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Farrah Fawcett in 1975
(©Getty Images) |
By Kati Johnston
Special to MSN Entertainment
February 2, 1947 - June 25, 2009
Farrah Fawcett was a pretty girl with great hair, whose spectacular golden moment came in 1976, with the debut of the megahit "Charlie's Angels" and the simultaneous release of the most popular pinup poster ever. And thus was born the biggest sex symbol of the 1970s.
Fawcett, who died after a long, public and courageous battle with cancer, was 62.
It wasn't really that Fawcett had that "approachable" kind of beauty -- her
genetic gifts were breathtakingly unique -- yet her persona was all
girl-next-door, gorgeousness with a wink right at the camera. Men wanted to be
with her, and women just wanted to have that hair. That she was loved and
admired by both sexes is testament to Fawcett's underlying earthiness and deft
gifts as an actress, as well as her ability to work seamlessly with an ensemble,
if "Charlie's Angels" can be considered a typical "ensemble."
The
Texas-born beauty had gained popularity in TV shampoo commercials in the '70s
and was wed to popular actor Lee Majors, the "Six Million
Dollar Man." Then, in 1976, she was cast as Jill Munroe, one of the three
original "Charlie's Angels."
The series, derided by some critics as a mere "jiggle" show, became an instant sensation. The plots were a bit thin, and the concept was a bit behind the women's liberation movement of the time: The gals would often solve crimes by posing as strippers, bikini models, or, a particular favorite, disco roller champs.
But the cheery good nature projected by Fawcett and her co-stars, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, as well as their confident banter, proved to be a potent formula for prime-time success. They had each other's backs (now that's girl power!), and they always got their men.
As for being a sex symbol, the affable Fawcett once said, "The reason that the all-American boy prefers beauty to brains is that he can see better than he can think."
Fawcett's pinup poster, shot before "Angels," with the photographer reportedly hanging his own Indian blanket as an impromptu backdrop, showed that Fawcett could also work a red one-piece, while effortlessly tossing back the golden layers that would inspire thousands of copycats.
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