Shelley with Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle and Cheryl Ladd
in a 1979 publicity pic for Charlie's Angels
Shelley became Charlie's Angel Tiffany Welles in 1979. After a long search, as well as a mistaken announcement that bond Girl Barbara Bach was the new Angel, Spelling-Goldberg chose Shelley to fill in the spot Kate Jackson vacated in the spring of 1979. Shelley said, "I remember there was a big Angel hunt going on, and they asked me to audition. The hunt seemed to go on for a long time. A lot of my girlfriends went in to be tested, but I wasn't involved until sometime later when my agent called and said, 'It's a terrific show - you really should think about testing.' So, I thought about it again and went in." Aaron Spelling said, "We looked at some very well-known actresses in this town (Hollywood). Most of the girls we saw were gorgeous but they don't have the right bubble and intelligence."
a writeup about Shelley from 1979