Sally Field, an Academy, Emmy, and Golden Globe-winning actress, has captivated audiences for decades with her unforgettable roles in films and TV shows like Forrest Gump, Brothers and Sisters, Lincoln, and Steel Magnolias. At 76, Field reflects not only on her storied career but also on the personal challenges that have shaped her life. Her 2018 memoir, In Pieces, offered an unflinching look at her experiences, including sexual abuse by her stepfather and struggles with depression, self-doubt, and loneliness.
The Early Years
Born on November 6, 1946, in Pasadena, California, Sally Field grew up in a family touched by show business. Her mother, Margaret Field, was an actress, while her father, Richard Dryden Field, worked as a salesman. After her parents divorced, her mother married actor and stuntman Jock Mahoney. Sally, her brother Richard, and their half-sister, Princess O’Mahoney, lived in a complex household dynamic.
Field’s career began in 1965 with the titular role in the sitcom Gidget. Though the series was canceled after one season, it marked the start of a long and prolific career. She gained greater visibility starring in The Flying Nun, which ran for three seasons. Field later admitted she struggled during this time, battling depression while navigating a role she disliked. “I just had to put my head down and go to work and do the very best job I could,” she recalled.
Field’s big-screen debut came in 1967 with The Way West. A decade later, her role in Smokey and the Bandit alongside Burt Reynolds catapulted her to stardom. The 1979 drama Norma Rae earned her first Academy Award, followed by a second Oscar for Places in the Heart in 1984. Field’s portrayal of the loving yet strong-willed mother in 1994’s Forrest Gump, a film that won six Oscars, remains one of her most iconic performances.
A Complicated Personal Life
Sally Field’s personal life has been as complex as her career. She married Steven Craig in 1968, and the couple had two sons, Peter and Eli, before divorcing in 1975. Her second marriage to Alan Greisman in 1984 produced a son, Samuel, but ended in 1994.
Field’s romantic relationship with Burt Reynolds, which lasted from 1976 to 1980, was tumultuous. In her memoir, she described Reynolds as controlling and manipulative, revealing how he convinced her to skip the Emmy ceremony where she won for Sybil. The two hadn’t spoken for 30 years before Reynolds’ death in 2018.
In In Pieces, Field also opened up about the abuse she endured from her stepfather, Jock Mahoney, during her teenage years. Her mother, she later discovered, had known about the abuse but chose to believe Mahoney’s false claims that it happened only once while he was drunk. Writing the memoir, Field explained, was her way of understanding her mother and ultimately finding forgiveness. “It was the only way I was going to find the pieces of my mother that I couldn’t put together,” she shared.
A Lasting Legacy
Today, Sally Field treasures time spent with her grandchildren, often playing video games with them in the same room where she keeps her Oscars and Emmys. Despite her illustrious career, Field shows no signs of slowing down. Her recent film Spoiler Alert and her role in the 2023 release 80 for Brady are testaments to her enduring passion for storytelling.
Director Steven Spielberg, who worked with Field on Lincoln, praised her legacy: “As an actor, she dared this town to typecast her, and then simply broke through every dogmatic barrier to find her own way — not to stardom… but to great roles in great films and television. Through her consistently good taste and feisty persistence, she has survived our ever-changing culture, stood the test of time, and earned this singular place in history.”
Sally Field’s journey is a testament to resilience, talent, and the power of authenticity, leaving an indelible mark on both Hollywood and the hearts of her audience.
Aaron Rodgers continues to cling to conspiracy theories and grudges, tainting his Iegacy
Like Pete Rose, Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong, Aaron Rodgers trashes his legacy
Aaron Rodgers continues to cling to conspiracy theories and grudges, tainting the Iegacy of one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks ever.
As shocking as it is to see one of the greatest players of his generation, one of the greatest quarterbacks the game has ever seen, become the subject of late-night punchlines, it’s even more sad.
The epitaph of Aaron Rodgers’ career will no longer be limited to his one Super Bowl title, four NFL MVP awards and countless superlative stats. It will also have to include his descent into conspiracy theories and misinformation, and a baseIess attack on Jimmy Kimmel he tried — badly — to excuse as a misunderstanding.
It wasn’t the “woke establishment” that did this. “The mainstream media” isn’t to blame. This is all Rodgers’ own doing, with heIp from some of his “friends” on The Pat McAfee Show, and he won’t be able to outrun it no matter how many more seasons he plays.
This is the game plan of the media. This is what they do. They try and cancel — and it’s not just me. It’s nowhere near just me,” Rodgers said Tuesday as he tried, unsuccessfully, to extricate himself from the hole he dug by suggesting Kimmel was a pedophiIe who would be linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
This is their game plan, he continued. They use these words to cancel people and they went and ran with this because it’s the crazy, anti-vaxxer whacko again talking about, accusing somebody of being a pedophiIe? Of course. This is the game plan they use. Incorrect, but that’s the environment that we’re in.
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