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An icon of 70s and 80s television, Cheryl Ladd burst onto the scene as Farrah Fawcett's replacement in the second season of Charlie's Angels (1977-81) and has been a mainstay of the entertainment industry ever since. Although Ladd's height of fame would arguably have been throughout the late 70s and early 80s, she's stayed busy, featuring in television and film regularly and always leaving her mark whether she's given a lead role or a supporting part.

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"The quality of films out there depends on how much responsibility we're willing to take. I try to play women who are positive and heroic."

She's With The Band

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Born to waitress Dolores Stoppelmoor and railroad engineer Marion Stoppelmoor in Huron, South Dakota on July 12, 1951, Cheryl, then Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor, had a passion for acting and singing from a young age. She knew the odds were against her, but would put her all into pursuing her goal of building a career in the entertainment industry. "Nobody just said, 'Here, be a star!' I've joked many times that I was a seven-year overnight success."

After graduating from high school, Cheryl chose not to bother with college. Instead, she would get her first taste of the spotlight touring as a singer with the band The Music Shop. A small touring act, the band primarily worked the mid-west music scene and never had any hit singles or top-selling albums, but this experience would help to teach Cheryl the ropes of show business.

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Eventually Ladd would move to Los Angeles in 1970. While stardom would still be years away, her singing voice would land her her first paid gigs in the industry almost immediately. Within a year of arriving in Hollywood, Ladd, then going by the name of Cherie Moor, would provide the singing voice for Melody, of Josie and the Pussycats (1970), and cut her first professional record, singing on the Pussycats' first album. From there she would earn her stripes the same way most actresses do with bit parts on countless television shows, including The Rookies (1972-76), The Partridge Family (1970-74), Police Woman (1974-78) and Happy Days (1974-84).

It would be around this time that Ladd met husband David Ladd in 1973. She would have one child with David, daughter Jordan, in 1975. The couple would ultimately split in 1980, but Ladd would keep the last name, given that most of her fans knew her as Cheryl Ladd, and not Cheryl Stoppelmoor.

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"I was the singing voice of a cartoon character. I did dog food commercials. I did a lot of commercials, actually, and helped pay my rent and my classes. Then I'd get one good line or two good scenes. I was building my career and building my own experience and learning technically what it was like to be on a set and all of those things."

Fortune would land in Ladd's favor in 1977 when Farrah Fawcett would quit the popular TV series Charlie's Angels in order to pursue more work in film. Ladd would be cast as Kris, the younger sister to Fawcett's character, rather than simply filling the same role with a different actress. Over the years the show would see a revolving door of main cast members, but Ladd stayed on board until the show's end in 1981. The role immediately launched Ladd to stardom, and she would perform the National Anthem at the 1980 Super Bowl XIV, as well as release three albums of her own, which would produce the hit singles "Walking in the Rain" (1978) and "Take a Chance" (1981). In 1981 Ladd married music producer Brian Russell, with whom she remains to this day.

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Television Superstar

Cheryl Ladd's first ventures into film would include Purple Hearts (1984), following the romance between a Navy surgeon and Navy nurse in the Vietnam War, contrasting the violence of war with the tenderness of love. More feature roles would follow, including cult sci-fi film Millennium (1989), and thrillers like Poison Ivy (1992), but Ladd was most successful in the television scene. Not that that bothered her in the least. "TV is the place to do the kind of films that were done in the forties and fifties, the little guy against the system. There are so many opportunities in TV to do more character pieces. Everything is so hard-edged in features."

Ladd would frequently feature as a guest on shows like The Muppet Show (1978) and Carol Burnett & Comany (1979), showcasing her natural talent for comedy. She starred in a string of TV films, including the title role of Grace Kelly (1983) and a leading role in Romance on the Orient Express (1985) and would headline the 90s cop drama One West Waikiki (1994-96).

Although Chery Ladd never graduated to "movie star," she has become one of the acting heavyweights of television, featuring on a number of police dramas like NCIS (2011) and CSI: Miami (2009), turning in a memorable performance as Doris Bennett in a season 5 episode of Charmed (2003), and featuring in twenty-nine episodes of Las Vegas (2003-08) as Jillian Deline. Recent high-profile roles include the Mayor of Las Vegas on Ballers (2017) and Tina Harvey in Ray Donovan (2015).

Outside of acting, Ladd is a published author, having written a children's book, The Adventures of Little Nettie Windship (1996), and of course, a book about her true passion in life, Token Chick: A Woman's Guide to Golfing With the Boys (2005), a memoir and love letter to her favorite sport. "Two things I take very seriously in life. My golf game and my relationship with God. Neither one is simple."

Cheryl Ladd may not feature on many movie posters, but she is nevertheless entertainment royalty, bringing something special to every project, whether she's given a whole series or only one scene in which to shine.

"I think life has a way of kicking you in the pants too, but you have to pick up and move ahead, and it certainly helps if you have a good partner in life."