Sally Field might be small, but she is mighty. Equal parts cute – as demonstrated from her performances in Gidget and The Flying Nun – and feisty like her Norma Rae character and strong like the characters she played in Steel Magnolias and Places in the Heart. Let’s take a look through the life and career of this effervescent icon of the American cinema to see why we like her… we really like her.

When Field and Joanne Woodward played a patient and psychiatrist in the made-for-television movie, Sybil, it was the first time that many people in the general public had ever heard about multiple personality disorder, but it wasn’t the first time that this rare psychological disorder was the subject of a movie. Joanne Woodward herself played a woman with multiple personalities in The Three Faces of Eve for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 1977, Sally Field starred in the heartwarming film Heroes alongside legends Henry Winkler and Harrison Ford. She played Carol, a woman who was initially unsure of Winkler’s mission to track down the men from his former unit during the Vietnam War. However, she eventually warmed up to the idea and joined him on a wild cross-country adventure. This film was a true showcase of Sally’s acting range, as she expertly navigated the emotional ups and downs of Carol’s journey. From questioning Winkler’s motivations to cheering him on as he reconnected with his former comrades, Sally brought depth and nuance to her role.

A dark comedy, the 1978 film The End, starred boyfriend-girlfriend Burt Reynolds and Sally Field, along with Dom LeLuise, Robby Benson, Kristy Mc Nichol, Carl Reiner, Norman Fell, Joanne Woodward, and Myrna Loy. Field posed for a series of publicity photos ahead of the release of this film wearing a jersey with the number 22 on it. That was Burt Reynolds’ jersey number back when he played football. Many of the pics from this photoshoot crossed the line to cheesecake in nature but Burt Reynolds probably didn’t mind.

After the cancellation of her 1973-1974 television show, The Girl with Something Extra, Field studied with renowned acting teacher Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in hopes of honing her acting chops and preparing for more challenging roles. Strasberg became Field’s mentor. Under his guidance and tutelage, she expanded her skills as a performer, but more importantly, Strasberg helped her move beyond her former image. It took a little while before the studios took notice of her more mature image, but Field finally got her chance to prove her chops.

Sally Field was open about her dislike of Tommy Lee Jones when they co-starred in the 1981 movie, Back Roads, but she announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on January 29, 2013, that several years after working on the picture Jones approached her at an event and offered an apology. He apparently acknowledged that he was difficult to get along with in those days. Field assured DeGeneres that the two had reconciled and got along well when they appeared together in the 2012 movie, Lincoln. Without the tension between them, both Jones and Sally earned Oscar nominations for their supporting roles in the film.

To the tabloid media, Field and Reynolds seemed like a Hollywood power couple, but in Field’s memoir, In Pieces, she provided an inside look at their relationship. Sally, who had been abused as a child and recently divorced, was simultaneously terrified and empowered to have the biggest sex symbol of the 1970s interested in her. But she writes that Reynolds was insecure and jealous. Filled with toxic masculinity, Reynolds belittled Sally’s acting skills, turned controlling, and expected her to take care of him.

Sally Field was already a household name in 1974, thanks to her roles in popular TV shows like Gidget and The Flying Nun. But little did we know that she was about to take her celebrity status to new heights when she appeared on the classic game show Hollywood Squares. Yes, you read that right – Sally Field, the two-time Oscar winner, was playing tic-tac-toe with the one and only Paul Lynde! It’s a little startling to think that the same woman who later brought us unforgettable performances in Norma Rae and Places in the Heart was trading quips with the king of camp on a silly gameshow. But that’s the beauty of the 1970s, when anything was possible and everyone was just a little bit cooler. Who knows – maybe Sally was getting some secret acting tips from Paul! Either way, it’s a fun and quirky moment in the long and illustrious career of one of our favorite stars.

In 1993, Field scored one of the biggest hits of her career alongside the great Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. In the film, Field played Williams’ ex-wife and mother of his children. Desperate to spend time with his own children following his divorce, Williams’ character dresses in drag and is hired as the children’s nanny by Field’s unsuspecting character.
The entire affair sounds super creepy, but through pure charisma alone the film is one of the most charming and memorable movies of the decade. Mrs. Doubtfire was the second highest-grossing movie of 1993. While speaking with News Corp, Field discussed working with Williams while he was at the height of his career in the ’90s; He had endless energy. And he’d want to do take after take after take because every take he would want to do something different… What drove him absolutely crazy is that he could never make me laugh. He would never break me up.

