Farrah Fawcett(1947-2009)
- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Farrah Fawcett is a true Hollywood success story. Born in Texas,
she was the daughter of Pauline Fawcett (Pauline Alice Evans), a homemaker, and
James Fawcett, an oil field
contractor. She was a natural athlete, something that her father
encouraged, and she attended a high school with a strong arts program.
She attended the University of Texas in Austin, graduating with a degree in
Microbiology, but only wanted to be an actress.
Winning a campus beauty contest got her noticed by an agent, who
encouraged her to pursue acting. After graduating, she moved to Los
Angeles and her healthy, all-American blond beauty was immediately
noticed. She quickly got roles in various television commercials for
such products as Ultra-Brite toothpaste, and Wella Balsam shampoo, and
also made appearances in some TV series. In 1968, she met another Southerner, actor
Lee Majors, star of the popular TV
series The Big Valley (1965), on a blind date set up by their publicists. He became very taken with her and also used his own standing to
promote her career. In 1969, she made her film debut in Love Is a Funny Thing (1969). The next year, she appeared in the film
adaptation of the Gore Vidal bestselling novel
Myra Breckinridge (1970). The
shooting was very unpleasant, with much feuding on the set, and Farrah
was embarrassed by the finished film, which was a major failure. But
Farrah was undamaged and continued to win roles. In 1973, she and
Majors married, and the following year, she won a recurring role in the
crime series, Harry O (1973). She had
her first taste of major success when she won a supporting role in the
science fiction film,
Logan's Run (1976). She came to the
attention of the highly successful producer
Aaron Spelling, who was impressed by her
beauty and vivacious personality. That won her a role in the TV series,
Charlie's Angels (1976). She
played a private investigator who works for a wealthy and mysterious
businessman, along with two other glamorous female detectives, played
by Kate Jackson and
Jaclyn Smith. The show immediately
became the most popular series on television, earning record ratings
and a huge audience. All three actresses became very popular, but
Farrah became, by far, the best known. She won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV program in 1977. Her lush, free-wheeling, wavy blond hair also became a phenomenon, with millions of women begging their hairstylists to give them "The Farrah", as her hairstyle was called. Fawcett was also a savvy businesswoman, and she received 10% profit from the proceeds of her famous poster in a red swimsuit. It sold millions and she became the "It Girl" of the 1970s.
Fawcett was America's sweetheart and found herself on every celebrity
magazine and pursued by photographers and fans. While she enjoyed the
success and got along well with her co-stars (both of whom were also of
Southern origin), she found the material lightweight. Also, the long
hours she worked were beginning to take a toll on her marriage to
Majors, who found himself eclipsed by her popularity. So the following
year, when the show was at its peak, she left to pursue a movie career.
Charlie's Angels' producers sued her, and the studios shied away from her, and she lost out on the lead role in the hit feature film Foul Play (1978) to Goldie Hawn. Eventually, she and the Charlie's Angels producers reached a settlement, where she would make guest appearances on the series. As a result of the negative publicity
and some poor script choices, her career briefly hit a slow spot. In
addition, she and Majors separated in 1979. She had starring roles in
Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978),
Sunburn (1979), and
Saturn 3 (1980) (which she did a topless
scene in), but all three failed financially. She appeared in the
Burt Reynolds chase comedy
The Cannonball Run (1981),
which was successful financially, but it was met not only with bad reviews but also with bad publicity when Farrah's stunt double Heidi Von Beltz was involved in a stunt that went horribly wrong and left her a quadriplegic. Farrah's feature film career came to a halt, and she and Majors were drifting apart. In
1981, she met Ryan O'Neal, a friend
of her husband's, and they began became friends and spent a great deal
of time together. He also encouraged her to go back to television and she received good reviews in the well-received miniseries, Murder in Texas (1981). In 1982, she filed for divorce, which Majors readily
agreed to. Soon, she and O'Neal were a couple and moved in together. She set on sights on becoming a serious dramatic actress. She took over for Susan Sarandon in the stage play, "Extremities", where she played a rape victim who turns the tables on her rapist. That, in turn, led her to her major comeback, when she starred in the searing story of a
battered wife in
The Burning Bed (1984),
based on a true story. It garnered a very large audience, and critics
gave her the best reviews she had ever received for her heartfelt
performance. She was nominated for both an Emmy and Golden Globe and also
became involved in helping organizations for battered women. The
following year, she and O'Neal became the parents of a son, Redmond O'Neal. She tried to continue her momentum with a starring role in the feature film adaptation of Extremities (1986), and while she
garnered a Golden Globe nomination, the film, itself, was not a hit.
