Profile: Farrah Fawcett - Charlie's Angel's Golden Girl - Dies of Cancer

If you grew up in America during the 1970s, you grew up with Farrah Fawcett. Her famous poster in a somewhat revealing red swimsuit was everywhere, from Spencer Gifts to high school boy's bedroom walls to college dorms. Girl's like me copied her long, shag hairstyle although no one could do it quite like Farrah whose golden windblown locks always landed in tousled perfection.

Farrah Fawcett - Charlie's Angels

Farrah Fawcett was born in 1947 and she achieved her claim to fame in 1976 playing beautiful private investigator Jill Munroe on the hit TV series, "Charlie's Angels." "Charlie's Angels" ran for five years and was popular around the world. As a girl of that era, I never missed an episode. "Charlie's Angels" were running in a way that caught the male eye way before "Baywatch" capitalized on the idea. Between "Charlie's Angels" bra-less tops and her own sexy poster, Farrah Fawcett became a leading - if not the leading - American sex symbol of the 1970s and into the 1980s. The Farrah Fawcett doll by Mego Corp, inspired by her character on "Charlie's Angels," even became a popular toy of the 1970's and is now prized by collectors like myself who enjoy nostalgic collectibles.

Farrah Fawcett - Serious Actress

However, Farrah strove to overcome her blond bimbo label and went on to garner Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her roles which included serious portrayals such as her gritty 1983 role of an intended rape victim in the off-Broadway stage production of "Extremities," which was very controversial for its time, and her critically acclaimed portrayal of an abuse victim in "The Burning Bed" in 1984. She become a respected actress for her other highly-rated television movies including "Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story," "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story," "Margaret Bourke-White," and "Small Sacrifices." In 1997 Robert Duvall selected Fawcett to play his wife in the indie film, The Apostle, which Duvall produced. Farrah Fawcett earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination as Best Actress for her role in the The Apostle. Farrah Fawcett had indeed established herself as a respected actress. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrah_Fawcett)

Farrah Fawcett - Nude in Playboy

After winning critical acclaim as a successful actress, Farrah made the decision to go in the other direction, doing something she had refused to do as a younger woman. Farrah Fawcett caused a small stir by posing nude for the December 1995 issue of Playboy Magazine, a decision she repeated at age of 50 when she posed nude for a pictorial for the July 1997 issue of Playboy. I guess everyone has a midlife crisis, even a successful, serious actress.

Farrah Fawcett - Lee Majors and Ryan O'Neal

Farrah Fawcett was also known for her marriage to the "Bionic Man," Lee Majors from 1973 to 1982, when they appeared to be television's golden couple. She used the name Farrah Fawcett-Majors during her marriage. Farrah Fawcett had an ongoing off and on romance with actor Ryan O'Neal from 1982 until her death in 2009. On June 22, 2009, a few days before her death, O'Neal announced their plans to finally wed. Sadly, the wedding never occurred unless some private hospital ceremony was performed that no one knows about. They had one son.

Farrah Fawcett - Battles Cancer

Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006. She tried a variety of treatments both in America and abroad, but although on more than one occasion it appeared she was defeating the disease, Farrah Fawcett succombed to cancer on June 25, 2009, at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Farrah Fawcett fought cancer with courage and almost always with dignity, much like she lived her life. Her signature looks from her golden tresses to her Colgate smiled helped define a generation. She will forever remain a Marilyn Monroe-esque icon of the 1970s, a golden girl with perfect hair who captured the hearts of boys and the envy of girls of that generation.

Sources

Personal Memories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrah_Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett doll by Mego Corp - a 1977 tribute to actress Farrah Fawcett

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