Jean Smart's Acting Debut Was In An Obscure TV Movie Starring Patty Duke And Betty White

Jean Smart recently made TV history as the first actor to win an Emmy for every season that their show was on TV. Long before she was the beloved lead of "Hacks," however, her acting career had more humble beginnings. Smart's screen debut was as a character credited only as "Woman Bather" in a 1979 TV movie.

"Before and After" starred Patty Duke, who just a decade before had won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "The Miracle Worker." In the movie, which aired on ABC on October 5, 1979, Duke played a housewife whose husband rejects her because she has gained a little weight. The film follows her efforts to lose a few pounds, with Betty White co-starring as an abusive weight-loss guru. 

"Before and After" has since been all but forgotten by audiences — and that's probably for the best, since it's extremely fatphobic and, at times, verges on outright endorsing eating disorders. That might not have been the intent at the time it was made, but it's an uncomfortable watch through a modern lens, to say the least. Smart, thankfully, comes off pretty clean. She only has a tiny role in the movie, appearing in one of the first scenes as a woman in a pool. It's hard to make out her face, but you can tell it's her voice as she tries to encourage others to get in the water.

Jean Smart quickly graduated to roles that were much more substantial than "Woman Bather." In 1983, she landed her second TV part, playing Joan Reynolds on the one-season ABC sitcom "Reggie," and her breakthrough role came three years after that with the CBS series "Designing Women."

In the decades since "Before and After," Smart has become one of the best actresses on TV, having appeared in shows like "High Society," "Frasier," "The Oblongs," "Kim Possible," "24," "Samantha Who?," "Fargo," "Legion," "Watchmen," "Mare of Easttown," and, of course, "Hacks."

Smart's prolific and acclaimed career on the small screen eventually gave her something in common with Betty White — beyond "Before and After" appearing in both their filmographies, that is. The two actresses appeared in a film together again in the 2003 Steve Martin comedy "Bringing Down the House," but it was Smart's first win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2021 Emmys that put her in a special class alongside the legendary comedian. With that win, Smart became only the second actor to ever win an Emmy in comedy lead, supporting, and guest categories, having taken home two Guest Actor trophies for "Frasier" and a Supporting award for "Samantha Who?" Betty White was the first to have achieved that feat.