Who is Farrah Fawcett

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The 1970s and the Farrah Phenomenon

Farrah Fawcett was one of three actresses hand-picked by uber-producer Aaron Spelling to portray sexy, undercover detectives on the 1976 prime time television hit Charlie's Angels. At the time, there were basically three networks and Farrah Fawcett became a household name within weeks of appearing on the show. It didn't hurt that her husband was Lee Majors, then star of his own popular series, The Six Million Dollar Man. Still ... the Farrah phenomenon was well underway by the time the Charlie's Angels pilot aired, thanks largely to the widespread exposure of her red swimsuit poster.

How did it come about? Prior to the debut of Charlie's Angels, the three lead actresses were asked by producers to pose in bikinis for a series of posters designed to promote the show. Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith politely declined the offer. Farrah Fawcett agreed to posing in a swimsuit, but demanded creative control of the photo shoot and insisted on retaining possession of the resulting photographs. The actress personally selected photographer Bruce McBroom to do the shoot at her southern California home. For the backdrop, McBroom used a striped Indian blanket that was kept on the seat of his '37 Chevy. It was a spontaneous decision, reached when Farrah emerged from her home in the red swimsuit—one of many swimsuits he photographed her in that day.

The now-legendary red swimsuit poster graced the bedroom walls of adolescent boys and male college students throughout the world. Designed and styled by the actress herself, Farrah's Red Swimsuit poster remains the best-selling of all time. Fresh-faced Farrah single-handedly unseated the legendary 1940s pinup queen, Betty Grable, whose million dollar legs were frequently on display in the lockers of G.I.s during World War II.

The influence of the red swimsuit poster on American culture was far reaching. Farrah's Jose Eber-designed tousled hairdo became an instant hit with women who demanded the look from their own stylists. It was even rumored that the word "sex" appeared among her blonde curls.

Farrah Fawcett


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Farrah's Red Swimsuit Poster 

Farrah Fawcett's Red Swimsuit

Designed by Norma Kamali, Now on Display in the Smithsonian

February 2, 2011 would have been Farrah Fawcett's 64th birthday. Her longtime companion, actor Ryan O'Neal, celebrated the occasion at the Smithsonian National Museum of History, where he formally presented the red swimsuit that catapulted the seventies starlet to fame.

Farrah Fawcett wore the swimsuit for a photo shoot with Bruce McBroom, shortly before Charlie's Angels debuted in 1976. The actress was going for a natural look, and acted as her own stylist. Farrah's friend and tennis coach, Nels Van Patten, was present while the photos were being shot, and reported that she did her own hair and makeup without use of a mirror. "She also squeezed a lemon in her hair to get natural highlights."

The actress had always planned to donate her famous red (actually burnt orange) swimsuit to the Smithsonian. "They asked her years ago for the bathing suit," said Ryan O'Neal. "So it was always in her plan."

Farrah Fawcett's nephew, Greg Walls—who inherited his famous aunt's Hollywood memorabilia—also donated her personal collection of Charlie's Angels scripts and a 1977 Farrah Fawcett doll. A copy of the original poster rounds out the display, which will join the museum's popular culture history collection this summer. Other items in the Smithsonian's pop culture collection include Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Archie Bunker's chair from All in the Family, and Fonzie's leather jacket from Happy Days.

Farrah Fawcett Barbie Doll 

Farrah Fawcett Doll

Barbie Collector Farrah Fawcett Doll

Barbie Collector Farrah Fawcett Doll

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Product Features: Inspired by Farrah Fawcett in her world famous classic red bathing suit. Farrah Fawcett doll's body is molded in the pose from the iconic 1976 poster. She wears her iconic red bathing suit and comes with a blanket that is displayed in poster. Doll gives true homage to a true American icon who is, Farrah Fawcett.

Farrah Fawcett by Andy Warhol 

Andy Warhol's Painting of Farrah Fawcett

Bequeathed to the University of Texas, Blanton Museum of Art

A missing Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett was recently spotted hanging above her longtime partner Ryan O'Neal's bed. Andy Warhol created two silkscreen portraits of the actress in 1980, at the peak of her popularity. Andy Warhol, who knew firsthand the fleeting nature of celebrity and coined the phrase "15 minutes of fame," was a personal friend of the pop culture icon. Last summer, an Andy Warhol Polaroid of Farrah Fawcett (shown above) sold for $43,750 at Sotheby's landmark Polaroid Collection.

