I’ve danced all my life, and I really thought that I would eventually open a ballet school. It’s a wonderful discipline and a wonderful release. I started dancing when I was three because I loved the pink tutu and the ballet shoes. I got myself involved—it wasn’t anything that my parents pressured me to do—and it quickly became a passion. When I was in high school in Houston, I danced with Theater Incorporated and in school productions, but I wanted to perform with a company, so I auditioned for the Allegro Ballet company. It was run by Emmamae Horn, Tommy Tune’s dance instructor, though I didn’t study with her as much as he did. I also studied with Patsy Swayze, Patrick Swayze’s mother, who introduced me to jazz and musical comedy. There were so many wonderful performances. I did West Side Story, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Annie, Get Your Gun. It seems as if I was always dancing. I was always standing in first position.

Jaclyn Smith was born and raised in Houston and attended Trinity University in San Antonio. From 1976 to 1981, she starred as Kelly Garrett on Charlie’s Angels; since then she has appeared in dozens of made-for-TV movies, the most recent of which, Before He Wakes, will air this month on CBS. She also has a signature line of clothing that is sold exclusively in Kmart stores.