Jaclyn Smith reflects on her first marriage to actor Roger Davis and the painful experiences that eventually led to their divorce.
Jaclyn Smith is opening up about the difficult experiences that shaped her views on love, marriage and relationships, including a painful episode involving her first husband, actor Roger Davis.
In her new memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie, and a PEOPLE cover story, the Charlie’s Angels star reflects on all four of her marriages and the lessons she says she learned from each one.
Among the most striking stories involves Davis, whom Smith married after the two met in 1968. According to Smith’s account, she later discovered that he had been unfaithful with their real estate agent during an encounter that also unexpectedly involved Warren Beatty.
The revelation is one of several deeply personal memories Smith shares as she looks back on her relationships, career and the path that eventually led her to her fourth husband, Brad Allen.
At 80, Smith says she has gained perspective from the highs and lows of her personal life—and that her earlier marriages ultimately taught her when it was time to walk away.
Jaclyn Smith Recalls Her First Marriage to Roger Davis
Before she became internationally known as Kelly Garrett on Charlie’s Angels, Smith was a model and actress trying to establish herself in Hollywood.
She met Davis, who was then known for his role on the ABC soap opera Dark Shadows, at a commercial casting call in 1968.
The connection was immediate, and the couple married within months.
Looking back, Smith says she believed she had found her ideal partner. They shared several interests and similarities, including their Southern backgrounds, careers as actors, appreciation for architecture and similar tastes.
“I really thought it was a match made in heaven,” Smith recalls.
At the time, she believed the similarities between them were a sign that the relationship was meant to last.
But the marriage eventually revealed a side of Davis that Smith says she had not anticipated.
Warren Beatty Entered the Story Unexpectedly
One of the most unusual moments from Smith’s first marriage happened when she was considering an apartment in New York City with Davis.
While walking with a friend to see the property, Smith unexpectedly encountered Warren Beatty.
According to Smith, Beatty approached her and asked her to audition for a film he was working on.
For the young actress, the opportunity could have been significant. But before Smith could respond, Davis appeared and reportedly told Beatty that Smith could not do the film because she only worked in commercials.
Smith later learned that there was much more happening inside the apartment than she initially realized.
According to her account in the memoir, while she was speaking with Beatty, Davis was upstairs with the couple’s real estate agent, whom Smith identifies as Laura.
Smith says she eventually learned that Davis had been sexually involved with the real estate agent at the time.
The story became an especially painful memory because Smith had been deeply invested in the marriage and believed the relationship was solid.
Smith Says the Marriage Ended After She Discovered Another Woman
Smith says the situation eventually reached a breaking point.
She separated from Davis after discovering him with another woman on their fourth wedding anniversary.
For Smith, the experience became a lesson about recognizing when a relationship is no longer healthy.
“I mean, I was pretty naive and in love with love, but there’s a line,” she says.
Smith now looks back on her first two marriages—her relationships with Davis and later Dennis Cole—as experiences that ultimately changed her understanding of love.
She says neither relationship feels like a marriage to her “in my heart of hearts,” although she emphasizes that she learned important lessons from both.
Her reflections suggest that Smith no longer views those failed relationships simply as mistakes. Instead, she sees them as part of the process that helped her understand what she needed from a long-term partner.
Her Second Marriage Also Ended After Infidelity
Smith’s experience with infidelity was not limited to her first marriage.
After her relationship with Davis ended, she went on to marry actor Dennis Cole, whom she met while working on the first season of Charlie’s Angels.
The couple married in 1978, but their relationship eventually faced its own difficulties.
Smith says she discovered Cole had been unfaithful after finding a note in his pocket. According to her account, the note was from his son’s girlfriend.
The actress also recalls that there was jealousy surrounding her rapidly growing career.
As Smith’s profile increased through Charlie’s Angels, the pressures surrounding their relationship apparently became more complicated.
Despite the problems, Smith does not portray Cole as an entirely negative figure.
“He was a nice person,” she says. “It just didn’t work out.”
The marriage ended in divorce in 1981.
Jaclyn Smith Found Something Different in Her Third Marriage
Smith’s third marriage brought a major change to her life.
She met cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond while working on the 1980 film Knightkill. After production ended, the two began dating.
According to Smith, Richmond proposed only a month or two after they started seeing each other, and they married in 1981.
The couple went on to have two children: son Gaston, born in 1982, and daughter Spencer-Margaret, born in 1985.
For Smith, becoming a mother was one of the most meaningful parts of that period.
