Kate Jackson

Overview

Born
October 29, 1948 · Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Birth name
Lucy Kate Jackson
Nickname
- Katie
Height
5′ 9½″ (1.77 m)

Biography

Family

Spouses
Children
Parents

Trademark

Her raspy voice

Trivia

In addition to being the first Angel to be cast in Charlie's Angels (1976), she also was responsible for coming up with the show's name.
Had to turn down the Meryl Streep role in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) because of scheduling conflicts with Charlie's Angels (1976). This eventually prompted the actress to leave the TV series. Streep won an Oscar for the role.
She had met her Charlie's Angels (1976)' co-stars long before they were cast in the hit show. When she first came to Hollywood, she saw Farrah Fawcett at a party and thought that if all girls in Hollywood were as beautiful as her, she didn't have a chance and might as well go home to Alabama. Luckily, she stayed and became a star. She met Jaclyn Smith at an audition for another show and they became friends. Jaclyn and Farrah had worked together before on a Max Factor commercial, and they knew each other. But it was "Charlie's Angels" that put all three of them together in the same room for the first time, and they became close friends; a friendship that lasted over three decades, until Fawcett passed away in 2009.
Has survived two battles with breast cancer. Once in 1987, and again in 1989. After a partial mastectomy and radiation, she won her fight and shared her experience to highlight the importance of mammograms.
She had developed an unfair reputation for being difficult on Charlie's Angels (1976). The truth was she was strong and protective towards her costars Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith and frequently stopped the producers from overworking them. They had wanted the three actresses to give up their lunch hour to pose for "Time" magazine cover in 1976, and both Farrah and Jaclyn were willing, since they deemed it a prestigious honor, but Kate saw it as one more way for the producers to encroach on their personal time. She locked herself in with her trailer with Farrah and Jaclyn and told the producers that the door was stuck and won't open. The three had their lunch for 45 minutes, when the producers struggled to open the door and begged them to pose for "Time" magazine, which they did in the last 15 minutes of their lunch hour.

Quotes

[on her Charlie's Angels (1976) days] It was good when it was good . . . and when it wasn't good, it was bad.
I'd rather share the glory of a hit than star by myself in a flop.
[talking about the film versions of Charlie's Angels (1976)] I think they missed the mark. In the TV show, Farrah [Farrah Fawcett], Jaclyn [Jaclyn Smith] and I were best friends who cared for each other and I think that came through in the acting. In the movies, they were too busy competing with each other, trying to see who could jump the highest or wear the tightest clothes.
When you think about Charlie's Angels (1976), you think about three specific people. You think about Farrah Fawcett, and Jaclyn Smith, and me. So the only problem with the Charlie's Angels (2000) movie might be, Charlie's Angels aren't in it.
[In 2009, a day after Farrah Fawcett died] When the first year of Charlie's Angels (1976) ended, our friendship didn't. It just grew stronger and closer through the years. I don't know what the connection that the three of us have is, but it is there, and it is something extremely special. I think that is the reason the show worked. I think it's even better than the movies because we truly cared about each other and still do. It was a pleasure and a privilege.