What is Jan Smithers' Net Worth?
Jan Smithers is an American actress who has a net worth of $4 million. Jan Smithers is best known for her role as the kind-hearted, demure radio station receptionist Bailey Quarters on the CBS sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" which aired from 1978 to 1982. Prior to her acting career, she gained fame as a teen model, notably appearing on the cover of Newsweek in 1966 at the age of 16. After "WKRP in Cincinnati," she continued to act in various TV roles before retiring from acting in the late 1980s.
Early Life
. Jan Smithers was born in North Hollywood, California on July 3 1949. Her full name is Karin Jan Smithers. The family settled in Woodland Hills, California where Jan attended William Howard Taft Charter High School. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a homemaker. A natural in front of the camera, Jan began to model in her teens. She was discovered on the beach by a photographer while playing hookie from school. In March 1966 a photo of Jan riding on the back of a motorcycle was featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine. The story was titled "The Teen Agers – A Newsweek Study of what They're Really Like". The magazine launched her modeling career and Jan a mini celebrity. It was her first introduction to the limelight.
Early TV Career And WKRP Success
Several years later, Smithers earned her first on-screen role with a one-episode part on the show "Love Story". In 1974, she appeared in "When the North Wind Blows" and "Where the Lilies Bloom".
It wasn't until 1978 that Smithers landed the role that would define her career. From 1978 to 1982 she played the role of Bailey Quarters on "WKRP in Cincinnati" alongside Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, and Richard Sanders. Smithers appeared in 86 of the Emmy-nominated show's 88 episodes spanning four seasons between 1978 and 1982. In June 2014 Jan joined fellow former cast members for a WKRP at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills.
After WKRP, Smithers appeared on "The Fall Guy", "Legmen", "Finder of Lost Loves", "The Love Boat", "Mike Hammer", "Cover Up", "Murder, She Wrote", "Comedy Factory", and "Hotel". Her last known acting credit came in 1987's "Mr. Nice Guy".
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Personal Life
In 1971, Jan Smithers married Kipp Whitman. Their marriage only lasted a year.
She wed actor James Brolin in 1986 after meeting on the set of a show called "Hotel". They had one daughter together named Molly. Jan and James divorced in 1995. While they were married Jan was step mother to James' two other children from a previous marriage, including actor Josh Brolin. One year after their divorce, James began dating Barbra Streisand.
She spent several years living in Canada but today Smithers lives in Ojai, California. Today she is passionate about meditation and yoga. She has traveled to India a number of times and supports a number of Indian charities. She is also passionate about the environment, specifically being pro solar energy and very against nuclear energy.
