Kate Jackson
Encyclopedia
Kate Jackson is an American actress, director
, and producer
, perhaps best known for her role as Sabrina Duncan
in the popular 1970s television series Charlie's Angels
. Jackson is a three-time Emmy Award
nominee in the Best Actress category, has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards, and has won the titles of Favorite Television Actress in England, and Favorite Television Star in Germany—several times—for her work in the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King
. She co-produced that series through her production company, Shoot the Moon Enterprises Ltd., with Warner Brothers Television. Jackson has starred in a number of theatrical and TV films, and played the lead role on the short-lived television adaptation of the film Baby Boom
.
, the daughter of Ruth (née Shepherd) and Hogan Jackson, a business executive. She attended The Brooke Hill School for Girls and then went on to the University of Mississippi, where she was a member of the Delta Rho chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma
sorority, but during her sophomore year at the University of Mississippi, she moved to New York City
to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
.
Jackson worked as an NBC
page at the network's Rockefeller Center
studios and did summer stock
in Vermont before landing a small role as the mysterious, silent ghost Daphne Harridge on the 1960s supernatural daytime quasi-soap opera
Dark Shadows
. In 1971, Jackson had a starring role as Tracy Collins in Night of Dark Shadows
, the second feature film based on the daytime serial. She was joined by her Dark Shadows castmates Lara Parker
, David Selby
, Grayson Hall
, Nancy Barrett
, John Karlen
, and Thayer David
. This movie was more loosely based on the series than House of Dark Shadows
was, and it did not fare as well at the box office as the first film did. The same year, she worked with James Stewart
in two episodes of the short-lived sitcom, The Jimmy Stewart Show
.
She then appeared as nurse Jill Danko, wife of a character played by Sam Melville
, for four seasons on the 1970s crime drama The Rookies
. A supporting cast member, Jackson filled her free time by studying directing and editing. She also appeared in several TV films during this period. Jackson's performance was well received in the 1972 independent film
Limbo, one of the first theatrical films to address the Vietnam War
and the wives of soldiers who were POWs, MIA
or killed in action (KIA). She also appeared in an all-star ensemble cast in Death Scream
, a 1975 television dramatization of the circumstances surrounding a real-life 1964 murder as reported in a sensational article in the New York Times.
and Leonard Goldberg
to discuss her contractual obligation to star in another television series for Spelling/Goldberg Productions upon that show's cancellation. Goldberg told her of a series that was available — because "every network has passed on it", The Alley Cats. Spelling said that when he told Jackson the title of the series had to be changed and asked her what she would like to call it, she replied, Charlie's Angels, pointing to a picture of three female angels on the wall behind Spelling.
At the beginning of the third season of Charlie's Angels
, Jackson was offered the Meryl Streep
role in the feature film Kramer vs Kramer (1979), but was forced to turn it down because Spelling told her that they were unable to rearrange the hit show's shooting schedule to give her time off to do the film. At the end of the third season, Jackson left the show saying, "I served it well and it served me well, now it's time to go."
In 1982, Jackson starred opposite her Rookies co-star, Michael Ontkean
, and Harry Hamlin
in the feature film Making Love
, directed by Arthur Hiller
. It was a movie some considered to be ahead of its time, and attempted to deal sensitively with the issue of homosexuality. However, it received tepid reviews and did poorly at the box office.
, a one-hour action drama in which she played housewife Amanda King opposite Bruce Boxleitner
's spy, code-named "Scarecrow". Jackson also co-produced the series with Warner Brothers Television through her production company, Shoot the Moon Enterprises. It was during this series that she developed a keen interest in directing. When asked on the set one afternoon "What do you do tomorrow?", Jackson replied, "I don't work, I just direct." Scarecrow and Mrs. King was on the air from 1983–1987, The series was strong enough in the ratings that it beat its NBC
competition, Boone
.
During filming of the show's fourth season, in January 1987, Jackson elected to receive a mammogram for the first time, a test which led to the diagnosis of a small malignant tumor. This time, her series' producer — the only person she told about the diagnosis—worked with her to reschedule her work on the show. Checking into a hospital under an alias, her course of action was to undergo a lumpectomy
. Jackson returned to the series a week later, working with the aid of painkillers through five weeks of radiation treatments.
