Born in Pasadena, CA. Dramatic and comic lead who matured from a bubbly TV teenager to a determined everywoman in American films. The daughter of screen actress Margaret Field (later known as Maggie Mahoney), who played leads in B pictures of the late 1940s, and the stepdaughter of actor Jock Mahoney, she attended the Columbia Pictures acting workshop and was selected over 150 other candidates to play the title role in the TV series, "Gidget" (1965-66). Her success led to a starring role in the even more popular series "The Flying Nun" (1967-70). Dissatisfied with being typecast in cute, undemanding parts, she enrolled at the Actors Studio and after three years of training emerged as a competent dramatic actress. In 1977 she won an Emmy® Award for her performance in the four-hour TV movie "Sybil," in which she portrayed a mentally disturbed woman fragmented into 16 personalities. Her motion picture breakthrough came in 1979, when she won the Academy Award and the Best Actress Prize at Cannes for her strong portrayal of a union activist in NORMA RAE. She garnered a second Oscar® for PLACES IN THE HEART (1984), gaining notoriety for one exuberant phrase in her acceptance speech: "You like me, you really like me!" Other notable film credits include SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977), THE END and HOOPER (both 1978), ABSENCE OF MALICE (1981), MURPHY'S ROMANCE (1986), PUNCHLINE (1988), STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1989), NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER and SOAPDISH (both 1991), MRS. DOUBTFIRE (1993), FORREST GUMP (1994), EYE FOR AN EYE (1996), WHERE THE HEART IS (2000), SAY IT ISN'T SO (2001), LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE & BLONDE (2003), TWO WEEKS (2006), and LINCOLN (rumored for 2009 as Mary Todd Lincoln). Her television appearances have included episodes of "From the Earth to the Moon", "The Court", and recurring roles on "ER" and "Brothers & Sisters". With her production company, Fogwood Films, she has branched into producing as well as acting. She directed the TV movie "The Christmas Tree" (1996), an episode in the TV mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) and the feature film BEAUTIFUL (2000). Divorced (1968-73) from screenwriter Steven Craig, she was married to producer Alan Greisman (1982-1993) and was later romantically linked to actor Burt Reynolds.  Actress 1979: NORMA RAE  Actress 1984: PLACES IN THE HEART 2 nominations, 2 Awards