In 1979, Sally Field made her way to the sunny shores of the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of her film Norma Rae. While the film may not have taken home the coveted Palme d’Or, Sally was the real star of the show. She walked away with the prize for Best Actress at the festival, sending shockwaves through the industry and solidifying her place as one of Hollywood’s leading ladies.
This was only the beginning of her award run for the film, as she later went on to win the Academy Award for her standout performance as the titular character. It was a triumphant moment for Sally, who had already proven her versatility as an actress but now was receiving recognition for her powerful dramatic work. While speaking about the film’s response at the festival she said: Cannes was an enormous experience for me, a high point in my life. When the film was over, the lights came on, big searchlights were on Marty Ritt and myself, we stood up, they began to applaud and cheer in a way that Americans don’t do. They clap and they hoot, but this was the legendary ‘bravo’ that just got louder and louder. It went on for about 10 or 15 minutes and I am not exaggerating, so I started to cry, because when I was a child I used to lay in bed and dream about becoming Miss America or being elected President of the United States, and I would stand in front of a mirror literally pretending I was having a standing ovation. I had my act all rehearsed of how I was going to respond, but when it really happened to me the first time in my life, I started to cry and I was shaking all over, and the harder I cried, the louder they clapped, so it was a very emotional moment.

The very petite Field could easily play a younger girl so she was a shoe-in to play a believable boy-crazy, surf-obsessed high school teen in Gidget from 1965 to 1966. Unfortunately, the show wasn’t a big success. The studio cancelled it after the first season. But perhaps their timing was just off. The studio broadcast reruns of the cancelled Gidget over the summer, and the show finally brought it decent ratings. It was a delayed success but the show had already been cancelled so the studio opted not to resurrect it.

What’s so silly about a young, novice nun who uses her new-found ability to fly to solve all of her problems? Everything, according to Field. The actress initially wanted to turn down the role, but her stepfather warned her that if she turned it down more offers for better work were unlikely to come in. Field relented and between 1967 and 1970, she reluctantly played the lead role of Sister Bertrille.

In 1986, Sally Field was at the height of her career. She was a two-time Academy Award winner, a box office sensation, and a beloved Hollywood icon. So, it was only fitting that she would attend the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony for the legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder. The event was a who’s who of the entertainment world, and Sally was right there in the thick of it, rubbing elbows with the likes of Jack Nicholson and many of Wilder’s cohorts. As she watched Wilder receive his well-deserved accolades, one can only imagine the thoughts running through her mind. Was she reflecting on her own incredible journey in the industry? Was she thinking about all of the amazing roles she still had on the horizon? Or was she just really enjoying the free hors d’oeuvres?

Field truly cast off her former ‘girl next door’ image in the 1981 film Back Roads. In this movie, which also starred Tommy Lee Jones, Sally played a bristly, foul-mouthed prostitute turning tricks in Alabama. The movie was only a moderate success and the movie’s director, Martin Riff, blamed this on the ongoing conflict between Sally and Tommy Lee Jones. The two stars reportedly hated each other, and while this can sometimes lead to a certain frisson that viewers feel onscreen that wasn’t really the case in Back Roads. To say that these two had a difficult time working together is an understatement, but it did bring a sense of realism to the duo’s scenes.

Sally Field’s win for Best Actress at the 1979 Academy Awards was a triumphant moment in her career, and one that will go down in history as one of the greatest acceptance speeches of all time. When her name was called, Sally was elated, and she took to the stage with a speech that brought the house down. She managed to thank everyone who had helped her along the way, from her co-stars and producers, to her kids who kept her grounded. But the best part of her speech was when she reminded the audience that before the film Norma Rae went into production, she was told that it couldn’t be done. And there she was, standing on that stage, with an Academy Award in her hand, proving everyone wrong. It was a triumphant moment for Sally and a testament to her talent and perseverance. Her speech was a reminder to us all that anything is possible with hard work and determination. Go Sally!