Jean Smart Has Made an Epic Comeback at 73—Read All About the ‘Designing Women’ Star’s Career

If you watched Designing Women, you no doubt recall Charlene, Sugarbaker’s delightfully ditsy secretary. Sweet, southern, and sassy, she was portrayed so realistically that you’d be forgiven for thinking that Jean Smart, the actress who played her, wasn’t all that…well, smart. In fact, the opposite is true. At 73, Jean Smart has made some seriously smart choices around navigating Hollywood and playing interesting women, and her reward has been great.

The 73-year-old actress hails from Seattle, Washington and prior to her big break on the cult-classic series Designing Women, studied theater at the University of Washington, graduating from their Professional Actor Training Program. In the early days of her thespian pursuits, she was heavily involved in theater in her native corner of the country before expanding her horizons. 

There’s a good chance you’ve heard Smart’s name in the pop culture sphere lately. After all, the actress just took home the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in the hit series Hacks. In honor of her accomplished career, we’re taking a moment to appreciate some of Smart’s best-loved roles.

Jean Smart makes her television debut, big break and beyond

While still heavily involved in the theater scene (she made her debut on Broadway in 1981), Smart also began dipping her toes into the television world in the late seventies and early eighties. Some of her earliest appearances on the small screen included series like Another World, Teachers Only, Reggie, The Fact of Life and Alice. 

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However, it was in 1986 that she got the role that would change the trajectory of her career as Charlene Frazier Stillfield in Designing Women. Designing Women, a show centered on four women working at an interior design firm in Atlanta, covered serious subjects with southern charm. It gave Smart her big break, and it was also where the actress met her late husband, actor Richard Gilliland. 

In the years that followed, some of her significant film roles included Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) and The Brady Bunch Movie (1995). From 1993 to 1995, Smart was also lending her voice to The Pink Panther animated television series. In 2000, she began a guest run on the famed sitcom Frasier as Lana Gardner. Smart won two Emmys for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her part on this beloved, long-running sitcom. In just seven episodes, she made a big impression in her role as Lana, none other than Frasier’s high school crush. 

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Another one of her significant roles from over the years was in 24. While not a star of this intense political drama, Smart played a key role in 24’s fifth season. As Martha Logan, the troubled First Lady, she added to the show’s intrigue and received two Emmy nominations. 

Recent roles for Jean Smart

In  the past few years, Smart could be seen in shows like Mare of Easttown. This 2021 limited series is set in a small town and stars Kate Winslet as Mare, a troubled detective investigating a murder. Smart plays Helen, Mare’s irreverent mother, as if she was actually born in Pennsylvania. (Her accent is pitch perfect!) Additional recent credits include the 2022 film Wildflower, as well as Babylon. 

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Jean Smart in Hacks

In this comedy about intergenerational relationships, Smart plays Deborah Vance, a famous old-school comedian who reluctantly hires an entitled young writer to freshen up her act. In addition to Smart’s recent Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, the show has also won Emmys for writing and directing.  

The Emmys Quiz

Whether Smart shows up in a contemporary comedy, a nostalgic sitcom, or a riveting drama, we’re always happy to see this versatile and talented actress, and we love that she plays mature women with style, sophistication, and — as her name implies — smarts.