We Really Like Her!
By Taylor Neumann, ReMIND Magazine
Sally Field was born in Pasadena, California, on Nov. 6, 1946, and is a descendant of Mayflower passenger and colonial governor William Bradford. She launched into television as the surfer girl on Gidget (1965-66). Though the show was originally unsuccessful and was canceled after one season, reruns made it a belated hit, and ABC looked to find a star vehicle for Field. They found it with The Flying Nun (1967-70), with Field starring as Sister Bertrille, a 90 pound nun who can fly thanks to prevailing winds and a stiff habit. It was a silly role for Field, and she resented the demeaning treatment she got from directors.
“I was suffering so badly, I was so depressed and I was 19 and I didn’t want to be playing something called the Flying Nun, I did not want to be dressed as a nun all day long,” Field said in a 2016 interview.
When that show concluded, Field ended up being typecast and found it hard to find good roles. She made a few guest appearances and appeared opposite John Davidson in the short-lived series The Girl With Something Extra (1973-74). After its cancellation, she studied at the Actors Studio, which helped her reclaim her career from simply “the girl next door.”
Soon after studying at the Studio, she starred in the television film Sybil (1976) as a young woman with multiple personality disorder, winning her an Emmy. She followed it up with Smokey and the Bandit (1977), the year’s second highest grossing film, and then Norma Rae (1979), where she played the titular union organizer. This role won her the Oscar for Best Actress, proving once and for all that Field could tackle all manner of characters.
She won another Oscar soon after for Places in the Heart (1984), and is remembered for her acceptance speech (“You like me!”) It was followed up with Murphy’s Romance (1985) and Steel Magnolias in 1989.
The ’90s brought memorable supporting roles in films such as Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994).
She costarred with Natalie Portman in Where the Heart Is (2000) and had a recurring role on ER from 2000-06 as a mother afflicted with bipolar disorder, which won her an Emmy for Guest Actress.
Field joined the series Brothers & Sisters (2006-11) as mother Nora Walker, and won another Emmy — this time for Lead Actress. Afterward, she appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its sequel as Aunt May. She also starred in Lincoln (2012) opposite Daniel Day-Lewis and received Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes and Oscars.
She received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014 and wrote a memoir, In Pieces, which was released in 2018.
Field has been married twice and has three sons. She famously dated Burt Reynolds during the late ’70s and on and off during the early ’80s before breaking up permanently.
Field is also known for her work promoting awareness of osteoporosis, something she was diagnosed with in 2005.
She’s also an advocate for women’s and gay rights.