Kate Jackson had earlier played a year-long role in the soap opera Dark Shadows in 1970 as "Daphne Harridge" and, from 1972 to 1976, co-starred as "Jill Danko" in The Rookies. From 1976 to 1979, she played the role of Sabrina, "Bri", on Charlie's Angels.

She was usually considered the best of the three original lead actresses, and she was the only one with prior acting qualifications. She was originally offered the role played by Meryl Streep in Kramer vs. Kramer, but due to her role on Charlie's Angels she had to withdraw, something that she has made clear hurt her career. In 1982, Kate did star opposite Michael Ontkean and Harry Hamlin in Making Love, a film considering to be ahead of its time in by sensitively handling the issue of homosexuality.

From 1983 to 1987, she co-starred in the TV series Scarecrow and Mrs. King with Bruce Boxleitner, in which she depicted a suburban mother who became involved with a CIA-like Agency. After that, she played the main role in Baby Boom, a TV version of the original movie starring Diane Keaton, but it only lasted one season. In 1989, she starred in Loverboy playing Patrick Dempsey's mother.

Since then, she has starred in many TV movies and has made occasional guest appareances on TV.

Kate Jackson currently serves as a spokesperson for the Financially Strong America television series

In 1978, she married actor and producer Andrew Stevens and they subsequently divorced in 1980. She then married editor David Greenwald in 1982, but they divorced two years later. Her third marriage was to stuntman Tom Hart in 1991, but they also divorced two years later.

In 2000, she adopted a son, Charles Taylor.

She battled breast cancer twice, in 1987 and 1989, and survived.