This week I was watching Shear Genius. I happen to adore that show. I turned to my ten year old (we have it TiVO’d and, although he’d hate his friends to learn about this, he’s become a fan too) and said, “Did you know Jaclyn Smith is like 60?”

He was like, “No way, mom? She’s still really beautiful. She doesn’t look anything like grandma.”

My mom will be 60 in November 2008 and well, my son’s right. Jaclyn Smith looks nothing like my mother. That saddens me, but…

The truth is that Jaclyn Smith, who will actually be 60 on October 26, 2007, has always been a beautiful woman. Growing up, I remember watching her on Charlie’s Angels. Maybe it was the reruns. I was like three when the show began airing in 1976. Smith was the only lady who stayed with the show for its entire five-year run.

I knew when I first saw her that Jaclyn was the most amazingly breathtaking woman I had ever seen. She became my ideal of beauty. I wanted to look like Jaclyn, or at least her alter ego, Kelly Garrett. Of course, I could never achieve Jaclyn’s fabulous-ness. However, I enjoyed watching the native Houston-ite walk, talk and be a crime fighter.

During the 80s, I followed Jaclyn’s foray into TV movies and miniseries. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her fantastic portrayal of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. She brought a believable grace and elegance to the role. Truthfully, how many women could portray the iconic Jackie Kennedy so well? Unfortunately, our “Jackie” lost out at the Globes to Jane Seymour.

Oh well!

She earned acclaim for her work in adaptations of Sidney Sheldon novels such as Rage of Angels and Windmills of the Gods. In fact, Jaclyn’s work in Rage of Angels urged fans to beg the author not to kill her character off in his book, paving the way for a sequel to the film.

Jaclyn also had a hit on the small screen with Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity. She starred with Richard Chamberlin in that back in ’88 while Matt Damon was still in high school. Nowadays, you can catch a lot of Smith’s TV film work on the Lifetime network.

In addition to her busy acting career—she helmed a series Christine Cromwell back in ’89 that lasted only one season and had a recurring role on Craig T. Nelson’s The District beginning in 2001—Smith is a savvy business woman. In 1985 she launched her clothing line at K-Mart. The Jaclyn Smith Collection brought elegant, tailored clothing to a whole new demographic. In 2002 she entered the home furnishings arena with Jaclyn Smith Home, a collection that features furniture, bedding, textiles, wall coverings and more.

This daughter of a dentist, who has successfully battled breast cancer, is currently married to her fourth husband, a pediatric cardiac surgeon named Bradley Allen. They’ve been married since 1997. The lady, who’s been named the Most Beautiful Woman on Television (1991) and one of People’s 50 Most Beautiful People twice, also has two children, a son named Gaston Anthony and daughter, Spencer-Margaret. She has often said that she derives great joy and satisfaction from motherhood.

At an age when many folks consider slowing down, Smith is revving up her career with a stint on Shear Genius. She proves to be a kind, considerate but firm host who adds star power with outshining the competition. I, for one, am glad to see her back on the small screen.

Here's a "clip" from Bravo's Shear Genius, featuring the lovely and talented Jaclyn Smith: