Sally Field

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Lore & Background

Sally Field began her career on television, starring in the ABC sitcoms Gidget (1965–1966) and The Flying Nun (1967–1970). She later earned a Primetime Emmy Award for her dramatic role in the television film Sybil (1976). Field transitioned to film with Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a union organizer in Norma Rae (1979). She won a second Oscar for playing a mother struggling during the Great Depression in Places in the Heart (1984). Field continued to work in film and television, earning additional Emmy Awards for her roles on ER and Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011). She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln (2012) and played Aunt May in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel. On stage, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie. Field was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014, the National Medal of Arts in 2014, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2019, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2023. Her early life included her parents' divorce in 1950, her mother's marriage to actor Jock Mahoney in 1952, and her own experiences as a teenager, including an illegal abortion in Mexico at age seventeen.

Reader's Guide

Sally Field's significance lies in her successful transition from television stardom to acclaimed film roles, earning two Academy Awards for Best Actress. Her performances in Norma Rae (1979) and Places in the Heart (1984) are considered landmarks in American cinema, showcasing her ability to portray strong, complex women. Field also demonstrated versatility across genres, from comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) to historical dramas like Lincoln (2012). Her later television work on ER and Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011) earned her further Emmy recognition, and her stage work earned a Tony nomination. Field's career longevity and range, combined with major industry honors, cement her legacy as a respected and influential figure in entertainment.

Did You Know?

• Field's mother, Margaret Field, was an actress, and her stepfather was actor and stuntman Jock Mahoney.
• She attended Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, where her classmates included financier Michael Milken and talent agent Michael Ovitz.
• Field has stated that when she was seventeen she got an illegal abortion in Mexico, and was molested by a technician during the procedure.
• She won the Best Female Performance Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Norma Rae (1979).
• Field appeared on the cover of the March 1986 issue of Playboy magazine, wearing the classic leotard and bunny-ears outfit, but was not a pictorial subject.