, a 1988 TV sitcom version of the original movie
starring Diane Keaton
, but it lasted only one season.
In 1989, she starred in the film Loverboy
playing Patrick Dempsey
's mother. She had taken the job in order to work with the director, Joan Micklin Silver
, having admired the work Silver had done on the film Hester Street.
In September 1989, another mammogram indicated residual breast cancer
which the previous operation had missed. This time the course of action was a partial mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. “The range of emotions you go through is amazing”, she says. “But I made a conscious decision to be positive.” Jaclyn Smith
cancelled a trip to New York City, meeting Jackson at her doctor’s office before she checked into the hospital. “I’d been crying before I got there,” says Smith. “Then I saw Kate, and she had a smile on her face. She said, 'We've gotten through other things, like divorces, and we'll get through this.' And we did.”
When Jackson awoke after surgery, “The first thing I heard was good news. My lymph nodes were clean.”
Back at home she read medical journals, switched to a macrobiotic diet and came to terms with her reconstructive surgery. “I'm never going to have the perfect body”, she says. “I'm not into facelifts and lip poufs. But I can wear a strapless evening gown, a bustier or whatever is required for a part.”
Jackson starred in several TV movies over the next several years, while working for breast cancer awareness. In 1995, on the heels of a night filming schedule on location, she checked herself into an Alabama hospital for tests due to a feeling of malaise and an inability to sleep. After several tests, Dr. Gerald Pohost, now head of cardiology
at U.S.C., diagnosed that Jackson had been born with an atrial septal defect
, a tiny hole in her heart which had previously gone undetected despite Jackson's active lifestyle. She underwent open heart surgery
to correct the defect, although as cardiologist Dr. P. K. Shah related in a February 3, 2006, appearance with Jackson on Larry King Live
, the current treatment no longer involves surgery.
She has appeared in TV movies and has made numerous guest appearances on TV. She dialed down her professional pursuits when her son, Charles Taylor Jackson, was adopted in 1995. She stated at the time, "I don't see how I can go about a directing career and be a good mom at the same time. And if I'm not a good mom, I don't think it matters much what else I do well."
She has dedicated herself to speaking out on the subjects of breast cancer and heart health and in 2003, was awarded the "Power of Love" award by the American Heart Association
for her work.
and Jaclyn Smith
, the three original Angels, appeared together in a surprise appearance at the Emmy Awards in a tribute to the recently-deceased Spelling at the Shrine Auditorium
.
Jackson played Elizabeth Prentiss, the mother of FBI Agent Emily Prentiss (played by Paget Brewster
) on Criminal Minds
. In August 2008, she was a guest judge on an episode of Jaclyn Smith
's Bravo reality series Shear Genius
, presiding over a hairdressing competition to update the original trio's signature hairdos.
On August 3, 2010, it was announced that Jackson would be writing a memoir, to be published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Titled The Smart One, the book is scheduled be released on October 11, 2011.
, the son of actress Stella Stevens
; they divorced in 1982. She married David Greenwald in 1982, but they divorced two years later. Her third marriage was to stuntman Tom Hart in 1991, but they also divorced two years later. In 1995, Jackson adopted a son, Charles Taylor Jackson.
In May 2010, Jackson filed a lawsuit against her financial advisor, Richard B. Francis, claiming his actions cost Jackson more than $3 million and brought her to financial ruin. In December 2010, the parties reached an undisclosed settlement.
Golden Globe
Bravo Golden Otto Germany
(won 3 times)
Bravo Bronze Otto Germany
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, perhaps best known for her role as Sabrina Duncan
Sabrina Duncan
Sabrina Duncan is one of fictional private detectives in the 1976-1981 television series Charlie's Angels. She was portrayed by Kate Jackson and is featured in the first three seasons of the show...
in the popular 1970s television series Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
. Jackson is a three-time Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominee in the Best Actress category, has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards, and has won the titles of Favorite Television Actress in England, and Favorite Television Star in Germany—several times—for her work in the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
. She co-produced that series through her production company, Shoot the Moon Enterprises Ltd., with Warner Brothers Television. Jackson has starred in a number of theatrical and TV films, and played the lead role on the short-lived television adaptation of the film Baby Boom
Baby Boom (TV series)
Baby Boom is an American sitcom series starring Kate Jackson. The series is based on the 1987 film Baby Boom. The pilot premiered September 10, 1988 on NBC, and the series began on November 2, 1988.-Cast:*Kate Jackson as J. C...
