tour. The band found themselves in Los Angeles and eventually broke up. Cheryl stayed on in LA to pursue her dream as an actress. Cheryl's big professional break was singing back-up on the cartoon series Josie and the Pussycats. Cheryl worked on 100s of commercials, but it was the 1973 film Jamaica Reef where she was to meet her first husband David Ladd, the son of the famous actor Alan "Laddie" Ladd. Cheryl, in 1974, gave birth to their daughter, Jordan.
In 1976, Cheryl lost the role of Nancy in the series Family to Meredith Baxter Birney. The producers of Family had another hit TV show called Charlie's Angels in which they looking for a replacement for actress Farrah Fawcett. Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg asked Cheryl if she would take the job. Cheryl accepted the role of Jill Munroe's little sister, Kris in 1977. She captured the hearts of America and kept the series alive. During the series Cheryl was able to record two albums, Cheryl Ladd (1978) and Dance Forever (1979). After Charlie's Angels ended in 1981, Cheryl had divorced David Ladd and married Brian Russell. Cheryl moved onto working in many successful television films such as The Grace Kelly Story, Bluegrass and Changes. In 1993, Cheryl appeared in the cult classic film Poison Ivy and in 1994 found herself returning to TV in a new series, One West Waikiki, which is now in reruns on Lifetime.

Cheryl also opened a new creative door with writing children's books with husband Brian Russell. The Adventures of Little Nettie Windship was the couples first book which was released in 1996.

Ms. Ladd currently has a co-starring role in the new hit NBC show Las Vegas which airs on Mondays @ 9pm. 

Cheryl Ladd's new book Token Chick will hit store shelves on May 4, 2005.  The book is an autobiographical book recounting her experiences with the sport of golf
Angelic Heaven will keep you updated with Cheryl's career.

 Shelley Hack aka Tiffany Welles
In the mid-sixties, while still in her early teens, Shelley Hack began a career of modeling. From there, she branched out into acting in the mid-seventies with Woody Allen's Annie Hall and If Ever See You Again. These films helped to land her the lead in the television film, Death Car on the Freeway. By the late seventies, Shelley was tagged as the "Charlie" girl while promoting Revlon's No. 1 "Charlie" cologne in print ads. The "Charlie" cologne ads brought Shelley to the attention of Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. The Charlie's Angels producers had to replace actress Kate Jackson and decided to hire Shelley Hack because of her classic looks. Although Shelley's character Tiffany Welles was let go at the end of her first year, Shelley moved to two other series, Cutter to Houston and Jack & Mike. Both series did not have lasting powers but did give Shelley the means to keep her acting alive. Since Charlie's Angels, Shelley has done a large body of acting work, which includes stage, theatrical films and television appearances. A few years ago, Shelley ran for a government office, yet she was not elected.

In March of 1996 the television viewing audience helped Shelley's newest film Frequent Flyer (ABC) win its time slot and beat out the 1996 People Choice Awards. Shelley also had a cameo role in the 1996 film House Arrest and back in 1993 she read for audio the book Lord of Hawkfell Island from The Publishing Mill. Angelic Heaven will keep you updated with Shelley's exciting career.


 
Tanya Roberts aka Julie Rogers
tanya robertsTanya started her career doing modeling, commercials and acting in off-Broadway plays. In 1977, she moved to LA with husband Barry Roberts helping to giver her career a boost. She worked on several films and even was signed to the rival Angel show called Flying High, yet she was dropped from the series when it was being redesigned. Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg hired Tanya for a spin off of their hit series Vega$, called Ladies in Blue. Ladies in Blue never became a series but did put Tanya in the minds of the producers. Spelling and Goldberg were searching to find the hottest actresses to give their show Charlie's Angels new life. Tanya beat out 2000 young hopefuls for the role of Julie Rogers in the series. Although the series came to an end after her first season in 1981, Tanya's career got a great boost from the Angels. She went on to do star in three major feature films: The Beastmaster, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle and James Bond's A View to a Kill. Tanya's career moved on and three years ago she took a rest from acting. Tanya most recently stared in the CD-ROM called The Pandora Directive and in the Cinemax's series Hotline.

Tanya Roberts most recently co-starred on the FOX series, That 70's Show! The series on local Fox channels! Angelic Heaven will keep you updated with her busy career.










Angels at Peopel's Choice Awards
Cheryl Ladd in Pom Pom Angels
Charlie's Angels in Night of the Strangler
Charlie's Angels in Mother Angel
Jaclyn Smith Promotional Photo
Kate Jackson in Hellrider
Cheryl & Farrah on Angel Come Home
Charlie's Angels with Sammy Davis Jr in the Sammy Davis Jr Kidnap Caper
Ladd & Smith in Pom Pom Angels
Tanya Roberts and David Doyle
Ladd, Smith & Roberts in cast shot
Ladd promotion shot
Farrah in Target Angels
From Angels in Chains
Angels on the Backlot Angels 1977 Shot

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