Where Is She Now: Jan Smithers (Actress) as Bailey - WKRP in Cincinnati.

Jan Smithers More Information View or Post a Comment

Updated: 7/3/2006

Name: Jan Smithers

Born: July 3, 1949, North Hollywood, California

Claim To Fame: There is only one role that I ever knew Jan from and that is as Bailey Quarters in 'WKRP in Cincinnati.'

Family Life: James Brolin (1986 - 1995) (divorced) 1 child

Info: Jan was quick to Dismiss stories that Barbra Streisand had ruined her marriage to James Brolin, by pointing out that she and James had parted (amicably, sharing custody of their daughter) a full five years before Streisand and Brolin got together.

Trivia: She was photographed happily riding the back of a friend's motorcycle by Julian Wasser. That carefree looking shot made the cover of the March 21, 1966 issue of the magazine. The shot led to work in commercials while she was continuing her art studies at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.

When producer/creator Hugh Wilson was casting the pilot for WKRP, he made some inspired decisions, like offering the Johnny Fever role to Howard Hesseman, who had originally read for the Herb Tarlek part. But his casting of Jan was a no-brainer. "All the other actresses played shy," he said. "Jan was shy.

Where Is She Now: After marrying James Brolin, she put her career on hold... and then after their divorce, she kind of disappeared.

For a few years lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Moved back to California in 2005 and there were rumors of her trying to get back into acting but she has not surfaced yet.

Well for the first time in almost three years, I have not been able to track down a recent picture of Jan :(

If anyone has one, please email me one... in the meantime we have a
then picture and the Newsweek picture. I don't think I would've recognized it as her.