Farrah Fawcett passed away two years ago, and bequeathed her entire art collection to the University of Texas, where she had once studied art. One of the Warhol prints was delivered to the Austin campus, but the other never showed up. School officials hired a private investigator to find the missing piece, estimated to be worth $30 million.

They needn't have bothered. Alert viewers spotted the painting when an 8-hour reality series debuted on June 19—Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals. During scenes shot at Ryan O'Neal's beachfront Malibu mansion, a camera pan of the actor's bedroom revealed the famous portrait. Both of the Warhol portraits had been seen hanging in Farrah Fawcett's home when the 2009 documentary Farrah's Story was shot in the months prior to her death.

Despite their 30-year relationship, Farrah Fawcett did not include Ryan O'Neal in her will. According to her living trust, all of her artwork was to be given to the University of Texas.

"...artwork and any objects of art shall be distributed...
to the University of Texas..."


Farrah Fawcett was a talented sculptor and serious art collector who owned works by Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy, and René Magritte. The two Andy Warhol portraits are the most valuable pieces in her collection.

Blanton Museum of Art (University of Texas)

Two Portraits of Farrah Fawcett: Andy Warhol and Sculptor Charles Umlauf (Presented by Dr. Ned Rifkin, Professor of Art and Art History)

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Farrah Fawcett

A Few Facts Courtesy of Wikipedia

Farrah Fawcett was an American actress. She was a noted pop culture figure whose hairstyle was emulated by millions of young women, and a sex symbol for millions of young men in the 1970s and 1980s. She went on to become a critically accepted actress, appearing off-Broadway and in acclaimed television movies in challenging (The Burning Bed, Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story, Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, Margaret Bourke-White), and sometimes unsympathetic (Small Sacrifices) roles.

Farrah Fawcett

Farrah Fawcett Trivia

Interesting Facts About Farrah Fawcett

  • Graduated from W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1965
  • Was voted Best Looking by her high school clasmates
  • Appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game in 1965
  • Attended the University of Texas at Austin from 1966 to 1967
  • Earned a degree in Microbiology
  • Married actor Lee Majors in July 1973; the couple divorced in February 1982
  • Lived with actor Ryan O'Neal for 17 years; they remained close friends
  • Their son Redmond O'Neal was born in 1985
  • Was nominated for 3 Emmy and 5 Golden Globe Awards
  • Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 7051 Hollywood Blvd.)
  • A long-time supporter of the Cancer Society, she lost her own battle with cancer of the intestine on June 25, 2009

Fresh-Faced Farrah in the Seventies 

According to Farrah...

God gave women intuition and femininity. Used properly, the combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met.

The reason that the all American boy prefers beauty to brains is that he can see better than he can think.

I am proud of what I have got and I need an audience.

The reason we're not together is over our different views on parenting. For Redmond, living with his dad was like being at Disneyland.

When you do bad things, bad things happen to you.

Farrah Fawcett:

God gave women intuition and femininity. Used properly, the combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met.

The Burning Bed 

Farrah Fawcett Filmography

Farrah Fawcett
  • Myra Breckinridge (1970)
  • The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped (1974)
  • Murder on Flight 502 (1975)
  • Logan's Run (1976)
  • Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978)
  • Sunburn (1979)
  • Saturn 3 (1980)
  • Murder in Texas (1981)
  • The Cannonball Run (1981)
  • Red-Light Sting (1984)
  • The Burning Bed (1984)
  • Between Two Women (1986)
  • Extremities (1986)
  • Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story (1986)
  • Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (1987)
  • See You in the Morning (1989)
  • Margaret Bourke-White (1989)
  • Small Sacrifices (1989)
  • Man of the House (1995)
  • Dalva (1996)
  • The Apostle (1997)
  • The Lovemaster (1997)
  • The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998)
  • Silk Hope (1999)
  • Dr. T and the Women (2000)
  • Baby (2000)
  • The Cookout (2004)

Murder on Flight 502 

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Farrah Fawcett in the News

The Latest News Headlines About Farrah Fawcett

Alan Cumming Slams Christina Aguilera, the Late Farrah Fawcett
"Farrah Fawcett," he finally said. Fawcett, who lost her two-year battle with cancer in June 2009, earned decent reviews for her off-Broadway performance in Extremities. Her official Broadway debut was canceled in late 2003 while still in previews.
Seventies glamour accessories
But if you're not so sure about carrying off a whole look, then inject some accessories into your wardrobe, without the worrying of looking like a Farrah Fawcett throw-back. As part of her latest collection, Babette Wasserman has introduced the ...
Deadmau5, Rihanna Perform at Post-Grammys Charity Concert
Rocking a mini-dress and blonde Farrah Fawcett 'do, she jumped, fist-pumped and maybe even sang her way through ?Where Have You Been? and ?We Found Love.? Calvin Harris, who produced and co-wrote "We Found Love," and two backup vocalists accompanied ...
Valentine's Day; Heartache Comes in Threes, but so Does Love…
There are other stars who have been linked to the cryptic rule, or shall we say curse, of the threes, notably Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon in 2009. Decades ago, the rule of three is alleged to have claimed rock legends Janis Joplin, ...

