Jan Smithers is one of the best and most famous models from the 70s. Born in 1949 or 1950 in North Hollywood, California, Smithers is a former actress, model, and singer. Before the actress rose to fame for featuring in WKRP in Cincinnati as Baley Quarters, she had made it to some magazine cover at the age of 16.
Smithers grew up in a middle-class family in Los Angeles and her father was a lawyer, while her mother was a homemaker. The retired actress has three sisters, the eldest died in a road accident at the age of 21. How did Jan Smithers accumulate her wealth, and how much is it as of 2024?
What is Jan Smithers’s Net Worth?
Jan Smithers is a retired actress and model whose net worth is $4 million, as of 2023. Smithers’s first public presence was when she was featured on the cover of Newsweek at the age of sixteen. The 1966 picture of the model riding on the back of a motorcycle, introduced her to the public eye, leading to acting roles.
Smithers acted in various television roles, which placed her in the limelight further. Her most famous role happened when she acted as Bailey Quarters on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. The show aired from 1978 to 1982 and her excellent performance made her recognized. She went on to feature in other roles before she retired in 1987.
Early Life and Education
Smithers was born in a middle-class family which resided in Los Angeles California. Her father was a lawyer, while her mother was a homemaker. Smithers spent her early childhood with her three sisters, although she lost her eldest sister through an accident when she was 21.
Smithers attended Taft High School in Woodland, California., where she graduated from. She also joined the Chouinard Art Institute for her further studies.
Career and Success
Smithers is an actress who found success as a model first. She began modeling as a teenager, and she rose to fame when she was featured on Newsweek’s cover on March 21, 1966. The model was seated on the back of a motorcycle, the beautiful portrayal of her elegance placed her in the public eye.
After making an impact as a model, she went on to start acting. In her early 20s, the actress won a role in the 1974 film Where the Lilies Bloom. The film was about a household of children surviving in the Appalachian Mountains, and it gave her the boost she needed to begin her acting journey.
Smithers got her biggest career breakthrough in 1978 after she landed a recurring role in the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. She played Bailey Quarters in the show, and she continued starring in it until 1982.
Personal Life
Jan Smithers was first married to Kipp Whiteman. The marriage lasted for a year and they divorced in 1972. From 1986 to 1995, the actress was married to actor James Brolin, and was the stepmother to the actor’s two children from a previous marriage The couple had a daughter Molly Elizabeth before they divorced in 1995.