She continued to seek out serious roles, appearing mainly on
television. She scored success again in
Small Sacrifices (1989),
again based on a true crime. Portraying an unhappy woman who is so
obsessed with the man she loves that she shoots her children to make
herself available and disguises it as a carjacking, Farrah again won
rave reviews and helped draw a large audience, and was nominated for an
Emmy again. Shortly afterwards, she and O'Neal co-starred in
Good Sports (1991), playing a
couple who co-star in a sports news program, but O'Neal's performance
was lambasted and only 9 episodes were aired. In 1995, she surprised
her fans by posing for "Playboy" at the age of 48, it became the
magazine's best-selling issue of that decade.
Her relationship with O'Neal was deteriorating, however, and in 1997,
they broke up. The breakup took a toll, and she posed for Playboy again at the age of 50. To promote it, she appeared on
Late Show with David Letterman (1993)
and gave a rambling interview, sparking rumors of drug use. That same
year, however, she made another comeback in
The Apostle (1997), playing the
neglected wife of a Pentacostal preacher, played by
Robert Duvall. Both stars were praised and
the film became a surprise hit. She also began dating
James Orr, who had directed her earlier in the feature film, Man of the House (1995). An incident occurred between them in 1998, and Farrah suffered injuries. The scandal
drew nationwide headlines, especially after the tabloids published photos of Farrah with her injuries. The authorities compelled Fawcett to testify against Orr in court, and he was found guilty of assault and given a minimum sentence. Embarrassed, she lowered
her profile and her career lost momentum, but she continued to work in
television and films. She and O'Neal also started seeing each other
again, when he was diagnosed with leukemia. The new millennium brought her highs and lows. In 2000, she acted with Richard Gere in Robert Altman's film, Dr. T & the Women (2000). Her son Redmond has had problems with drug abuse and has been in and out of jail. In 2001, she lost her only sister, Diane Fawcett Walls, to cancer. In 2004, she received her third Emmy
nomination for her performance in
The Guardian (2003), and she starred in her own reality show, titled Chasing Farrah (2005), in 2005 along with Ryan O'Neal, but that ended after only 7 episodes. That same year, she was devastated when her beloved mother, Pauline Fawcett, died. In 2006, producer Aaron Spelling died, and she famously reunited with her Charlie's Angels co-stars, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, at the Emmys, in a tribute to him. She looked tan and healthy, but soon, she was diagnosed with anal cancer. She asked her friend Alana Stewart to accompany her and videotape her during her doctor's visits. Those video journals resulted in the documentary Farrah's Story (2009), co-executive produced by Fawcett. It aired in 2009, and viewers were shocked to see Farrah with a shaved head and in a continuous state of pain. Ryan O'Neal and Alana Stewart were constantly by her side, and her Charlie's Angels co-stars, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, also visited her, marking the final time that all three original Angels appeared together on television. The documentary became a ratings success, and it earned a Emmy nomination as Outstanding Nonfiction Special. On June 25, 2009 Farrah lost her battle with cancer and passed away at aged 62. She left the bulk of her estate to her only son Redmond, and her trust fund allowed for the creation of The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, which provides funding for cancer research and prevention.
Alana Stewart is the president of the Foundation and Jaclyn Smith's husband Dr. Brad Allen is one of the Board of Directors. Ryan O'Neal and Farrah's nephew, Greg Walls, are also on the Advisory Board, keeping alive her legacy.
she was the daughter of Pauline Fawcett (Pauline Alice Evans), a homemaker, and
James Fawcett, an oil field
contractor. She was a natural athlete, something that her father
encouraged, and she attended a high school with a strong arts program.
