Jean Smart - People also ask

Q: How old is Jean Smart?

Jean Elizabeth Smart was born on **September 13, 1951**, making her **74 years old** as of August 2026.

Q: How tall is Jean Smart?

She's listed at **5'10" (about 178 cm)**.

Jean Smart is the American actress closing out Hacks' final season with a fifth straight Emmy nomination, putting her within reach of tying the all-time record for most acting Emmys.

By Alexandre Le Hégarat · stats people · Updated August 19, 2026

Who Is Jean Smart?

Jean Smart is an American actress whose career stretches back more than four decades, from Pacific Northwest regional theater and a 1981 Broadway debut to become one of television’s most decorated comedic performers. She first broke through nationally as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on Designing Women (1986-1991), then built a run of acclaimed supporting turns, including two Emmy wins for Frasier and a third for Samantha Who?.

Her career reached a new peak with Hacks, HBO Max’s comedy about a veteran Las Vegas comedian, Deborah Vance, mentoring a young writer. Smart won the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for each of the show’s first four seasons. The show’s fifth and final season, in 2026, earned her a fifth consecutive nomination, putting her one win away from tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman’s record for most acting Emmys by a performer.

Off screen, Smart has spoken openly about the sudden loss of her husband, actor Richard Gilliland, who died of a heart condition in March 2021 after the two met decades earlier on Designing Women. She continues to work steadily in both television and film, based in the Los Angeles area where she has lived for most of her career.

People also ask

Smart is based in the Los Angeles area. Public records show she has owned homes in Los Angeles, including one purchased in 2002 and a second property in Toluca Lake bought in December 2022.

She's American, born in Seattle, Washington, and raised there before studying at the University of Washington.

Jean Elizabeth Smart was born on September 13, 1951, making her 74 years old as of August 2026.

She's listed at 5'10" (about 178 cm).

Yes. Hacks' fifth and final season earned Smart her fifth consecutive Emmy nomination for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and her 15th nomination overall. A win in September 2026 would give her eight acting Emmys, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most ever by a performer. Sources: Deadline, Variety, GoldDerby.

In the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category she's competing against Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback), Elle Fanning (Margo's Got Money Troubles) and Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary). Source: GoldDerby.

Smart was married to actor Richard Gilliland, whom she met on Designing Women, until his sudden death from a heart condition on March 18, 2021, at age 71. They had two sons together. She has spoken candidly in interviews since about the shock of losing him.

Before Hacks, she won three Primetime Emmys: for Frasier (as Lana Gardener, 2000-01, two wins) and for Samantha Who? (as Regina Newley, 2008). She was also a Designing Women regular from 1986 to 1991 and earned a Tony nomination in 2000 for The Man Who Came to Dinner on Broadway.

Public estimates from celebrity finance sites put her net worth in the range of roughly $10-18 million, figures based on decades of TV, film and Broadway work rather than any confirmed disclosure. We can't verify an exact number, so treat any single precise figure as an estimate.