ShelleyHack: Angel Tiff Welles

a closeup of Shelley from a publicity pic

for Charlie's Angels, 1979

Shelley became Angel no. 5 Tiffany "Tiff" Welles in 1979. She was cast because she blended really well with Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd in terms of looks and style - according to Aaron Spelling. Acting-wise, she had enough experience to handle the shows scripts. It was too bad her character was underused. She was given little to say and do at the beginning of the season. The reason, according to inside sources, was that she couldn't act - which is nonsense, because she did fine job on the TV movie Deathcar on the Freeway (check out her scenes with Hal Needham; they're delightful), on her guest stint on the Love Boat and on the filmed for TV play Vanities (for which she received glowing reviews from critics). So before (Death Car), during (Love Boat) and after (Vanities) Charlie's Angels, she came up with good acting performances. Why they said she couldn't act when she was on Charlies Angels is a mystery.

Shelley in a publicity pic for Charlie's Angels, 1979

Last September 21 (of this year), Ultimate Angel-ologist Mike Pingel interviewed Angel Cheryl Ladd for his Charliesangels.com FB page. It was wonderful to watch Cheryl reminisce about her career so far and, of course, about her time as one of Charlie's Angels. Cheryl joined the series in 1977 taking over from Farrah after she left the show; and she stayed until it was cancelled in 1981. So she and Jaclyn have worked with all the Angels.

Shelley with Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd

on the cover of Bolero TV,

an Italian-language magazine

Of course, Cheryl was asked about her thoughts regarding her co-Angels, and this is what she shared about her famous co-cherubs.

on Kate Jackson:

Sabrina Duncan. Really smart. Complicated.

on Farrah Fawcett:

Oh, my god, I worked with her a handful of episodes. She was very professional. But, you know, she had to come and do this. And she was happy to see the other girls that she started with, you know, that started Charlie's Angels. She was really happy to be around them, because they were all close friends. But she really... She had moved on. And she was nothing but-- I thought all-- What was amazing to me was... Whatever was there, all of our scenes, I felt, worked really well together. You know, as sisters that we really cared about each other and... I, as Kris, just worshipped her, just thought she was it, you know. And because we had that within the character, evrybody liked it all the more when she came back, because Kris was so about her sister as well. And I think that worked for everybody.

on Jaclyn Smith:

Just so beautiful you wanted to slap her and... hahaha. Just a lovely, lovely person. She and I got along very, very well and talked about-- She wanted to have a baby, so every time Jordan was on the set, you know, she was playing with her and just said, "Oh, I wanna have a family. I wanna have children so much and..." You know, we talked about that a lot. And she did, she got her two kids and now she's a grandma. And we talk about that all the time - how fun it is to be a grandmother so...

on Shelley Hack:

Shelley, very smart woman and... I just felt like they didn't-- The writers and Aaron, I don't-- I just felt like they didn't help her kind of really create something more solid for her character. It wasn't her fault. She just kind of got words, if you know what I mean. I think she's a terrific actress, obviously. She worked a lot after that which is a good thing, you know. And she's doing unbelievable charitable things now and she's... She's a good lady. (Mike: Her character, they finally found her footing at the end of the season.) Yeah.

on Tanya Roberts:

Tanya, that little wild child. Oh, my god, she was outrageous and wonderful. Everybody liked her. She was such a character. She has such a big personality and... And, obviously, so gorgeous. And, as I said, I just loved that she was on the show, so I could wear fewer bikinis, hahaha. What a bod. Yeah, she was adorable.