Sally Field began her career in television at age nineteen, securing the lead role in the ABC sitcom Gidget. Since that initial exposure in 1965, she has transitioned from a typecast television actor into a recognized dramatic presence in American film, earning two Academy Awards for Best Actress and four Primetime Emmy Awards across a six-decade professional life.
Early Television Career
Field attended Birmingham High School and pursued acting studies at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Following her 1965 debut in Gidget, she starred as Sister Bertrille in The Flying Nun, which aired from 1967 to 1970. During this period, she also explored a brief singing career and recorded an album. After the cancellation of her subsequent series, The Girl with Something Extra, Field sought to distance herself from sitcom archetypes.
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Her portrayal of a woman with dissociative identity disorder in the 1976 television film Sybil secured her first Emmy Award and marked a shift toward dramatic roles. In 1977, she co-starred in the commercial success Smokey and the Bandit. She achieved major industry recognition for her role as a union organizer in the 1979 film Norma Rae, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for the performance.
Academy Recognition and Diverse Roles
Field earned her second Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a widow in the 1984 film Places in the Heart. Her filmography includes appearances in Murphy's Romance, Steel Magnolias, and Mrs. Doubtfire. In 2001, she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the series ER. Her television career continued with a role on the drama Brothers & Sisters, earning her an additional Primetime Emmy Award in 2007.
Professional Honors
Field is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her industry contributions have been recognized with the Crystal Award in 1986 and the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award the same year. Later career honors include the National Medal of Arts in 2014 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019.
Fast facts
- Born: 1946, Pasadena, United States
- Academy Award for Best Actress: 1980
- Academy Award for Best Actress: 1985
- Primetime Emmy Award: 2001, 2007
- Crystal Award: 1986
- National Medal of Arts: 2014
- Kennedy Center Honors: 2019
- Notable film: Mrs. Doubtfire
Questions readers ask
What is Sally Field's citizenship?
She is a citizen of the United States.
What is her primary occupation?
She works as a film actor, stage actor, television actor, screenwriter, director, and singer.
Achievements
- Academy Award for Best Actress — 1985
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series — 2001
- Educated at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
- Worked as film director, singer and voice actor
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