Intimate Portrait: Sally Field on AllMovie

Lifetime's Intimate Portrait: Sally Field profiles the actress who started out playing television's lighthearted Gidget but soon took on weightier roles in Sybil, Norma Rae, and Places in the Heart. The daughter of screen starlet Maggie Mahoney, Field has always been an actress. When her mother married a harsh second husband, acting became a means of escape for young Sally. After achieving teenage success in the sitcom arena, Field felt frustrated. She married a struggling writer, gave birth to two children, became addicted to diet pills, and thought she'd never find peace of mind. In 1974, she set out to reposition herself as a serious artist. It worked. An Emmy and two Oscars later, Field is one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation and the head of her own production company.