Remembering Farrah Fawcett (1947-2009)

September 1, 2009

1970

The actress was born on Feb. 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas. It wasn’t until the late ’60s and early ’70s when Fawcett took to acting and began doing commercials — including Wella Balsam shampoo — and TV guest spots.

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1974

Fawcett (here, at the Jim Stacy Benefit in Century City, California, on March 24) wed Lee Majors, star of The Six Million Dollar Man, in 1973, and the couple was married for nine years, although they were separated in 1979.

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1974

The star's wispy hairstyle turned into an international trend, with women sporting a "Farrah Do" or "Farrah Hair."

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1975

Before she became famous, she was voted "Most Beautiful" in high school and went on to join the Delta Delta Delta sorority in college at the University of Texas at Austin.

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1975

The star (here, playing on a skateboard) was a cultural icon of the '70s carefree spirit.

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1976

The model's now-famous swimsuit poster was released in April and went on to sell a still-unrivaled 12 million copies. She refused to wear a bikini -- opting for a red one-piece -- and instead showed off tousled hair and a bright smile.

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1976

She rose to superstardom when the first episode of the TV series Charlie's Angels -- in which she played sporty undercover detective Jill Munroe -- aired on Sept. 22. Fawcett left the show after only one year, but her costars -- Kate Jackson (left) and Jaclyn Smith -- stayed on.

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1978

The star was spotted on Park Avenue in NYC on June 19 with her mom, Pauline.

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1979

The actress, who refused to appear nude in films or magazines throughout her early career (here, in January), caused another stir when she posed for Playboy in 1995 and again in 1997 when she turned 50 years old.

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1982

The actress showcased her sexy style at George Barrie's Humanitarian Award event in L.A. on May 4.

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1986

She won critical acclaim in the off-Broadway stage and movie version of Extremities, in which she played a rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker.

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1987

Since 1982, Fawcett has been romantically linked to her on-again/off-again actor boyfriend, Ryan O'Neal (here, at the 44th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills on Jan. 31).

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1991

The actress gave birth to a son in 1985. Redmond O'Neal (here, at a comedy performance in Hollywood on Dec. 3), now 24, is currently in prison after being convicted of DUI and arrested for possession of narcotics.

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1995

The actress -- who received an Emmy nod for her portrayal of a battered wife in 1984's TV movie The Burning Bed and received two more Emmy nominations for her roles as a predator in the miniseries Small Sacrifices and in 2004's The Guardian -- was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 23.

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2000

Fawcett also starred opposite Richard Gere in the romantic comedy, Dr. T and the Women. She played his wife, Kate, who suffers a nervous breakdown and is commited to the state mental hospital.

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2003

Ryan and Fawcett -- who have been together for 27 years -- danced together at the premiere of Malibu's Most Wanted in L.A. on April 10.

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2003

The actress played a a famous star in Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives: The New Generation, a drama based off the international bestseller about women driven by fame, fortune and lust in a culture that thrives on glitz, glamour and greed.

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2005

Although she is infamously known for her distracted and rambling interview on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1997, the actress had fun with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's late night show on April 26.

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2006

The original Charlie's Angels -- Fawcett, Jackson and Smith -- reunited at the 58th Annual Emmy Awards in L.A. on Aug. 28. They took the stage to pay tribute to the late TV producer Aaron Spelling, who died that June.