She says she had never expected to have children, making the arrival of her son and daughter particularly important to her.
“That period in my life was a very beautiful period,” Smith says.
She also remembers Richmond as someone who was devoted to her and with whom she worked well.
However, their marriage eventually encountered a serious problem that Smith says she could not overcome.
Addiction Changed Her Third Marriage
Smith says Richmond struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, ultimately putting a strain on their marriage.
The couple divorced in 1989.
Smith has been candid about why she felt unable to continue the relationship.
“I think it would’ve worked, but I couldn’t cope with the alcohol and drugs,” she says.
For Smith, substance abuse was something she found particularly difficult to live with because of the instability it could create.
Despite their divorce, Smith says Richmond eventually became sober.
She now speaks about him with respect and appears grateful that he was able to overcome his addiction.
“My hat’s off to him,” she says. “He’s doing great. I still respect him.”
Her comments show that, despite the painful end of their marriage, Smith does not view the entire relationship negatively. Their children remain an important connection between them.
Brad Allen Became Smith’s Lasting Love
After three marriages that ended for very different reasons, Smith eventually found the relationship she describes as the one that finally felt right.
She met Brad Allen in 1991 when he helped perform heart surgery on her father.
The meeting eventually developed into a relationship, and the couple married in 1997.
Nearly three decades later, Smith says she finally found the kind of marriage she had always wanted.
She credits Allen not only with being a supportive husband but also with embracing her children.
“I got a great husband, great marriage, and the most fantastic stepfather I could ever dream of,” Smith says.
For Smith, Allen’s relationship with her children has been one of the greatest gifts of their marriage.
She says he loves her children as though they were his own, something she considers especially meaningful.
Jaclyn Smith Says She Finally “Got It Right”
Smith’s reflections on her four marriages give her story a broader perspective.
Her first marriage ended after she says she discovered infidelity. Her second relationship was also affected by unfaithfulness and career-related tension. Her third marriage gave her two children but eventually ended because of addiction.
Her relationship with Allen, however, has lasted since 1997.
That contrast appears to be central to the lessons Smith discusses in her memoir.
Rather than presenting her life as a straightforward romantic journey, she acknowledges that she had to experience difficult relationships before understanding what worked for her.
Smith describes herself as someone who grew up believing strongly in marriage and family.
“I’m a rule-follower from the best family in the whole wide world—no one would think I’d have this many marriages,” she says.
She also acknowledges that the number of marriages may surprise her children, although she believes they understand her choices because they know her personally.
The Lesson Smith Took From Her Early Relationships
Looking back, Smith says her younger self was “naive and in love with love.”
That observation appears to be one of the clearest themes running through her reflections.
The actress entered her first marriage believing that shared interests and similarities would guarantee a lasting relationship. Over time, she learned that compatibility involves much more than liking the same things.
Her experiences with infidelity also appear to have taught her the importance of recognizing when a relationship has crossed a line.
Smith uses a memorable comparison to describe that realization, saying, “When the paint starts to peel, get out, because it doesn’t change.”
The comment reflects the perspective she has gained with age: problems that repeatedly damage a relationship should not necessarily be ignored in the hope that they will disappear.
Smith’s Memoir Looks Beyond Charlie’s Angels
For decades, Smith has been strongly associated with Charlie’s Angels, where she became one of television’s most recognizable stars.
But her new memoir gives readers a much broader view of the woman behind the famous role.
Instead of focusing only on her Hollywood career, Smith discusses personal experiences that shaped her away from the cameras, including marriage, motherhood, addiction, infidelity and finding lasting companionship.
Her story also illustrates how dramatically life can change over several decades.
At 80, Smith is able to look back at relationships that once caused significant pain with considerably more distance.
She does not erase the difficult moments, but she also recognizes the positive things that came from them—including the children she had with Richmond and the lasting partnership she ultimately built with Allen.
A Long Marriage After Three Very Different Experiences
Smith and Allen have now been married since 1997, making their relationship by far her longest marriage.
The actress credits him with giving her the stable family life she had hoped for.
After years of relationships that ended because of infidelity or addiction, Smith appears to have found the consistency she was searching for.
Her story with Allen also demonstrates why Smith’s memories of her earlier marriages are not simply stories about heartbreak.
Each relationship contributed something different to her life, even when the marriage itself did not survive.
Most importantly, Smith says she ultimately found a husband who loves her children and supports the family she built.
For an actress whose personal life has often remained more private than her career, her decision to discuss these experiences now offers a rare look at the lessons behind the public image.