Farrah Photographed by Chris Gulker 

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Farrah Fawcett ... Always an Angel 

Farrah's Head & Shoulders Commercial

Farrah ... Head & Shoulders Above the Rest

One of director Penny Marshall's first acting jobs was for this Head & Shoulders commercial. She was hired to play a girl with stringy, unattractive hair, and Farrah Fawcett was chosen to play her roommate, a girl with thick, bouncy hair. As the crew was lighting the set, Farrah noticed that Marshall's stand-in wore a sign that read "Homely Girl," while her own stand-in wore one that said "Pretty Girl." Incensed, Farrah crossed out "homely" on the Marshall stand-in placard and wrote "plain." It is also reported that she marched right over to the producer and berated him for his insensitivity.
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Farrah's Ultra Brite Commercial

Farrah Fawcett

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Farrah's Noxzema Commercial

Featuring 'Broadway' Joe Namath

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Charlie's Angels

A Few Facts Courtesy of Wikipedia

Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men. The series was broadcast on the ABC Television Network from 1976 to 1981 and was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. Charlie's Angels was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. In pre-production, the original proposed title was The Alley Cats.

Farrah Fawcett

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Charlie's Angels Theme

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Charlie's Angels 

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Charlie's Angels in the News

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Ladies of Super Bowl commercials
Farrah Fawcett: The Charlie's Angels star made Joe Namath one happy guy in this 1970s Noxema commercial. Watch it here. Candice Michelle: Before there was Danica, Candice Michelle was GoDaddy's girl. Her Super Bowl ad was so racy that Fox refused to ...
Kiss and make-up
We'd cut Samina's hair in a Charlie's Angels-esque style, think the glamorous Farrah Fawcett, but toned down and less feathered. The hair would be parted in the centre with tons of volume, and flicked out at the ends. The style would be textured with ...
In a Post-Bankruptcy World, Hunting the Elusive Saab Bargain
Entertaining my ?Charlie's Angels? and ?Get Smart? fantasies, I coaxed my hair into a Farrah Fawcett tribute, imagined that my right shoe contained a clandestine phone and began to dig. Searches on various car-shopping Web sites for Saab dealers in my ...
'70s: Totally groovy
Farrah Fawcett's feathered 'do was the decade's "it" look for any girl who dreamed of being one of Charlie's Angels. Those who wanted a more girl-next-door look went with the wedge haircut popularized by Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill.

Farrah Fawcett in the Eighties 

Farrah Fawcett

June 25, 2009

Farrah Fawcett has lost her 3-year battle with cancer. The iconic actress, who was 62, died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica at 9:28 a.m. Thursday, June 25. At her side were her longtime love, Ryan O'Neal and her friend Alana Stewart. Farrah chronicled her drawn out and highly publicized struggle with cancer in a two-hour special, Farrah's Story, which aired on NBC. Alana Stewart assisted with the production of the documentary, which began when Farrah brought her camera to a routine follow-up visit with her doctor. Fatefully, it was on that very day she received the devastating news that her cancer had returned.

Charlie's Angels Reunion

August 27, 2006

Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith in a rare joint appearance during the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, while paying tribute to producer Aaron Spelling.

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Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation

The mission of the Prevent Cancer Foundation is cancer prevention and early detection through research, education and community outreach to all populations, including children and the underserved.

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Who is Farrah Fawcett? received a Purple Star on June 25, 2009.
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Who is Farrah Fawcett? was created by Kim Giancaterino on September 3, 2007. This Squidoo page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

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Farrah Fawcett (LIFE Galleries) 

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Farrah Fawcett (LIFE Galleries, 49)

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Remembering Farrah 

People Tribute (Hardcover)

People Tribute Remembering Farrah Fawcett Her Life in Pictures Magazine

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Farrah Fawcett Red Swimsuit Poster 

Rolled and Shipped in a Sturdy Tube

Farrah Fawcett - Red Swimsuit Poster - 1976 - 20 x 28

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