Jan Smithers is best known as the pretty but shy Bailey Quarters from the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati. But before she got her big break as an actress, Smithers was a young, sexy model for numerous commercials in the 1960s.
Karin Jan Smithers is known for her stage name Jan Smithers. She was born in 1949 in California. As a teenager, the young Smithers have a carefree and adventurous nature. Once, she nearly ran into an accident by hitting her automobile into a telephone pole.
Jan Smithers was 16 years old when she got discovered. She was hanging out at the beach when two men who claimed to be Newsweek reporters offered her to be in an article.
She made her first public appearance at the front cover of Newsweek in 1966. In the photo, she was happily riding at the back of her friend’s motorcycle. Her magazine feature soon launched her career in the field of modeling.
Smithers was currently taking art studies at Chouinard Art Institute when she decided to quit school and pursue acting.
Jan made her first TV debut at the 1973 TV show, Love Story, as Barbara. She later starred on a series of 1970 featured films, such as Where the Lilies Bloom, When the North Wind Blows, and Our Winning Season.
Smithers is famously known for playing the iconic role of Bailey Quarters at WKRP Cincinnati. The show ran for a total of four seasons from 1978 to 1982.
Afterward, Smithers starred in other hit TV shows, like The Love Boat, Comedy Factory, and Hotel. Her Hollywood career went on for less than 20 years.
She first married Kipp Whitman in 1971. The couple’s relationship lasted for only a year. She soon married James Brolin in 1986, where they have one daughter named Molly Elizabeth Brolin. Their marriage lasted for nine years.
Jan left the Hollywood spotlight in 1987 to become a full-time mom. Her last acting performance was in the film “Mr. Nice Guy.”
Now 70, she is currently residing in Ojai, California. She has been devoting her time to wellness and spirituality. Jan is also a member of a charitable group in India and an advocate for environmental causes.
In her younger years, Smithers led a successful career as a commercial model. She prefers wearing mini length dresses that accentuate her ass and boobs.
One of her most daring photoshoots was from a Fresca commercial in the 1960s. In a series of photographs, the young Jan Smithers is lounging at the poolside wearing a bikini while holding a soft drink bottle. Her pixie hairstyle perfectly matches her blue eyes.
Check out the following photos and find out why Jan Smithers is one of the hottest female actresses in the 1970s.
