Jayne Kennedy

Birthday: 27 October 1951, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Birth Name: Jayne Harrison

Height: 178 cm

Jayne Kennedy (born Jane Harrison on October 27, 1951 in Washington, D.C.) is an American actress, model and sportscaster.Jayne was crowned Miss Ohio USA 1970 (she was the first African American woman to win the title), and was one of the 10 semi-finalists in the 1970 Miss USA pageant. It was rare for an African American woman at that time to be in the contest. While starting her modeling career, she met Leon Isaac Kennedy, who was a DJ and a struggling actor/writer. They fell in love and married in 1970. Motown's Smokey Robinson served as best man at the wedding. They moved to California to pursue careers in acting. During the 1970s, she had over 10 notable TV guest appearances, and roles in seven movies. In 1978, she was one of the first women to infiltrate the male-dominated world of sports announcing with a role on The NFL Today.In the early 1980s, she produced exercise videos; however, she was later diagnosed with Endometriosis. She and Kennedy were divorced in 1982; she married actor Bill Overton in 1985. In spite of the prior problem with endometriosis, they have three daughters, Savannah Re (b. Nov. 20, 1985), Kopper Joi (b. May 17, 1989) and Zaire Ollyea (b. Sept. 15, 1995). Show less «

Don't believe everything you hear, and don't take anything for granted. A lot of women have pain, an...Show more »

Don't believe everything you hear, and don't take anything for granted. A lot of women have pain, and they're having total or partial hysterectomies for the wrong reasons. If you have symptoms of pain around your ovaries, have it checked out for endometriosis. Find out if it's endometriosis before you take any steps. Show less «

[In 2001]: In the early '80s I had an exercise video called Love Your Body with music by the Commodo...Show more »

[In 2001]: In the early '80s I had an exercise video called Love Your Body with music by the Commodores, which was third in the market after Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons. I had a contract with Coke for Tab and Diet Coke. We did the tie-in with fitness and diet drinks. Everything was going so well. Then quickly, it got to a point where I couldn't even do a sit-up. The pain was so debilitating." Show less «

[on her diagnosis]: Finally my doctor said, 'I'm going to have you tested for endometriosis. Don't w...Show more »

[on her diagnosis]: Finally my doctor said, 'I'm going to have you tested for endometriosis. Don't worry about it, you probably don't have it but let's run the test anyway. We did an ultrasound and he said, 'Yup, you have it.' That was the first time I heard of endometriosis. Show less «

[on how she felt about reaching her goal]: I feel so much better about myself since I took off the w...Show more »

[on how she felt about reaching her goal]: I feel so much better about myself since I took off the weight, being in shape is so important to feeling good and being healthy.... Right now I'm feeling good about this diet and, most important, I'm feeling good about myself again.. Show less «

I was in pain all the time. Sometimes I would be standing in the kitchen, lift the top off a pot and...Show more »

I was in pain all the time. Sometimes I would be standing in the kitchen, lift the top off a pot and pains came in my stomach. They were not dull aches, they were all sharp pains. It was difficult to walk and certainly almost impossible to exercise. Show less «

[on her contract]: I wasn't psyched to do it because I had tried so many diets and .... I felt that ...Show more »

[on her contract]: I wasn't psyched to do it because I had tried so many diets and .... I felt that no diet works without exercise. Show less «

[on her battle with endometriosis]: I was really lucky. Within two months I was pregnant. The pains ...Show more »

[on her battle with endometriosis]: I was really lucky. Within two months I was pregnant. The pains stopped, and it went away. I was pain-free during the entire pregnancy and while I breast-fed. Two months after I stopped breastfeeding the pain came back. Show less «

[When she recalled playing a model]: When the Halston girls walked onstage, everybody else bowed dow...Show more »

[When she recalled playing a model]: When the Halston girls walked onstage, everybody else bowed down. My career had never really been as a model because, even at my bone-thinnest, I still weighed about 140 pounds. But after that show aired, everyone knew me as a model. There was no way out of it. Show less «

I don't necessarily preach my desires for my kids, but rather I try to live them every day.

I didn't feel that I was a good example to my children because I always taught them how important it...Show more »

I didn't feel that I was a good example to my children because I always taught them how important it is to be in shape, and I didn't feel like I was the best that I could be in my marriage. Show less «

[In 1992]: I had just turned 40 in October and I didn't feel good about myself. I didn't like who I ...Show more »

[In 1992]: I had just turned 40 in October and I didn't feel good about myself. I didn't like who I was anymore. Show less «

Jayne Kennedy

Jayne Kennedy's FILMOGRAPHY

Jayne Kennedy'S roles

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