Farrah Fawcett

File:FFawcett.jpg

Fawcett as Mary-Ann in Myra Breckinridge (1970)

Farrah Fawcett (born Farrah Leni Fawcett on February 2 1947) is an American actress. She became a noted pop culture figure and legendary sex symbol of the 1970s, then an iconic actress in the 1980s, changing the cultural landscape of how television actresses appeared on film.

Biography

Early life

Fawcett was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas to James William Fawcett and Pauline Alice Evans. She is the second of 2 daughters. Her older sister, Diane, passed away from lung cancer in 1998. As a child, Farrah, displayed a natural athletic ability which her father encouraged. She was raised Roman Catholic. She attended the University of Texas at Austin and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.

Career

In 1976, Fawcett played the character of Jill Munroe for one year in the successful TV series Charlie's Angels. That same year, her swimsuit poster sold a still-unrivaled 12 million copies and she became known for her tousled mane, beautiful smile and enviable figure. As settlement to a lawsuit stemming from her early departure, Fawcett appeared three more times as a guest star in seasons two and three.

Fawcett achieved critical praise and her first of three Emmy Award nominations as a serious actress for her role as a battered wife in the 1984 television movie The Burning Bed. She also won acclaim in the stage and movie version of Extremities, in which she played a rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker. She then played a predatory role in another miniseries, Small Sacrifices, receiving a second Emmy nomination. Her third Emmy nomination came in 2004 for her work in The Guardian. Fawcett has been nominated for several awards including Golden Globe Awards.

Farrah posed in the December 1995 issue of Playboy, which became the best-selling issue of the 1990s, with over 4 million copies sold worldwide. She later posed for the July 1997 issue, which also became a top seller.

Personal life

Fawcett was married to Lee Majors, star of The Six Million Dollar Man, from 1973 to 1982, though the two separated in 1979; during this time, she was known as Farrah Fawcett-Majors. From 1980 to 1997, Fawcett was involved in a committed relationship with her longtime boyfriend, actor Ryan O'Neal; they are still dating, on and off. The relationship produced one child, Redmond, in 1985. In 1998, she was injured by then-boyfriend James Orr when he tried to stop her from vandalizing his house. Days after the incident, Orr was arrested and charged with assault.

In 1997, she received some negative commentary after giving a less-than-coherent interview on The Late Show with David Letterman. It was speculated that her rambling, incoherent manner was the result of drug abuse. Months later, she explained on the Howard Stern Radio show that her rambling was in fact just her way of joking around with the television host. She also insisted that what looked like random looks across the theater was just her looking and reacting to the fans in the audience and that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.

In the first half of 2006, Farrah suffered several personal losses including the death of her beloved mother Polly, agent Jay Bernstein, and mentor Aaron Spelling.

In August 2006, Fawcett took part in the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner, where she appeared to have difficulty telling her jokes, seeming frazzled or incoherent at times. One presenter, Jeffrey Ross asked Betty White to "explain the jokes to Farrah". However it should be noted that the event being a roast may mean that her confusion was simply an act.

Cancer

On October 4, 2006, it was revealed that Fawcett has intestinal cancer, specifically of the bowel and anus, and is undergoing treatment for it, including chemotherapy and surgery. Thus, a possible Charlie's Angels reunion would be put on hold.

TV work

• Chasing Farrah (2005) (miniseries)
• Hollywood Wives: The New Generation (2003)
• Jewel (2001)
• Baby (2000)
• Silk Hope (1999)
• Dalva (1996)
• Children of the Dust (1995)
• The Substitute Wife (1994)
• Criminal Behavior (1992)
• Good Sports (1991) (canceled after 9 episodes)
• Small Sacrifices (1989)
• Margaret Bourke-White (1989)
• Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (1987)
• Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story (1986)
• Between Two Women (1986)
• The Burning Bed (1984)
• The Red-Light Sting (1984)
• Murder in Texas (1981)
• Charlie's Angels (cast member from 1976-1977)
• Murder on Flight 502 (1975)
• Harry O (1974-1976)
• The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped (1974)
• The Great American Beauty Contest (1973)
• Inside O.U.T. (1971)
• The Feminist and the Fuzz (1971)
• Three's a Crowd (1969)

Filmography

• The Cookout (2004)
• Dr. T & the Women (2000)
• The Flunky (2000) (Cameo)
• The Lovemaster (1997) (Cameo)
• The Apostle (1997)
• Man of the House (1995)
• See You in the Morning (1989)
• Extremities (1986)
• The Cannonball Run (1981)
• Saturn 3 (1980)
• Sunburn (1979)
• An Almost Perfect Affair (1979) (Cameo)
• Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978)
• Logan's Run (1976)
• Myra Breckinridge (1970)
• Love Is a Funny Thing (1969)

Trivia

• The hairstyle worn by That '70s Show character Laurie Forman (as originally played by Lisa Robin Kelly) was patterned after that of Farrah Fawcett, who made it famous when she was part of the Charlie's Angels cast.

References

Web sites

• Farrah Fawcett at IMDb
• Top 10 Kick-Ass Divas