Farrah Fawcett was an American obsession, long before the Kardashians reigned supreme and the world fawned over stars like Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, and Jennifer Lawrence. There’s no denying the fact that the ’70s pinup girl and actress was a huge celebrity in her time.
Remembered for her role as Jill in the 1970s TV series Charlie’s Angels, her world-famous swimsuit poster, and, of course, her iconic feathered hair, it’s clear that Fawcett was once the ultimate starlet, admired and loved by people everywhere, as noted by the Los Angeles Times after her death at the age of 62 in 2009, following a battle with cancer.
Despite her meteoric rise to fame, there’s still a lot about Fawcett that many don’t know. We’ve uncovered some little-known details about the star’s colorful and unique life. Curious about Fawcett’s life, from her beginning to her career in the spotlight? Here’s the untold truth of Farrah Fawcett.
Farrah Fawcett was voted “most beautiful” by her high school class… three times
Farrah Fawcett was, without a doubt, a beautiful woman at the height of her fame. It turns out, however, she was known for beauty since childhood. Fawcett’s mother is quoted in Texas Monthly claiming that women would approach her and her young daughter in stores, saying, “She looks like an a-n-g-e-l.“
Fawcett recalled her childhood neighbors coming to gawk at her. “I always felt so self-conscious,” Fawcett told the magazine. “I wanted people not to look at me because so many people kept looking at me.”
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And her good looks continued to wow her peers, especially in high school. NPR reported that Fawcett was voted “Most Beautiful” by her classmates for three years. When she made it to Texas University, she was again voted “Most Beautiful” in her freshman year — a rare occurrence, according to Texas Monthly.
After this honor, she became a mini-celebrity thanks to her beauty, with young men taking weekend trips across Texas just in case they could catch a glimpse of Fawcett. It’s not hard to imagine that the young Fawcett would have racked up an impressive Instagram following if social media had been around then!
Farrah Fawcett was pursued by a Hollywood publicist for years
Thanks to Farrah Fawcett’s already growing fame in college, she was pursued by an A-list Hollywood agent from a relatively young age. According to Texas Monthly, a picture of the renowned beauty made its way to David Mirisch, who was a Los Angeles publicist known for representing Perry Como, Pat Boone, and Omar Sharif (via The San Diego Union-Tribune).
He phoned her at school and tried to convince her to quit the university and move to Hollywood. Fawcett asked Mirisch to phone her father. But Mirisch refused to give up and the calls kept coming.
Fawcett finally accepted Mirisch’s offer as she completed her junior year. She had some photos taken in a Texas park by a photographer for Texas Student Publications. Originally, the move was meant to be temporary so that Fawcett could return for her senior year, but this, of course, never happened.
Farrah Fawcett was the face of a best-selling poster
Farrah Fawcett’s first real brush with fame came when she appeared on a now-iconic poster. In the famous image, a smiling Fawcett is sitting while wearing a red one-piece swimsuit, her long, bouncy blonde hair framing her face. The poster sold millions of copies around the world.
Dwight Bowers, a curator for the Smithsonian, spoke to The Washington Times about the poster, claiming that it came to symbolize the 1970s. As Robert Thompson, professor of television and popular culture, told the Los Angeles Times, “If you were to list 10 images that are evocative of American pop culture, Farrah Fawcett would be one of them.”
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