.
Early life and career
Lucy Kate Jackson was born in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, the daughter of Ruth (née Shepherd) and Hogan Jackson, a business executive. She attended The Brooke Hill School for Girls and then went on to the University of Mississippi, where she was a member of the Delta Rho chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
sorority, but during her sophomore year at the University of Mississippi, she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
.
Jackson worked as an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
page at the network's Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
studios and did summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
in Vermont before landing a small role as the mysterious, silent ghost Daphne Harridge on the 1960s supernatural daytime quasi-soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
. In 1971, Jackson had a starring role as Tracy Collins in Night of Dark Shadows
Night of Dark Shadows
Night of Dark Shadows is a 1971 horror film by Dan Curtis. It is the sequel to House of Dark Shadows. It centers on the story of Quentin Collins and his bride Tracy at the Collinwood Mansion in Collinsport, Maine....
, the second feature film based on the daytime serial. She was joined by her Dark Shadows castmates Lara Parker
Lara Parker
Lara Parker is an American television, stage, and film actress best known for her role as Angelique on the cult ABC-TV serial Dark Shadows which aired from to...
, David Selby
David Selby
David Lynn Selby is an American character and stage actor. He has worked in movies, soap operas and television. The naturally black-headed Selby is best known for playing the roles of Quentin Collins on the ABC-TV serial, Dark Shadows , and as the evil and compassionate...
, Grayson Hall
Grayson Hall
Grayson Hall was an American television, film and stage actress. She was widely regarded for her avant garde theatrical performances in the 1960s-80s. Hall was nominated in 1964 for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the John Huston film The Night of the Iguana...
, Nancy Barrett
Nancy Barrett
Nancy Barrett, born , is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of "Carolyn Stoddard" in the popular 1960s Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows....
, John Karlen
John Karlen
John Karlen is a character actor best known for playing Willie Loomis, Carl Collins, William H. Loomis, Desmond Collins, and Kendrick Young on the ABC serial Dark Shadows, in various episodes between 206 and 1245, which aired from 1966-1971. In 1971 Karlen starred as the male lead in "Daughters...
, and Thayer David
Thayer David
Thayer David was a film, stage and television actor. He was best known for his work on the cult ABC serial Dark Shadows and as the fight promoter George Jergens in the Oscar-winning movie Rocky . He also appeared as Count Arne Saknussemm in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959...
. This movie was more loosely based on the series than House of Dark Shadows
House of Dark Shadows
House of Dark Shadows is a 1970 feature-length horror film directed by Dan Curtis based on his Dark Shadows television series. Filming took place at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York with additional footage at nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: parts of the locals appeared on the Dark Shadows series as...
was, and it did not fare as well at the box office as the first film did. The same year, she worked with James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
in two episodes of the short-lived sitcom, The Jimmy Stewart Show
The Jimmy Stewart Show
The Jimmy Stewart Show is an American sitcom starring James Stewart as a professor at a small town university called Josiah Kesser College. Twenty-four episodes of the show were broadcast in the 1971–1972 season on the NBC network's Sunday night schedule , under the sponsorship of Procter &...
.
She then appeared as nurse Jill Danko, wife of a character played by Sam Melville
Sam Melville (actor)
Samuel Gardner Melville was an American actor who appeared as a guest sar on many popular television programs of the 1960s and 1970s...
, for four seasons on the 1970s crime drama The Rookies
The Rookies
The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...
