Jayne Kennedy

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

Jayne Kennedy was born Jayne 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, a DJ and a struggling writer/actor.

Kennedy was crowned Miss Ohio USA in 1970, going on to compete in the top ten in the Miss USA Pageant.

Throughout the 1970s, Kennedy played guest roles in such television shows as The Six Million Dollar Man, Sanford and Son, and Starsky & Hutch.

She found work in many commercials of the era for such companies as Foster Grant, Chrysler Corporation, and McDonald's.

They married in 1971.

Motown singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson served as best man at their wedding.

In 1971, Kennedy first appeared as a dancer in "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," and performed with Bob Hope's Bases Around the World Christmas Tour (Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Spain, and Cuba), which led to three years with "The Dean Martin Show" as a singer/dancer.

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.

After a contractual dispute with the network, she went on to host the short-lived "Speak Up, America" in 1980.

During the mid-1980s Kennedy appeared in TV commercials for The Coca-Cola Company’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 "[e]stablish a positive belief in yourself. Learn what your body needs and love it for what it is."

They divorced in 1982.

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 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 and Johnny Unitas.

In May 1985, Kennedy married actor Bill Overton in Bermuda.

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).

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, which presented annual, nationwide Black Family Reunion Celebration clinics and seminars.

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 was a speaker at the 12th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner in Columbia, South Carolina in 1990.

Film

Television

Kennedy and Overton celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in May 2020.