She attended the University of Texas in Austin, graduating with a degree in
Microbiology, but only wanted to be an actress.
Winning a campus beauty contest got her noticed by an agent, who
encouraged her to pursue acting. After graduating, she moved to Los
Angeles and her healthy, all-American blond beauty was immediately
noticed. She quickly got roles in various television commercials for
such products as Ultra-Brite toothpaste, and Wella Balsam shampoo, and
also made appearances in some TV series. In 1968, she met another Southerner, actor
Lee Majors, star of the popular TV
series The Big Valley (1965), on a blind date set up by their publicists. He became very taken with her and also used his own standing to
promote her career. In 1969, she made her film debut in Love Is a Funny Thing (1969). The next year, she appeared in the film
adaptation of the Gore Vidal bestselling novel
Myra Breckinridge (1970). The
shooting was very unpleasant, with much feuding on the set, and Farrah
was embarrassed by the finished film, which was a major failure. But
Farrah was undamaged and continued to win roles. In 1973, she and
Majors married, and the following year, she won a recurring role in the
crime series, Harry O (1973). She had
her first taste of major success when she won a supporting role in the
science fiction film,
Logan's Run (1976). She came to the
attention of the highly successful producer
Aaron Spelling, who was impressed by her
beauty and vivacious personality. That won her a role in the TV series,
Charlie's Angels (1976). She
played a private investigator who works for a wealthy and mysterious
businessman, along with two other glamorous female detectives, played
by Kate Jackson and
Jaclyn Smith. The show immediately
became the most popular series on television, earning record ratings
and a huge audience. All three actresses became very popular, but
Farrah became, by far, the best known. She won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV program in 1977. Her lush, free-wheeling, wavy blond hair also became a phenomenon, with millions of women begging their hairstylists to give them "The Farrah", as her hairstyle was called. Fawcett was also a savvy businesswoman, and she received 10% profit from the proceeds of her famous poster in a red swimsuit. It sold millions and she became the "It Girl" of the 1970s.
Fawcett was America's sweetheart and found herself on every celebrity
magazine and pursued by photographers and fans. While she enjoyed the
success and got along well with her co-stars (both of whom were also of
Southern origin), she found the material lightweight. Also, the long
hours she worked were beginning to take a toll on her marriage to
Majors, who found himself eclipsed by her popularity. So the following
year, when the show was at its peak, she left to pursue a movie career.
Charlie's Angels' producers sued her, and the studios shied away from her, and she lost out on the lead role in the hit feature film Foul Play (1978) to Goldie Hawn. Eventually, she and the Charlie's Angels producers reached a settlement, where she would make guest appearances on the series. As a result of the negative publicity
and some poor script choices, her career briefly hit a slow spot. In
addition, she and Majors separated in 1979. She had starring roles in
Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978),
Sunburn (1979), and
Saturn 3 (1980) (which she did a topless
scene in), but all three failed financially. She appeared in the
Burt Reynolds chase comedy
The Cannonball Run (1981),
which was successful financially, but it was met not only with bad reviews but also with bad publicity when Farrah's stunt double Heidi Von Beltz was involved in a stunt that went horribly wrong and left her a quadriplegic. Farrah's feature film career came to a halt, and she and Majors were drifting apart. In
1981, she met Ryan O'Neal, a friend
of her husband's, and they began became friends and spent a great deal
of time together. He also encouraged her to go back to television and she received good reviews in the well-received miniseries, Murder in Texas (1981). In 1982, she filed for divorce, which Majors readily
agreed to. Soon, she and O'Neal were a couple and moved in together. She set on sights on becoming a serious dramatic actress. She took over for Susan Sarandon in the stage play, "Extremities", where she played a rape victim who turns the tables on her rapist. That, in turn, led her to her major comeback, when she starred in the searing story of a
battered wife in
The Burning Bed (1984),
based on a true story. It garnered a very large audience, and critics
gave her the best reviews she had ever received for her heartfelt
performance. She was nominated for both an Emmy and Golden Globe and also
became involved in helping organizations for battered women. The
following year, she and O'Neal became the parents of a son, Redmond O'Neal. She tried to continue her momentum with a starring role in the feature film adaptation of Extremities (1986), and while she
garnered a Golden Globe nomination, the film, itself, was not a hit.