. A supporting cast member, Jackson filled her free time by studying directing and editing. She also appeared in several TV films during this period. Jackson's performance was well received in the 1972 independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Limbo, one of the first theatrical films to address the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and the wives of soldiers who were POWs, MIA
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
or killed in action (KIA). She also appeared in an all-star ensemble cast in Death Scream
Death Scream
Death Scream is a made-for-television film first aired in the USA on September 26, 1975. The film is based on an actual event concerning the real-life account of "a young woman whose murder was witnessed by fifteen of her neighbors who did nothing to help and refused to cooperate with the...
, a 1975 television dramatization of the circumstances surrounding a real-life 1964 murder as reported in a sensational article in the New York Times.
Charlie's Angels
In 1975, she met with Rookies producers Aaron SpellingAaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
and Leonard Goldberg
Leonard Goldberg
Leonard J. Goldberg is an American film producer and television producer. He has his own production company, Mandy Films. He served as head of programming for ABC, and was president of 20th Century Fox...
to discuss her contractual obligation to star in another television series for Spelling/Goldberg Productions upon that show's cancellation. Goldberg told her of a series that was available — because "every network has passed on it", The Alley Cats. Spelling said that when he told Jackson the title of the series had to be changed and asked her what she would like to call it, she replied, Charlie's Angels, pointing to a picture of three female angels on the wall behind Spelling.
At the beginning of the third season of Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, Jackson was offered the Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
role in the feature film Kramer vs Kramer (1979), but was forced to turn it down because Spelling told her that they were unable to rearrange the hit show's shooting schedule to give her time off to do the film. At the end of the third season, Jackson left the show saying, "I served it well and it served me well, now it's time to go."
In 1982, Jackson starred opposite her Rookies co-star, Michael Ontkean
Michael Ontkean
Michael Leonard Ontkean is a Canadian actor. He is best known for the 1970s crime drama The Rookies, the film Slap Shot , and the cult-favorite TV series Twin Peaks .-Life and career:...
, and Harry Hamlin
Harry Hamlin
Harry Robinson Hamlin is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film Clash of the Titans, and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series L.A...
in the feature film Making Love
Making Love
Making Love is a 1982 American film. It tells the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality and the love triangle that develops around him, his wife and another man...
, directed by Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller, OC is a Canadian film director. His filmography includes 33 major studio releases, including the 1970 film Love Story...
. It was a movie some considered to be ahead of its time, and attempted to deal sensitively with the issue of homosexuality. However, it received tepid reviews and did poorly at the box office.
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Jackson made what was for the time a whopping $6,000,000 deal with CBS to star in a comedy series. She elected instead to accept the starring role in Scarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
, a one-hour action drama in which she played housewife Amanda King opposite Bruce Boxleitner
Bruce Boxleitner
Bruce William Boxleitner is an American actor, and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Scarecrow and Mrs. King , and Babylon 5...
's spy, code-named "Scarecrow". Jackson also co-produced the series with Warner Brothers Television through her production company, Shoot the Moon Enterprises. It was during this series that she developed a keen interest in directing. When asked on the set one afternoon "What do you do tomorrow?", Jackson replied, "I don't work, I just direct." Scarecrow and Mrs. King was on the air from 1983–1987, The series was strong enough in the ratings that it beat its NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
competition, Boone
Boone (TV series)
Boone is a 13-week dramatic television series which was broadcast on NBC from 1983–1984. It starred, principally, Tom Byrd and Barry Corbin. Byrd played teenager Boone Sawyer, who aspired to a career in rock and roll music, despite the advice of his stern father, Merit Sawyer, played by Corbin, who...
.
During filming of the show's fourth season, in January 1987, Jackson elected to receive a mammogram for the first time, a test which led to the diagnosis of a small malignant tumor. This time, her series' producer — the only person she told about the diagnosis—worked with her to reschedule her work on the show. Checking into a hospital under an alias, her course of action was to undergo a lumpectomy
Lumpectomy
Lumpectomy is a common surgical procedure designed to remove a discrete lump, usually a benign tumor or breast cancer, from an affected man or woman's breast...
. Jackson returned to the series a week later, working with the aid of painkillers through five weeks of radiation treatments.
