Jan Smithers

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).

Jan Smithers
Born	Karin Jan Smithers[1] (1949-07-03) July 3, 1949 (age 76)[2] North Hollywood, California, U.S.[1]
Alma mater	Chouinard Art Institute
Occupations	Actress singer model
Years active	1973–1987
Known for	WKRP in Cincinnati
Spouses	Kipp Whitman ​ ​ (m. 1971; div. 1972)​ James Brolin ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 1995)​
Children	1

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 crash 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] 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, 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

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