Fawcett, Farrah (1947-2009), was an American television and motion-picture actress. Her natural beauty, toothy smile, and cascading blond hairstyle made her a sex symbol in the 1970’s.
Farrah Leni Fawcett was born on Feb. 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas. She entered the University of Texas at Austin in 1965, but she left before completing her degree when she was offered opportunities in Hollywood. Fawcett began working in TV commercials and acting in small roles in TV series in the late 1960’s. She made her motion-picture debut in 1969 with a small part in the French film Un homme qui me plaît (title in the United States, Love is a Funny Thing). She followed this with a film role in Myra Breckinridge (1970).
In 1976, Fawcett posed in a red swimsuit for a poster that sold a record number of copies and brought her international fame. That year, she was cast in the TV series “Charlie’s Angels,” in which she played Jill Munroe, one of a trio of glamorous women detectives. The show became a huge hit, but Fawcett left after one year to pursue more challenging roles.
Fawcett won critical acclaim for a number of her performances. In 1983, she starred in a stage production of Extremities, playing a woman who takes revenge on a man who tried to rape her. She also starred in the 1986 film version of the play. Many critics also praised her performances in the true-crime TV movies The Burning Bed (1984) and Small Sacrifices (1989) and in the motion-picture drama The Apostle (1997).
Fawcett’s other notable films include Logan’s Run (1976), Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978), Saturn 3 (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), and Dr. T and the Women (2000); and the made-for-television movies Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story (1986), Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (1987), and Margaret Bourke-White (1989).
Fawcett was married to the American actor Lee Majors from 1973 to 1982, during which time she was known as Farrah Fawcett-Majors. She had an on-and-off relationship with the American actor Ryan O’Neal from 1982 until her death. In 2009, Fawcett attracted publicity with “Farrah’s Story,” a television special that she partially shot, documenting her battle with cancer. She died on June 25, 2009.