Later career
Receiving a "clean bill of health", Jackson followed up the cancelled Scarecrow and Mrs. King by taking on the main role in Baby BoomBaby Boom (TV series)
Baby Boom is an American sitcom series starring Kate Jackson. The series is based on the 1987 film Baby Boom. The pilot premiered September 10, 1988 on NBC, and the series began on November 2, 1988.-Cast:*Kate Jackson as J. C...
, a 1988 TV sitcom version of the original movie
Baby Boom (film)
Baby Boom is a 1987 comedy film starring Diane Keaton. The film also launched a subsequent television show starring Kate Jackson, running from 1988 to 1989. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti and the cinematography was by William A. Fraker....
starring Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
, but it lasted only one season.
In 1989, she starred in the film Loverboy
Loverboy (1989 film)
Loverboy is a 1989 American comedy film starring Patrick Dempsey, Kirstie Alley, and Carrie Fisher.-Plot:Randy Bodek is a rebellious slacker in college, living with his girlfriend Jenny . His father, furious over Randy's lack of direction or work ethic, pulls the funding for college and requires...
playing Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award...
's mother. She had taken the job in order to work with the director, Joan Micklin Silver
Joan Micklin Silver
Joan Micklin Silver is an American director.She was born in Omaha, Nebraska and received her B.A. From Sarah Lawrence College....
, having admired the work Silver had done on the film Hester Street.
In September 1989, another mammogram indicated residual breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
which the previous operation had missed. This time the course of action was a partial mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. “The range of emotions you go through is amazing”, she says. “But I made a conscious decision to be positive.” Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...
cancelled a trip to New York City, meeting Jackson at her doctor’s office before she checked into the hospital. “I’d been crying before I got there,” says Smith. “Then I saw Kate, and she had a smile on her face. She said, 'We've gotten through other things, like divorces, and we'll get through this.' And we did.”
When Jackson awoke after surgery, “The first thing I heard was good news. My lymph nodes were clean.”
Back at home she read medical journals, switched to a macrobiotic diet and came to terms with her reconstructive surgery. “I'm never going to have the perfect body”, she says. “I'm not into facelifts and lip poufs. But I can wear a strapless evening gown, a bustier or whatever is required for a part.”
Jackson starred in several TV movies over the next several years, while working for breast cancer awareness. In 1995, on the heels of a night filming schedule on location, she checked herself into an Alabama hospital for tests due to a feeling of malaise and an inability to sleep. After several tests, Dr. Gerald Pohost, now head of cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
at U.S.C., diagnosed that Jackson had been born with an atrial septal defect
Atrial septal defect
Atrial septal defect is a form of congenital heart defect that enables blood flow between the left and right atria via the interatrial septum. The interatrial septum is the tissue that divides the right and left atria...
, a tiny hole in her heart which had previously gone undetected despite Jackson's active lifestyle. She underwent open heart surgery
Open Heart Surgery
Open Heart Surgery was released on August 8, 2000 by rock band Virginwool. The band signed to Breaking/Atlantic Records after initially beginning signed to Universal Records. The album was produced and mixed by Brad Wood....
to correct the defect, although as cardiologist Dr. P. K. Shah related in a February 3, 2006, appearance with Jackson on Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, the current treatment no longer involves surgery.
She has appeared in TV movies and has made numerous guest appearances on TV. She dialed down her professional pursuits when her son, Charles Taylor Jackson, was adopted in 1995. She stated at the time, "I don't see how I can go about a directing career and be a good mom at the same time. And if I'm not a good mom, I don't think it matters much what else I do well."
She has dedicated herself to speaking out on the subjects of breast cancer and heart health and in 2003, was awarded the "Power of Love" award by the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
for her work.
Recent years
In 2004, the television film Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels aired, with actress Lauren Stamile portraying Jackson. In August 2006, Jackson, Farrah FawcettFarrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
and Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...
, the three original Angels, appeared together in a surprise appearance at the Emmy Awards in a tribute to the recently-deceased Spelling at the Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
.
Jackson played Elizabeth Prentiss, the mother of FBI Agent Emily Prentiss (played by Paget Brewster
Paget Brewster
Paget Valerie Brewster is an American actress. She is currently known for playing Special Agent Emily Prentiss on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. In June 2010, it was said that her role on Criminal Minds would be reduced in the sixth season. In March 2011, Brewster's character left the series...
