Farrah Fawcett is a thespian.
Farrah Fawcett ( born Ferrah Leni Fawcett ; February 2 , 1947 -- June 25 , 2009 ) was an American actress and artist . Fawcett began her career in 1968 in commercials and guest roles on television . She received two Emmy Award nominations for her roles in TV movies , as a battered wife in the 1984 film The Burning Bed and as real-life murderer Diane Downs in the 1989 film Small Sacrifices .