Inside the Real-Life Couples of the Original ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Cast—From Drama to True Love
Learn all about the love lives of Angels like Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and more
With its delightfully campy vibe and unforgettable cast of powerful crime-fighting beauties, Charlie’s Angels became one of the most-watched shows of the ’70s, and its pop cultural legend looms large, as it has been rebooted multiple times over the years.
The original Charlie’s Angels cast of Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson made the show, which debuted in 1976, into the stuff of appointment viewing, but a number of different Angels cycled in and out of the cast before the show ended its five-season, 115-episode run in 1981.
The female leads of Charlie’s Angels became some of the brightest stars of their era, and their personal and professional lives were covered breathlessly by the media. Here’s a look at the dramatic love lives of all the original Angels, from Farrah Fawcett to Tanya Roberts.
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was famously part of a ’70s TV power couple, as she was married to The Six Million Dollar Man star Lee Majors from 1973 to 1982, and went by Farrah Fawcett-Majors during this time. Their marriage was highly publicized, since both Fawcett and Majors were considered some of the most attractive celebrities of their day and starred in hit shows, and Majors said all the media attention made it “hard to get around.”
While Fawcett and Majors divorced in 1982, they separated a few years prior, in 1979, and she began dating another ’70s icon, Love Story star Ryan O’Neal. They had a son, Redmond James Fawcett O’Neal, in 1985. Sadly, Fawcett and O’Neal’s high-profile relationship wasn’t as glamorous as it appeared on the outside, as the actress said, “Sometimes Ryan breaks my heart. But he’s also responsible for giving me confidence in myself” and called him “a bully.”
O’Neal’s daughter from his first marriage, actress Tatum O’Neal, alleged that her father was abusive to Fawcett, saying, “She was beautiful, she was every boy’s fantasy when I met her in 1976. My dad was a Svengali for her. He took over her life, her career, but there was a price.”
After Fawcett and O’Neal broke up in 1997, she briefly dated James Orr, the director of Man of the House, a 1995 Disney movie in which she appeared. The relationship ended in 1998, when Orr was arrested for beating her.
Fawcett got back with O’Neal in 2002, and they remained together until she passed away from cancer at age 62 in 2009. After Fawcett’s death, her love life came back into the spotlight, as it was revealed that she left her college sweetheart, Greg Lott, $100,000 and left nothing to O’Neal. Lott said that they rekindled their romance from 1998 until her passing, and claimed it was “a loving, consensual, one-on-one relationship,” even though Fawcett was publicly with O’Neal at the time.
Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith has been married four times. From 1968 to 1975, she was married to Dark Shadows actor Roger Davis. She met her second husband, Dennis Cole, when he guest-starred on a 1976 episode of Charlie’s Angels, and they were married from 1978 to 1981.
In 1981, she married acclaimed British cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond. They had a son, Gaston, and a daughter, Spencer, and divorced in 1989. Since 1997, Smith has been happily married to a non-celebrity, Brad Allen. Smith met Allen, a surgeon, when he was treating her late father in the hospital, proving that love can strike in unlikely places.
In a 2017 interview with our sister publication, First for Women, Smith spoke adoringly of her domestic life, saying, “If anything recharges me or keeps me sane or keeps me grounded, it has to be my family. One of the joys right now is watching my daughter be a mother, and she is such a good one.”
Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson was briefly engaged to actor Edward Albert in the ’70s, but they ultimately called it off. After that, she dated stars like Nick Nolte and Warren Beatty, and in 1978, she married her first husband, actor and director Andrew Stevens. They divorced in 1981.
From 1982 to 1984, she was married to David Greenwald, a businessman with whom she formed a production company. She then married ski lodge owner Tom Hart in 1991, only to divorce in 1993. In 1995, she adopted her son, Charles.
Jackson hasn’t remarried, and has largely kept out of the public eye in recent years.
Cheryl Ladd
Cheryl Ladd (née Cheryl Stoppelmoor) married actor David Ladd in 1973. They had a daughter, Jordan, who went on to become an actress, and divorced in 1980.
Since 1981, Ladd has been married to music and film producer and writer Brian Russell, who she first met through her singing career. During the couple’s long relationship, they collaborated on many projects, and in 2017, they cofounded a custom home design business.
Asked for the secret to a successful marriage, Ladd said, “Romance, fun and respect! We have the same interests, we both love golf but dislike skiing! We are a perfect fit! But we do disagree on some items . . . which gives our marriage some spice!”
Shelley Hack
Shelley Hack has been married to director and professor Harry Winer since 1990. They have a daughter, Devon. Hack and Winer are partners in both life and business, and they co-own a production company, Smash Media, that has brought many Hallmark movies and other projects to life. Winer has also directed Hack in a number of TV movies and shows.
Tanya Roberts
Tanya Roberts (née Victoria Leigh Blum) was married to writer and actor Barry Roberts from 1974 until his death in 2006. They met while waiting in line at a movie theater, and she went against tradition by proposing to him.
After her husband’s passing, Roberts had a long-term relationship with musician Lance O’Brien, and they remained together until her sudden death at 65 in 2021.
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