) on Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
. In August 2008, she was a guest judge on an episode of Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...
's Bravo reality series Shear Genius
Shear Genius
Shear Genius is an American reality television series on the Bravo network that focuses on hair styling. The show first premiered on April 11, 2007....
, presiding over a hairdressing competition to update the original trio's signature hairdos.
On August 3, 2010, it was announced that Jackson would be writing a memoir, to be published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Titled The Smart One, the book is scheduled be released on October 11, 2011.
TV series
- Dark ShadowsDark ShadowsDark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
(1970–1971) Daphne Harridge - The RookiesThe RookiesThe Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...
(1972–1976) Jill Danko - Charlie's AngelsCharlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
(1976–1979) Sabrina DuncanSabrina DuncanSabrina Duncan is one of fictional private detectives in the 1976-1981 television series Charlie's Angels. She was portrayed by Kate Jackson and is featured in the first three seasons of the show... - Scarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
(1983–1987) Mrs. Amanda King - Baby BoomBaby Boom (film)Baby Boom is a 1987 comedy film starring Diane Keaton. The film also launched a subsequent television show starring Kate Jackson, running from 1988 to 1989. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti and the cinematography was by William A. Fraker....
(1988–1989) J.C Wiatt - Sabrina, the Teenage WitchSabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
(2002) Candy - Criminal MindsCriminal MindsCriminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
(2007) Elizabeth Prentiss
Feature films
- Night of Dark ShadowsNight of Dark ShadowsNight of Dark Shadows is a 1971 horror film by Dan Curtis. It is the sequel to House of Dark Shadows. It centers on the story of Quentin Collins and his bride Tracy at the Collinwood Mansion in Collinsport, Maine....
(1971) Tracy Collins - Limbo (1972) Sandy Lawton
- Thunder and Lightning (1977) Nancy Sue Hunnicut
- Dirty Tricks (1981) Polly Bishop
- Making LoveMaking LoveMaking Love is a 1982 American film. It tells the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality and the love triangle that develops around him, his wife and another man...
(1982) Claire Elliott - LoverboyLoverboy (1989 film)Loverboy is a 1989 American comedy film starring Patrick Dempsey, Kirstie Alley, and Carrie Fisher.-Plot:Randy Bodek is a rebellious slacker in college, living with his girlfriend Jenny . His father, furious over Randy's lack of direction or work ethic, pulls the funding for college and requires...
(1989) Diane Bodek - Error in Judgment (1998) Shelley
- Larceny (2004) Mom
- No Regrets (2004) Suzanne Kennerly
- Error in Judgement (2004)
TV movies
- The New Healers (1972) Nurse Michelle Johnson
- Movin' On (1972) Cory
- Satan's School for GirlsSatan's School for Girls (1973 film)Satan's School for Girls is a 1973 made-for-tv horror film directed by David Lowell Rich, and produced by Aaron Spelling. The film has been named as one of the most memorable TV movies of the 1970s.- Plot :...
(1973) Roberta Lockhart - Killer BeesKiller Bees (1974 film)Killer Bees is a 1974 made for TV horror movie featuring Gloria Swanson that originally aired on ABC on February 26, 1974. The film, which was directed by Curtis Harrington, had a very small cast, including Kate Jackson, Craig Stevens, John Getz, and Edward Albert.-Plot:Madame von Bohlen , a...
(1974) Victoria Wells - Death Cruise (1974) Mary Frances Radney
- Death ScreamDeath ScreamDeath Scream is a made-for-television film first aired in the USA on September 26, 1975. The film is based on an actual event concerning the real-life account of "a young woman whose murder was witnessed by fifteen of her neighbors who did nothing to help and refused to cooperate with the...
(1975) Carol - Death at Love HouseDeath at Love HouseDeath at Love House is a 1976 made-for-tv horror film directed by E.W. Swackhamer. Part of the ABC Movie of the Week, the film stars Robert Wagner and Kate Jackson.- Plot :...
