NAME THE ANGEL ON THE RIGHT! 😇 Bonus points if you can name the co-star beside her 😇 We sadly lost her on this day in 2009, but who is the actress pictured here on the left in a 1977 episode of Charlie’s Angels?

The “angel on the right” is Farrah Fawcett.

And the co-star beside her on the left in that 1977 episode of *Charlie’s Angels* is Kate Jackson.

The clue is especially poignant because Farrah Fawcett died on June 25, 2009, after a highly public battle with cancer. Her death marked the end of an era for millions of television viewers who had grown up with the original Charlie’s Angels and with the image that came to define 1970s popular culture: Farrah’s dazzling smile and famous feathered hair.

The phenomenon that was Charlie’s Angels

When Charlie’s Angels premiered in 1976, television executives hoped it would be a stylish crime drama with a fresh hook: three female private investigators working for the unseen Charlie Townsend.

The original trio consisted of:

Kate Jackson as Sabrina Duncan
Farrah Fawcett as Jill Munroe
Jaclyn Smith as Kelly Garrett

The show became an instant sensation, but it was Farrah who exploded into a level of fame rarely achieved by a television actress.

Why Farrah became the face of the 1970s

Farrah Fawcett possessed a combination of qualities that proved almost irresistible to the camera: athletic beauty, Texas warmth, comic charm, and a kind of effortless radiance that made even casual scenes seem glamorous.

Her 1976 red swimsuit poster became one of the best-selling posters in history, with estimates of more than 12 million copies sold. It was not just a piece of merchandise; it became a cultural artifact.

Suddenly, her hairstyle was being copied in salons across America. Fashion magazines analyzed her look. Teenagers taped her poster to bedroom walls. She became shorthand for 1970s beauty in the same way Marilyn Monroe symbolized the 1950s.

What is remarkable is that this happened after only one season of Charlie’s Angels.

The 1977 episode in the photograph

The image you’re referring to comes from 1977, during the period when the original cast chemistry was at its peak.

Kate Jackson, pictured on the left, was actually the most experienced actress of the trio and had been instrumental in shaping the show’s tone. She brought intelligence, wit, and authority to Sabrina Duncan, often serving as the grounding presence amid the series’ glamorous action.

Farrah, on the right, brought explosive star power. Together, they represented two different but complementary aspects of the show: Jackson’s sharp professionalism and Fawcett’s magnetic charisma.

The departure that shocked television

One of the most surprising moments in television history occurred when Farrah decided to leave Charlie’s Angels after the first season.

At the time, this seemed almost unimaginable. She was the biggest television star in America, and the show was a ratings powerhouse. Contract disputes followed, and the situation became a major entertainment story.

Many critics predicted that leaving such a successful series would damage her career. Instead, Farrah used the opportunity to pursue film and more challenging dramatic roles.

Although she later returned for guest appearances, her brief tenure on the show only enhanced the mythology surrounding her. She became the angel who left at the height of her fame.

More than a pin-up icon

For years, Farrah struggled against the perception that she was merely a glamorous television beauty. What many people overlook is how determined she was to be taken seriously as an actress.

That determination paid off in the 1980s with performances that surprised critics. Her role in The Burning Bed was a turning point.

Playing an abused woman who ultimately fights back against her violent husband, Farrah delivered a raw, emotionally intense performance that earned an Emmy nomination and forced Hollywood to reconsider her abilities.

She followed it with acclaimed work in projects such as:

Extremities
Small Sacrifices
Poor Little Rich Girl

These performances revealed a far more complex actress than the public image suggested.

The friendship and rivalry narrative

The media often tried to create narratives of rivalry among the Charlie’s Angels cast, but the reality was more nuanced.

Kate Jackson was deeply respected by her co-stars and by the production team. She had fought for stronger characterization and resisted reducing the show to pure glamour. Farrah’s departure created professional tensions because it affected the entire production, but over time the cast members generally spoke of one another with affection and appreciation.

The photograph from 1977 captures them before any of that became part of television history—simply two actresses in the middle of a cultural phenomenon.

The final chapter

Farrah Fawcett’s later years were marked by an extraordinarily public battle with anal cancer. Rather than hiding from the cameras, she chose to document much of her treatment and struggle in the 2009 documentary Farrah’s Story.

The film was deeply moving because it showed the same determination that had defined her career. She approached illness with honesty, vulnerability, and remarkable courage.

When she died on June 25, 2009, tributes poured in from across the entertainment world. Many noted the tragic coincidence that her death was partially overshadowed in the news cycle by the death of Michael Jackson later the same day.

Yet Farrah’s cultural legacy has endured independently.

Why she remains unforgettable

What makes Farrah Fawcett different from many television stars of her era is that she became an image recognized even by people who never watched the show.

The feathered hair, the bright smile, the athletic glamour, the red swimsuit poster, and the name “Farrah” itself became part of the cultural vocabulary.

But reducing her to an image misses the second half of her story: the actress who fought for serious roles, earned critical respect, and faced illness with extraordinary bravery.

The answer

So, to solve the clue:

The angel on the right: Farrah Fawcett
The co-star beside her on the left: Kate Jackson
The series: Charlie’s Angels

Photographed in a 1977 episode of *Charlie’s Angels*, the image captures two of television’s most iconic stars at the height of a phenomenon that defined late-1970s pop culture. Farrah Fawcett would become the era’s ultimate screen fantasy, but she also became something more enduring: a performer whose beauty opened the door, whose talent eventually demanded recognition, and whose courage in her final years inspired millions long after the cameras stopped rolling.