Academy and Emmy Award winning actress Sally Field has been popular in Hollywood for decades. She went from perky teen roles on television to one of the most respected actresses of her generation, portraying iconic roles on the big screen, such as Norma Rae or Mary Todd Lincoln. But despite her success, she has also faced many challenges, all of which she has taken in stride.
Born in California in 1946, she once explained: "I grew up in a show-business family, but we were working-class show business. There was nothing glamorous about it. You had great things one day and the next day, nothing." Her parents divorced when she was 4 years old and her stepfather was a strict disciplinarian, emotionally manipulative and physically abusive. He often fought with Field’s mother and their unstable relationship had significant impacts on their children.
Nevertheless, Field found the strength to achieve. She focused on her extracurricular activities at school and found an outlet for self-expression in acting. "I'd landed in the drama department, and it just kind of saved me," she later said.
After high school, she enrolled in a summer acting workshop at Columbia Studios which helped launch her film and television career. At only 18, she landed the leading role in the television sitcom Gidget, which was based on a popular book and movie.
Throughout her career, she won awards for several of her performances such as in Norma Rae, Places in the Heart, Brothers & Sisters, and Sybil. In the 90s, she got involved in some of the greatest blockbusters of the decade when she teamed with Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire and Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump.
Amid her acting triumphs, however, in 2005 she was diagnosed with osteoporosis. The experience led her to advocate for awareness of the disease as well as its treatments, showing once again her resilience in the face of obstacles.
In her autobiography In Pieces, Field discloses an intense and personal account of her life and career, and her dedication to success and optimism in both. Field has always tried her best to find meaning and joy in everything she does, especially when it comes to work and causes she is passionate about.