Jayne Kennedy Overton was once named by Coca-Cola USA as the most admired black woman in America and by Ebony Magazine as one of the 20th century’s 20 greatest sex symbols and is the epitome of beauty and admiration. Her face was once insured for a whopping 1 million USD. That should tell you how beautiful she is.
She has been on the covers of prominent magazines such as Ebony, Essence, Jet and was the first black woman to appear on the cover of the prestigious Playboy magazine.
Nevertheless, she is not only a pretty face but also an actress, model, dancer, beauty contest winner, sports presenter, television personality, public speaker, company spokesperson, producer, writer, and philanthropist who has done some pioneering work. Because of her accomplishments, she is considered a living legend and paves the way for African-American women in America.
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Jayne Kennedy Bio, Wiki, Age
She was born on 27 October 1951 as Jayne Harrison (now Jayne Kennedy Overton) in Washington, D.C., as the daughter of parents Virginia and Herbert Harrison.
Jayne Harrison attended Wickliffe High School in Wickliffe, Ohio. As a student at Wickliffe High School, she was elected Senator and later sworn in by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew to the office of Vice President of the American Legion’s Girls Nation Program in Washington.
Jayne Kennedy and Politics
The contact with politics that Jayne Kennedy had during her school years inspired her to think about full-time politics, following one of her role models, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, but that has not quite happened yet.
She also won the Miss Ohio Beauty Pageant in 1970 (the first African-American woman to succeed in this feat), and in the same year she was one of the 10 semi-finalists in the Miss USA Beauty Pageant; this was a remarkable and laudable achievement because at that time it was outrageous for an African-American woman to participate in the Miss USA Pageant or to be among the 10 semi-finalists.
Jayne is also a member of the Zeta Phi Beta Association.
Acting Career
At the age of 20, Jayne moved to California to pursue a career as an actress, and as an actress, she earned a good number of movie credits. She began as a dancer in the NBC television comedy Rowan and in Martin’s Laugh-in.
In 1973 she played the role of Judy in the comedy Group Marriage and also appeared in an episode of the NBC crime TV series Ironside. The following year she appeared in an episode of the television series Banacek and in the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son.
Jayne appeared as a girl in the factory in the action-comedy Let’s Do it Again and in the episode The Song and Dance Spy of the American science fiction television series The Six Million Dollar Man. She played the role of Serena in the 1976 film The Muthers and was to appear in the same year in the NBC television series The Rockford Files.
TV Series
J. Kennedy appeared in the television series Wonder Woman (1977), Chips (1980 and 1981), and the ABC television series The Love Boat (1981). Jayne was cast as Julie Winters alongside her ex-husband Leon Kennedy in the 1981 film Body and Soul and won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress.
She was later to appear in individual episodes of the following television series: Diff’rent Strokes (1983), Benson (1986), and 227 (1986). Unfortunately, Jayne Kennedy was considered for some roles that never materialized; she was to have her own spin-off series to the television series Wonder Woman (1975); she was to be one of the Charlie’s Angels (1976); and she was also to have her own television show, a derivative of the television movie Cover Girls (1977).
Her last appearance on a television show as a guest on TV One’s Way Black When in 2011.
Jayne Kennedy Husband, kids, and family
Jayne was married to Leon Isaac Kennedy, a writer, actor, and DJ, whom she met after high school in 1971. They were considered one of the first black “power couples”.
However, they were divorced in 1982 without children and in 1985 she remarried her actor colleague Bill Overton, with whom she had three wonderful daughters – Savannah Re, Kopper Joi, and Zaire Ollyea. Bill also has a daughter from his previous marriage named Cheyenne. Jayne and Bill have been married for over 30 years and seem really happy together.
Contrary to people’s expectations, Jayne is a very dedicated mother, she is very close to her daughters and spends her time coaching them in football.
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What’s More?
In addition to acting, Jayne Kennedy has hosted critically acclaimed sports shows, including The NFL Today, Greatest Sports Legends (the only woman to ever host the show). She was once a spokesperson for Coca-Cola, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, Esoterica, Revlon, Bankers Systems, and Butterick Patterns.
Jayne has also produced and starred in the Love your Body fitness videos. Unfortunately, Jayne Kennedy retired quite early in the ’90s after being diagnosed with an abdominal disease called endometriosis in the ’80s, and abdominal disease in which the tissue that normally grows inside the uterus grows outside the uterus.
Net worth
Jayne Kennedy’s net worth is estimated at about $2 million, which has been accumulated during most of her active years in show business.
She is known as an active member of the charity Children’s Miracle Network and is expected to support this charity with generous donations.