Cheryl Ladd profile

Cheryl Ladd was actually born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor, in South Dakota. Her urge to perform made itself very clear from an early age, as she started taking dancing and singing lessons when barely out of her toddler years. As she later recalled, "My mother says my bags were packed from the time I was three. She knew I was headed either for New York or Hollywood."

In high school she joined a jazz troupe known as the Music Shop Band, which actually went on tour and wound up in Los Angeles. It was there that Cheryl stayed, determined to break into the entertainment industry one way or another.

No pussycat

Her first big break came when she was talent spotted by a TV company and hired to be a singer for the 70s cartoon series Josie and the Pussycats (made by the people behind Scooby Doo). This led to work with TV advertisements, but the big turning point came when she met her first husband David Ladd – son of the legendary Western star Alan Ladd. David was an established actor, and helped open many more doors for Cheryl.

Coming to the attention of hotshot producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg, Cheryl found herself in some of their notable productions – including the hit cop series The Rookies (in which fellow Angel Kate Jackson also featured). Of course, her most famous Spelling-Goldberg series was yet to come...

Cheryl the Angel

It was in 1977 that Cheryl finally found herself not just famous, but a household name. It happened when Spelling and Goldberg, having already admired her talents in earlier productions, asked her to replace Farrah Fawcett-Majors in Charlie's Angels. Fawcett-Majors had surprised everyone by quitting after only one series, just as the world was going Angels mad, and it was down to Cheryl to help keep the momentum of the show going.

Cheryl knew she had a lot to live up to, but decided to tackle the situation head on by appearing on set the first day wearing a T-shirt which read "Farrah Fawcett Minor"! It helped break the ice with the cast and crew, but she needn't have worried – because the show became even more popular with her on board.

Life after Charlie

Cheryl Ladd's small screen career hasn't stalled since finally hanging up her halo. She's appeared in a variety of productions, including Charmed and, most recently, the glitzy series Las Vegas (alongside Hollywood icon James Caan). She's also almost as famous for her devotion to golf, and even wrote a book called Token Chick: A Woman's Guide to Golfing with the Boys. Oh, and she wrote a children's book (The Adventures of Little Nettie Windship) long before it became the in-thing among celebs.

As well as this, she's also helped her daughter Jordan Ladd in her burgeoning acting career. Jordan is one of Hollywood's bright young things, recently starring in Hostel Part II and Grindhouse (the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez film). Looks like the Ladds will be with us for some time yet.

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