Whatever Happened to Ann Jillian, Star of ‘It’s a Living’ and ‘Jennifer Slept Here’?

Dave Sundstrom Yesterday, 3:10 pm

Ann Jillian It's a Living — Everett Collection

The first time I saw Ann Jillian on TV, she was playing super-sassy waitress Cassie on the ABC sitcom It’s a Living. But while this was my first exposure to Ann, she’d been in the entertainment business since she was just a young girl, appearing in movies like Disney’s Babes in Toyland and Gypsy with Natalie Wood.

ph: Jim Britt / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection

But It’s a Living is where Ann caught my eye. Although she was great on that show, ABC canceled it in 1982 after just two seasons, which gave her the chance to jump networks and join Jennifer Slept Here over at NBC.

On that show, which debuted in 1983, Ann played a famous movie star who was dead and, for a variety of reasons, did not want to leave her prior life or her Beverly Hills mansion behind. Fourteen-year-old Joey, played by John P. Navin Jr., and his family showed up, and Jennifer realized heaven can wait because this family really needs her help — even if she was a ghost.

JENNIFER SLEPT HERE, John P. Navin Jr., Ann Jillian, 1983-84,

©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Although I really enjoyed this show, sadly, it was not a hit, which allowed Ann to rejoin It’s a Living as Cassie when it returned to the airwaves in 1985 for its third season — this time, as a first-run syndicated program. Around the same time, she also released her first full-length album, which was a collection of songs written by Steve Allen.

The same year she rejoined It’s A Living, Ann disclosed publicly that she had breast cancer, at only 35 years old. For that reason, Ann’s appearances during season three of It’s a Living were significantly reduced, and ultimately she chose not to return for the show’s fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. Her story was later chronicled in the 1988 NBC television movie The Ann Jillian Story, in which she co-starred along with Tony Lo Bianco.

Ann Jillian, Tony Lo Bianco, THE ANN JILLIAN STORY

Here’s what Ann told journalist Kenneth R. Clark in 1988 about playing herself in that movie: “It was the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do in my life. As an actress, I had to dig it all out again. But I had to play the role.”

You know, I really like this lady. She’s been married to the same feller for almost 50 years. And no, she didn’t find her husband while working with him on a TV show or in a movie; instead, Andy Murcia was a veteran police officer. Even after marrying Ann, Andy didn’t immediately put away his badge and hang up his holster. Instead, Andy chose to serve and protect for a few more years before becoming his wife’s full-time business manager.

Everett Collection

During the nineties, Ann purposefully pulled back from acting because she wanted to be a hands-on mom to her son. Because of that, she hasn’t been on TV or in movies for well over two decades. What was her last role? It was 25 years ago on Walker, Texas Ranger during that show’s ninth and final season.

Throughout her career, Ann has always tried to give back. Early on, she would travel with Bob Hope and entertain U.S. servicemen and women who were far away from family and friends. For obvious reasons, Ann is also passionate about supporting the American Cancer Society, and she has also given of herself to help support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Quite frankly, I find it inspiring when, after doing my research to write one of these articles, I learn just how giving a celebrity can be. And Ann Jillian, my friends, is about as inspiring as they come.