Sally Field, 76, had a big night at the 2023 SAG Awards on Sunday, February 26. The two-time Oscar winner was awarded the SAG Life Achievement Award for her incredible career in Hollywood. Sally got a standing ovation as she accepted the award from her The Amazing Spider-Man co-star Andrew Garfield. In her speech, the Mrs. Doubtfire star reflected on the highs and lows of her career.
Sally explained that her first speaking acting job was when she was 17 years old and didn’t even have an agent. Looking back on when she became a member of SAG after landing a role in Gidget, Sally said, “I remember so clearly putting that little paper card in my wallet. Quietly thrilled to call myself an actor.”
Sally also talked about how acting “was the one place I could be freely me.” Sally said, “When I was off stage, I felt shy and careful and hidden. But on stage, I never knew what I would say or do. I would surprise myself. I wasn’t looking for the applause or attention, even though that’s nice…sometimes. It’s never been about a need to hide myself behind the characters. Acting has always been about finding those precious moments when I find myself dangerously alive. The task has always been getting to that.”
“When I look around this room tonight, I know my fight as hard as it was, was lightweight,” Sally said to her peers in the audience. “I thank you and I applaud you. I know it has not been easy. But easy is overrated.” Sally also said, “There is not a day that I don’t feel quietly thrilled to call myself an actor. Thank you for this great honor from you.”
Sally became the 58th recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award, the highest honor that’s bestowed at the award show every year. Previous recipients include Helen Mirren, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Carol Burnett, Betty White, and more. Sally’s 80 for Brady co-stars Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin have also won the award before.
This isn’t the first major award that Sally’s taken home. She’s won two Oscars, two Golden Globes, three Emmys, and has also been nominated for a Tony Award. Sally’s career began on television with the comedies Gidget and The Flying Nun. She transitioned to film and starred in countless popular movies like Smokey and the Bandit, Kiss Me Goodbye, Steel Magnolia, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Her two Oscars are from her performances in 1979’s Norma Rae and 1984’s Places in the Heart.
Over the years, Sally’s career hasn’t slowed down at all. In the early 2000s, she starred in ER and Brothers & Sisters, the latter of which won her an Emmy Award. In the last decade, Sally’s starred in the films Lincoln, The Amazing Spider-Man, Hello, My Name Is Doris, Spoiler Alert, and most recently, 80 For Brady. Sally Field truly is a national treasure!