08/04/2026
Field gained stardom for her television roles in the ABC sitcoms Gidget (1965–1966) and The Flying Nun (1967–1970). For her dramatic role in Sybil (1976) she earned the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. She gained film stardom for her role in Smokey and the Bandit (1977) before earning two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her portrayals as a union organizer in Norma Rae (1979) and a mother struggling during the Great Depression in Places in the Heart (1984). She also starred in Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Absence of Malice (1981), Murphy's Romance (1985), Steel Magnolias (1989), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and Forrest Gump (1994).
