Jayne Kennedy Overton (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Harrison; born October 27, 1951) is an American television personality, actress, model, corporate spokeswoman, producer, writer, public speaker, philanthropist, and sports broadcaster.

Personal life

Jayne Kennedy was born Jayne Gill Harrison in Wickliffe, Ohio, one of six children. Her parents Herbert and Virginia Harrison taught their children to "aim high, give God most of the credit, suffer disappointments silently, and avoid maliciousness." In high school, she was on the cheerleading squad, was a member of the National Honor Society, was vice-president of the sophomore class, and president of the junior class. A year after graduating high school, Harrison met

Leon Isaac Kennedy Leon Isaac Kennedy (born January 1, 1949) is a retired American actor, disc jockey, film producer and playwright. Kennedy's acting roles include Martel "Too Sweet" Gordone in Jamaa Fanaka's ''Penitentiary (1979 film), Penitentiary'' (1979), ''Pen ...

, a DJ and a struggling writer/actor. They married in 1971.

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

singer/songwriter

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

served as

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

at their wedding. They divorced in 1982. In May 1985, Kennedy married actor Bill Overton in

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

. The wedding was small, and the parents of both Kennedy and Overton attended. The couple has four children: Overton's daughter Cheyenne (b. 1982) and their three daughters Savannah Re (b. November 20, 1985), Kopper Joi (b. May 17, 1989) and Zaire Ollyea (b. September 15, 1995). Kennedy and Overton celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in May 2020.

Career

Kennedy was crowned Miss Ohio USA in 1970, going on to compete in the top ten in Miss USA 1970. In 1971, Kennedy first appeared as a dancer in ''

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by comed ...

'', and performed with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

's Bases Around the World Christmas Tour (Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Spain, and Cuba), which led to three years with "

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'' is a TV Variety show, variety-Television comedy, comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves ...

" as a singer/dancer. Throughout the 1970s, Kennedy played guest roles in such television shows as ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

'', '' Sanford and Son'', and ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired ...

''. She found work in many commercials of the era for such companies as

Foster Grant Foster Grant, or FosterGrant, is an American brand of eyewear founded by Sam Foster in 1919. The Foster Grant brand is a subsidiary company of FGX International, a consumer goods wholesaler with headquarters in Smithfield, Rhode Island, which ha ...

Chrysler Corporation FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...

, and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

. She also played a lead role in the 1977 film ''Big Time'', which featured a soundtrack by the film's producer Smokey Robinson. In 1978, Kennedy replaced anchor Phyllis George on '' The NFL Today'' on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. After a contractual dispute with the network, she went on to host the short-lived ''Speak Up, America'' in 1980. Kennedy won the 1982 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance as Julie Winters in the 1981 film '' Body and Soul'' co-starring then–husband Leon Isaac Kennedy. Kennedy won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for her work hosting the 1982 Rose Bowl. In 1982 she began hosting the syndicated television show ''Greatest Sports Legends'', in which she interviewed such luminaries as

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

and

Johnny Unitas John Constantine Unitas (; May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002) was an American professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Nicknamed "J ...

. During the mid-1980s Kennedy appeared in TV commercials for

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is lis ...

’s Tab soft drink, and for Jovan Musk perfume. Kennedy joined the exercise-video craze of the mid-1980's with the release of her own video "Love Your Body," which was distributed by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video. She advised in the video to " tablish a positive belief in yourself. Learn what your body needs and love it for what it is." In 1990, Kennedy and Bill Overton produced ''The Journey of the African American'', with performances in Atlanta and a 30-week run in Los Angeles. Kennedy has added her support to many charitable causes over the years through appearances and speaking engagements. She co-hosted "The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars" in 1986, which raised $10 million for The United Negro College Fund. Kennedy was a keynote speaker at the Evanston Martin Luther King celebration in 1987. In 1988, she became the national spokesperson for The

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, ...

, which presented annual, nationwide Black Family Reunion Celebration clinics and seminars. She was a speaker at the 12th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner in Columbia, South Carolina in 1990.'' Aiken Standard'', Columbia, SC; May 17, 1990, pg 8A

Selected filmography

Film * 1973: ''

Group Marriage ''Group Marriage'' is a 1972 sex comedy film directed by Stephanie Rothman. It was the first film she made for Dimension Pictures, a company in which she was a minor shareholder with her husband Charles Swartz along with Larry Woolner. Plot Chri ...

'' as Judy * 1975: '' Let's Do It Again'' as Girl at Factory * 1976: '' The Muthers'' as Serena * 1977: ''Big Time'' as Shana Baynes * 1978: '' Death Force'' (aka ''Fighting Mad'') as Maria Russell * 1981: '' Body and Soul'' as Julie Winters ( NAACP Image Award: Best Actress) Television * 1973: '' Ironside'' as Maylene (Season 7, episode 12: "The Last Payment") * 1974: ''

Banacek ''Banacek'' is an American detective television series starring George Peppard that aired on NBC from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating '' NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie'' anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several othe ...

'' as Girl Demonstrator (Season 2, episode 6: "Rocket to Oblivion") * 1974: '' Sanford and Son'' as Brenda (Season 4, episode 5: "There'll Be Some Changes Made") * 1975: ''

'' as Louise (Season 3, episode 4: "The Song and Dance Spy") * 1976: ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner, aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in th ...

'' as Janice (Season 2, episode 21: "Foul on the First Play") * 1977: ''

The New Adventures of Wonder Woman ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' as Carolyn Hamilton (Season 2, episode 5: "Knockout") * 1977: '' Police Woman'' as Cora (Season 4, episode 4: "The Inside Connection") * 1978-1980: '' The NFL Today'' – Reporter (NFL pre-game show) * 1979: '' Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women'' as Chocolate (TV movie) * 1980: ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...

'' as Pat Blake (Season 3, episode 18: "Kidnap") * 1980: '' Circus of the Stars'' #5 (TV special) * 1981: ''

'' as Paula Woods (Season 5, episode 12: "Mitchell and Woods") * 1981: ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' as Kelsey (Season 4, episodes 25 & 26: "This Year's Model/The Model Marriage/Vogue Rogue/Too Clothes for Comfort/Original Sin", Parts 1 & 2) * 1983: ''

'' as Kate Langley (Season 6, episode 20: "The Zinging Valentine/The Very Temporary Secretary/Final Score") * 1983: ''

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which originally aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and ...

'' as Mrs. Jenkins (Season 6, episode 7: "The Moonlighter") * 1984: '' Benson'' as Elizabeth Burnett (Season 6, episode 3: "Let's Get Physical") * 1986: '' Benson'' as Elizabeth Burnett (Season 7, episode 20: "Three on a Mismatch") * 1986: '' 227'' as Betty Mumphrey (Season 2, episode 3: "Washington Affair") * 2024: ''You Are Looking Live!'' as herself, documentary on '' The NFL Today''

References

External links

*
The Legend of Jayne Kennedy ... Nuff
* Jayne Kennedy Overton Website - A Mother Daughter Thin

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Jayne Living people African-American female models 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Washington, D.C. American beauty pageant winners American sports announcers Miss USA 1970s delegates NFL announcers People from Lake County, Ohio American women sports commentators 1951 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people