The actress Sally Field celebrates 78 today
With a career spanning over six decades that started in the 1960s TV series Gidget, Sally Field’s film career skyrocketed in the 1980s with performance in the movie “Norma Rae” earning her first Academy Award for Best Actress in her career, followed by a second one for her role in “Places in the Heart”
The actress Sally Field celebrates 78 today
Sally Margaret Field was born on November 6, 1946, in Pasadena, California. Raised by her mother, actress Margaret Field, and her stepfather, actor and stuntman Jock Mahoney, Field grew up in a show-business environment. She discovered her passion for acting early, studying drama in high school before moving into television.
Field’s career began in 1965 with her role as the perky title character in Gidget, a popular television series about a surfing teenager. The show gained her national recognition, and she followed it with another iconic TV role as Sister Bertrille in The Flying Nun (1967-1970). While these early roles solidified her status as a TV sweetheart, Field wanted to break out of these lighthearted roles and establish herself as a serious actress.
This transition occurred in 1976 with Sybil, where she portrayed a young woman with dissociative identity disorder. Her performance was critically acclaimed, earning her an Emmy Award and helping her break into more serious, dramatic roles. Field’s breakthrough in film came soon after, with roles in Smokey and the Bandit (1977) alongside Burt Reynolds, with whom she had a well-publicized relationship.
Field’s film career skyrocketed in the 1980s. Her performance in Norma Rae (1979) as a fierce, determined factory worker fighting for labor rights earned her her first Academy Award for Best Actress. She received her second Oscar for her role in Places in the Heart (1984), famously declaring, “You like me, right now, you like me!” during her acceptance speech. These performances cemented her reputation as one of Hollywood’s most talented and versatile actresses.
Field continued to take on a range of roles through the late 1980s and 1990s, including in beloved films like Steel Magnolias (1989), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and Forrest Gump (1994), where she played the wise, loving mother to Tom Hanks’s character. She also expanded her career behind the camera, directing The Christmas Tree (1996) and Beautiful (2000).
In the 2000s, Field took on more television work, starring in Brothers & Sisters (2006-2011), where she played the strong-willed matriarch Nora Walker. Her performance earned her a second Emmy Award and introduced her to a new generation of viewers. She also received critical acclaim for her role as Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln (2012), directed by Steven Spielberg, earning her an Oscar nomination.
Field remains active in film and television and recently she appeared in Hello, My Name is Doris (2015), where she played an eccentric older woman who develops an unexpected crush.
Field has been married twice, first to Steven Craig, with whom she has two sons, including director Peter Craig. Her second marriage to producer Alan Greisman produced her third son, Samuel. In recent years, she has also been a vocal advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and political activism. With a career spanning over six decades, Sally Field remains widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s finest actresses.
Watch Robert Duvall presenting Sally Field with the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in “Places in the Heart” in 1985
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