(1976) Donna Gregory - James at 15James at 15James at 15 is an American drama series that aired on NBC in the 1977-1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, intended as a pilot for the series...
(1977) Robin - Topper (1979) Marion Kirby
- Inmates: A Love Story (1981) Jane Mount
- Thin Ice (1981) Linda Rivers
- Listen to Your Heart (1983) Frannie Greene
- The Stranger WithinThe Stranger Within (1990 film)The Stranger Within is a 1990 made-for-tv thriller film directed by Tom Holland, and starring Rick Schroder and Kate Jackson.- Plot :In October 1974 rural Grove's Mill, Minnesota, widow Mare Blackburn's 3-year-old son Luke is kidnapped by an unknown woman when she shortly loses supervision in the...
(1990) Mare Blackburn - Quiet Killer (1992) Dr. Nora Hart
- Homewrecker (1992) (voice) Lucy
- Arly HanksArly HanksArly Hanks is a 1993 American television pilot based on the first book of Joan Hess' series Malice in Maggody. Written by Sean Clark and directed by Arlene Sanford, it screened on CBS on August 20, 1994. Due to low ratings, the show was removed from the CBS season...
(1993) Arly Hanks - Adrift (1993) Katie Nast
- Empty CradleEmpty CradleEmpty Cradle is a 1993 television film directed by Paul Schneider. The film is based on actual events, but the scenario has been fictionalized for entertainment purposes.- Plot :...
(1993) Rita Donahue - Armed and InnocentArmed and InnocentArmed And Innocent is a crime/thriller made-for-TV film, directed by Jack Bender, starring Andrew Starnes, Gerald Mcraney and Kate Jackson. Released in 1994, it was loosely based on actual events.-Plot synopsis:...
(1994) Patsy Holland - Justice in a Small Town (1994) Sandra Clayton
- A Kidnapping in the Family (1996) DeDe Cooper
- Panic in the Skies!Panic in the Skies!Panic in the Skies! is a TV movie starring Kate Jackson and Erik Estrada. It premiered on The Family Channel in 1996. It was directed by Paul Ziller.-Plot:...
(1996) Flight Attendant Laurie Ann Pickett - What Happened to Bobby Earl? (1997) Rose Earl
- Satan's School for Girls (2000) The Dean
- A Mother's Testimony (2001)
Director Julian Chojnacki] - The Perfect Suspect (2006) Maureen Hansen
Personal life
In 1978, Jackson married fellow Southerner, the actor/producer Andrew StevensAndrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens is an American executive, film producer, director and former actor.-Early life:Andrew Stevens was born Herman Andrew Stephens in Memphis, Tennessee...
, the son of actress Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The...
; they divorced in 1982. She married David Greenwald in 1982, but they divorced two years later. Her third marriage was to stuntman Tom Hart in 1991, but they also divorced two years later. In 1995, Jackson adopted a son, Charles Taylor Jackson.
In May 2010, Jackson filed a lawsuit against her financial advisor, Richard B. Francis, claiming his actions cost Jackson more than $3 million and brought her to financial ruin. In December 2010, the parties reached an undisclosed settlement.
Awards and nominations
Emmy Awards- 1977: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (nomination) for Charlie's AngelsCharlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
- 1978: Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series (nomination) for James at 15James at 15James at 15 is an American drama series that aired on NBC in the 1977-1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, intended as a pilot for the series...
- 1978: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (nomination) for Charlie's AngelsCharlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
.
Golden Globe
- 1977: Best TV Actress — Drama (nomination) for Charlie's AngelsCharlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
- 1978: Best TV Actress — Drama (nomination) for Charlie's Angels
- 1979: Best TV Actress — Drama (nomination) for Charlie's Angels
- 1985: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series — Drama (nomination) for Scarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
Bravo Golden Otto Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(won 3 times)
- 1986: TV Star (winner) for Scarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
- 1987: TV Star (winner) for Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- 1988: TV Star (winner) for Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Bravo Bronze Otto Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- 1990: TV Star (winner) for Scarecrow and Mrs. King
External links
- Kate Jackson at Allmovie