American national treasure Sally Field, 78, was born in Pasadena, California, on November 6, 1946.
The daughter of actress Margaret Field, Field has always been around the world of entertainment. She has been active as a performer since 1962, and is now a staple part of popular culture, having had roles in countless prominent productions on stage, on the small screen, and on the big screen.
It’s always nice to look back on the lives of beloved stars, so let’s retrace Field’s career highlights, while showcasing seven adorable photographs of her at a Los Angeles party on New Year’s Day, 1958, when she was just 11 years old.
Sally Field’s Early Career
Per IMDb, Field landed her first acting role in 1962, with an uncredited part as a beatnik girl in the sci-fi comedy movie ‘Moon Pilot.’
Other big screen credits during the infancy of her career included the 1967 Western ‘The Way West’ and the 1976 comedy-drama ‘Stay Hungry.’
Getty.Small screen roles in this period included being part of the main casts on sitcoms ‘Gidget,’ ‘The Flying Nun,’ and ‘The Girl with Something Extra,’ and roles on sitcom ‘Hey, Landlord,’ drama ‘Bracken’s World,’ Western ‘Alias Smith and Jones,’ medical drama ‘Marcus Welby, M.D.,’ and anthology series ‘Night Gallery.’
Her first role on stage came during this time, too, as Field played Ann Miller for the Kenley Players theater company in ‘6 Rms Riv Vu.’
Getty.Elevation to Stardom
Field’s inevitable rise to stardom began at this point, as the profile of her roles increased significantly — thanks in no small part to her relationship with superstar Burt Reynolds.
On the big screen, she appeared in movies like 1977’s action comedy ‘Smokey and the Bandit,’ 1978’s black comedy ‘The End,’ 1978’s action comedy ‘Hooper,’ 1979’s drama ‘Norma Rae,’ 1979’s disaster movie ‘Beyond the Poseidon Adventure,’ 1980’s action comedy ‘Smokey and the Bandit II,’ 1981’s rom-com ‘Back Roads,’ 1981’s neo noir thriller ‘Absence of Malice,’ 1982’s rom-com ‘Kiss Me Goodbye,’ 1984 drama ‘Places in the Heart,’ 1987’s comedy ‘Surrender,’ 1988’s comedy-drama ‘Punchline,’ and 1989’s comedy-drama ‘Steel Magnolias.’
For ‘Norma Rae’ and ‘Places in the Heart,’ Field won two Best Actress Academy Awards.
Getty.On television at this point, Field was appearing in shows like variety series ‘Carol Burnett & Company,’ a live broadcast of the stage production ‘All the Way Home,’ and the one-off television special ‘Lily for President?’
Field’s one stage credit during this time was playing Mary in a production of ‘Vanities’ at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre in Jupiter, Florida, which is now known as the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.
The 1990s Was a Decade to Remember for Sally Field
The 1990s was undoubtedly a decade to remember for Sally Field, with some extremely memorable movie credits.
Getty.Field’s notable movies throughout the decade included 1991’s drama ‘Not Without My Daughter,” 1991’s comedy ‘Soapdish,’ 1993’s adventure comedy ‘Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey,’ 1993’s comedy-drama ‘Mrs. Doubtfire,’ 1994’s comedy-drama ‘Forrest Gump,’ and 1996’s psychological thriller ‘Eye for an Eye.’
Her ’90s television roles included the period drama miniseries ‘A Woman of Independent Means,’ sitcom ‘The Larry Sanders Show,’ animated sitcom ‘King of the Hill,’ sitcom ‘Murphy Brown,’ and hosting ‘Saturday Night Live.’
Getty.The New Millennium
Since the turn of the new millennium, Sally Field has gone from strength to strength.
Her movie credits include 2000’s romantic drama ‘Where the Heart Is,’ 2000’s comedy-drama ‘Beautiful’ (which she also directed), 2001’s black comedy ‘Say It Isn’t So,’ 2003’s comedy sequel ‘Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,’ 2012’s superhero movie ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ 2012’s historical biopic ‘Lincoln,’ 2014’s superhero sequel ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2,’ 2015’s coming-of-age rom-com ‘Hello, My Name Is Doris,’ 2017’s supernatural horror comedy ‘Little Evil,’ 2022’s rom-com ‘Spoiler Alert,’ and 2023’s sports comedy ’80 for Brady.’
Getty.Her new millennium television credits include a recurring role in medical drama ‘ER,’ being part of the main cast of legal drama ‘The Court,’ family drama ‘Brothers & Sisters,’ drama series ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere,’ and sports drama series ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,’ and a role in the black comedy miniseries ‘Maniac.’
On stage since 2000, she’s appeared in productions of ‘The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?,’ ‘The Glass Menagerie,’ and ‘All My Sons.’
Getty.Sally Field’s Personal Life
Field has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Steven Craig, who is pictured in one of the images above. Although the couple were married from 1968 to 1975, they actually separated in 1973.
She had the first two of her three children with Craig. They are Peter Craig, a novelist and screenwriter who was born in 1969, and Eli Craig, an actor and director who was born in 1972.
Her second marriage was to Alan Greisman, and the couple were married from 1984 until 1994. They had one son together, Sam, who was born in 1987.
Between her two marriages, Field had a very high profile relationship with the late Burt Reynolds, during which time they co-starred in four movies together. Their relationship lasted from 1976 until 1980, though they continued to date on and off before permanently going their separate ways in 1982.
Field is currently filming a movie called ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures,’ so she’s showing no signs of considering retirement as she approaches 80.
We wish her all the best for the future.
