Farrah Fawcett became a massive celebrity after her stint on Charlie’s Angels — her signature hairstyle and “pin-up” status only helped boost her fame even further.
At the same time, Fawcett endured difficult periods in her life. She was involved in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against her former employer, and her love life was, at times, notoriously complicated.
In the 1990s, she entered a relationship with actor Ryan O’Neal, which was nothing if not chaotic. The saddest part, however, was that she eventually decided to break up with him after a very shocking discovery.
Here’s everything you need to know about cult actress Farrah Fawcett.
Farrah Fawcett was born on February 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was the second daughter of mother Pauline and father Jim — her mother was a homemaker, while her father worked as an oil field contractor.
Farrah Fawcett – early life
Farrah was actually named Ferrah — an Arabic word for joy — at birth, though she later changed it.
Fawcett would go on to become one of the most striking “golden girls” of her generation.
As reported by Texas Monthly, her mother Pauline recalled that when she carried Farrah into a store, women would stop their carts and say, “She looks like an a-n-g-e-l.” Pauline also said children in the neighborhood would come to their house just to see her.
However, it wasn’t all easy for Farrah. While her mother enjoyed the attention her daughter received, it later became overwhelming.
Farrah was aware of her beauty, but that itself created challenges.
“I always felt so self-conscious,” her mother Pauline recalled her saying. “I wanted people not to look at me because so many people kept looking at me.” Of course, looks aren’t everything, but there’s no denying they became a major part of her life.
Moving to Los Angeles
She was voted “Most Beautiful” by her classmates for three years in a row in high school. Later, after moving to Austin to study at the University of Texas at Austin in 1965, she was again voted “Most Beautiful” during her freshman year.
Fawcett studied microbiology and art at the university. But just a year after enrolling, a new career path began to take shape.
After she was named one of the “Ten Most Beautiful” women at the university, her photo reached Hollywood PR man David Mirisch. He thought she had star potential and contacted her, encouraging her to move to Los Angeles, where he said he could help launch a modeling career.
Mirisch already represented well-known clients such as Perry Como and Patt Boone. While Farrah was still studying, he called to persuade her to leave college and move to Hollywood. Fawcett wanted him to speak to her father, but Mirisch remained persistent.
Finally, after finishing her junior year, she agreed. She had her photo taken in a Texas park by a photographer for Texas Student Publications. Her plan was to go to Los Angeles briefly, see how it felt, and then return for her senior year.
Farrah Fawcett – Charlie’s Angels & legendary poster
As we now know, that never happened.
Fawcett moved to Los Angeles, and soon signed a contract with Screen Gems reportedly worth about $350 a week. She began appearing in commercials for Wela Balsam, Ultra-Brite toothpaste, Max Factor, and Mercury Cougar cars.
Farrah was not only a successful model but also a promising actress. She soon appeared in television commercials and, after multiple modeling jobs — including magazine covers — she began landing acting roles in the mid-1960s.
She initially appeared in TV series such as I Dream of Jeannie, The Partridge Family, and The Flying Nun.
At that time, Farrah was steadily rising toward fame. Then everything changed in 1976, when she became world-famous through two major breakthroughs.
Television producer Aaron Spelling had cast Farrah in the 1975 TV movie Murder on Flight 502. He was highly impressed with her performance.
Afterward, he cast her in a new series called Charlie’s Angels, centered on three female detectives. “We were looking for the California beach-girl type, and Farrah was perfect for that,” he wrote in his 1996 memoir A Prime-Time Life. “She was drop-dead gorgeous and the living image of the beautiful L.A. blonde in tennis shorts or a bathing suit.”