She continued to seek out serious roles, appearing mainly on
television. She scored success again in
Small Sacrifices (1989),
again based on a true crime. Portraying an unhappy woman who is so
obsessed with the man she loves that she shoots her children to make
herself available and disguises it as a carjacking, Farrah again won
rave reviews and helped draw a large audience, and was nominated for an
Emmy again. Shortly afterwards, she and O'Neal co-starred in
Good Sports (1991), playing a
couple who co-star in a sports news program, but O'Neal's performance
was lambasted and only 9 episodes were aired. In 1995, she surprised
her fans by posing for "Playboy" at the age of 48, it became the
magazine's best-selling issue of that decade.
Her relationship with O'Neal was deteriorating, however, and in 1997,
they broke up. The breakup took a toll, and she posed for Playboy again at the age of 50. To promote it, she appeared on
Late Show with David Letterman (1993)
and gave a rambling interview, sparking rumors of drug use. That same
year, however, she made another comeback in
The Apostle (1997), playing the
neglected wife of a Pentacostal preacher, played by
Robert Duvall. Both stars were praised and
the film became a surprise hit. She also began dating
James Orr, who had directed her earlier in the feature film, Man of the House (1995). An incident occurred between them in 1998, and Farrah suffered injuries. The scandal
drew nationwide headlines, especially after the tabloids published photos of Farrah with her injuries. The authorities compelled Fawcett to testify against Orr in court, and he was found guilty of assault and given a minimum sentence. Embarrassed, she lowered
her profile and her career lost momentum, but she continued to work in
television and films. She and O'Neal also started seeing each other
again, when he was diagnosed with leukemia. The new millennium brought her highs and lows. In 2000, she acted with Richard Gere in Robert Altman's film, Dr. T & the Women (2000). Her son Redmond has had problems with drug abuse and has been in and out of jail. In 2001, she lost her only sister, Diane Fawcett Walls, to cancer. In 2004, she received her third Emmy
nomination for her performance in
The Guardian (2003), and she starred in her own reality show, titled Chasing Farrah (2005), in 2005 along with Ryan O'Neal, but that ended after only 7 episodes. That same year, she was devastated when her beloved mother, Pauline Fawcett, died. In 2006, producer Aaron Spelling died, and she famously reunited with her Charlie's Angels co-stars, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, at the Emmys, in a tribute to him. She looked tan and healthy, but soon, she was diagnosed with anal cancer. She asked her friend Alana Stewart to accompany her and videotape her during her doctor's visits. Those video journals resulted in the documentary Farrah's Story (2009), co-executive produced by Fawcett. It aired in 2009, and viewers were shocked to see Farrah with a shaved head and in a continuous state of pain. Ryan O'Neal and Alana Stewart were constantly by her side, and her Charlie's Angels co-stars, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, also visited her, marking the final time that all three original Angels appeared together on television. The documentary became a ratings success, and it earned a Emmy nomination as Outstanding Nonfiction Special. On June 25, 2009 Farrah lost her battle with cancer and passed away at aged 62. She left the bulk of her estate to her only son Redmond, and her trust fund allowed for the creation of The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, which provides funding for cancer research and prevention.
Alana Stewart is the president of the Foundation and Jaclyn Smith's husband Dr. Brad Allen is one of the Board of Directors. Ryan O'Neal and Farrah's nephew, Greg Walls, are also on the Advisory Board, keeping alive her legacy.
Leading Ladies of the 1980s
Leading Ladies of the 1980s
From Sigourney Weaver to Michelle Pfeiffer, check out some of our favorite leading ladies from the glorious 1980s.