Sally Field was a performer.
Sally Margaret Field ( born November 6 , 1946 ) is an American actress and director . Field began her career on television , starring on the sitcoms Gidget ( 1965 -- 66 ) , The Flying Nun ( 1967 -- 70 ) , and The Girl with Something Extra ( 1973 -- 74 ) . She ventured into movies with Smokey and the Bandit ( 1977 ) and later Norma Rae ( 1979 ) , for which she received the Academy Award for Best Actress . From 2006 to 2011 , she portrayed the lead role of Nora Walker on the ABC television drama Brothers & Sisters , for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 .