Sally Margaret Field was born on November 6, 1946, in Pasadena, California, to actress Margaret Field and salesman Richard Dryden Field. Her parents divorced in 1950, and her mother remarried stuntman Jock Mahoney, with whom she had a daughter, Princess O'Mahoney. Sally also has a brother, Richard Field. She attended Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California.
Sally's acting career began in 1965 with the role of Frances Elizabeth 'Gidget' Lawrence in Gidget, which was canceled after one season due to poor ratings. She then starred in The Flying Nun from 1967 to 1970, and appeared in her first film, The Way West, opposite Kirk Douglas, in 1967.
Throughout the 1970s, Sally appeared in numerous TV movies and shows, including Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring, Marriage: Year One, The Girl with Something Extra, and Sybil. In 1977, she starred alongside Burt Reynolds in the box office hit Smokey and the Bandit, which led to a less successful sequel in 1980. In 1979, she starred in the popular film Norma Rae, earning her first Oscar.
In the years that followed, Sally starred in films such as Absence of Malice, Kiss Me Goodbye, Places in the Heart, Murphy's Romance, Punchline, and Steel Magnolias. She received her second Oscar for her role in Places in the Heart.
In the 1990s, Sally starred in films like Mrs. Doubtfire, Forrest Gump, and Where the Heart Is. She also appeared in TV movies and miniseries, including A Woman of Independent Means, Merry Christmas, George Bailey, and From the Earth to the Moon.
In the 2000s, Sally appeared in films like Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde and The Amazing Spider-Man. She also had a recurring role on the TV show ER and played the lead role of Nora Walker on the hit television show Brothers & Sisters from 2006 to 2011, earning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Sally has been married twice, first to Steven Craig from 1968 to 1973, with whom she had two sons, Peter and Eli. Her second marriage was to film producer Alan Greisman from 1984 to 1994, with whom she had one son, Samuel. Between marriages, she was in a relationship with Burt Reynolds from 1976 to 1980.
