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The Life and Death of An Angel
FILMINK remembers the talents of actress Farrah Fawcett after her untimely death last week.
While the world reeled in shock with the news that Michael Jackson, eminent pop performer, had died late last week, far less media attention surrounded the passing of '70s icon Farrah Fawcett. News of her rapid deterioration at the hands of cancer had been dominating entertainment headlines for months, and her final hours, including the last minute marriage to Ryan O'Neal, were covered religiously by gossip columnists.
Yet it's not for her dramatic death that Farrah Fawcett should be remembered. Rather it is for her stellar acting career which spanned over thirty years and saw her nominated for six Golden Globes and three Emmys. Fawcett began her career in commercials, after being discovered by a Hollywood agent when she appeared as one of her college sorority's ‘Ten Most Beautiful Coeds'. She went on to guest roles in television's most popular shows including I Dream of Jeannie, The Flying Nun and The Partridge Family. At this time Fawcett met the actor Lee Majors, who was to become television's Six Million Dollar Man. They married in 1973 and Farrah occasionally appeared on the show over three years. She also began a recurring role in the detective series Harry O, between 1974 and 1976.
However it was in 1976 that she shot to international stardom with Aaron Spelling's TV show Charlie's Angels, about three female detectives who take their orders from a mysterious multi-millionaire. Starring as Jill Munroe, Fawcett became a household name and her style, particularly her sunny blonde locks, were emulated by women around the world. Her fame soon came to overshadow that of her husband and the couple split in 1979.
Though she was only in the series for one season and then sporadically for guest appearances after that, Fawcett remained the most recognisable of the three ‘Angels'. She left the show to pursue a movie career and appeared in the sci-fi cult classics Logan's Run and Saturn 3. Her film career unfortunately never gained the same traction as that of her television work and she returned to the small screen with the telemovie The Burning Bed, a true story about a battered housewife killing her husband. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy for this role, which was shortly followed by her most controversial film, Extremities. As a rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker, Fawcett tapped a previously unseen reservoir of pain and angst, and received a well deserved Golden Globe nomination. Wedged in between these works were a number of far less demanding but still enjoyable performances. Fawcett was all glittery sass and sex appeal in the big star vehicle The Cannonball Run; held her own against the accomplished Jeff Bridges in the quirky black comedy thriller Somebody Killer Her Husband; and was a fine foil for funny man Charles Grodin in the silly but entertaining Sunburn.
Another notable part for Fawcett was in the powerful true crime telemovie, 1989's Small Sacrifices which saw her play a mother who shoots her three children to gain the love of a man. She was again nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe for this role. Her acting career never slowed down after this performance and recurring roles in the television series The Guardian and Spin City meant her face and talent were recognisable to a new generation of TV viewers. Though arguably best remembered for her trademark golden hair and THAT red swimsuit poster, Fawcett was a talented actress whose tragic death at the age of 62 will be marked as the end of one of Hollywood's greatest angels.