Farrah Fawcett's Real Name: Farrah Leni Fawcett

Quick answer: Farrah Fawcett's full name was Farrah Leni Fawcett. She was born on February 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Farrah Fawcett was her real name; during her marriage to Lee Majors she was credited as Farrah Fawcett-Majors. She became a superstar on Charlie's Angels (1976–77) and later earned acclaim for The Burning Bed (1984). She died on June 25, 2009, in Santa Monica, California (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files her as "Fawcett, Farrah, 1947-2009." It cites "Farrah Leni Fawcett; b. Feb. 2, 1947, Corpus Christi, Tex.; d. June 25, 2009, Santa Monica, Calif." The same citation notes she married Lee Majors in 1973, divorced in 1982, and was "credited as Farrah Fawcett-Majors during her marriage." The record also lists the variants "Fawcett-Majors, Farrah" and "Majors, Farrah Fawcett-," along with an unusual spelling, "Ferreh Leni." Britannica confirms her birth and death dates and places.

Britannica says her career began when she was named one of the 10 most beautiful women on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. A publicist then encouraged her to go to Hollywood.

Career highlights

In Hollywood, Britannica notes, she launched her career with Majors's guidance, working in commercials and guest spots on TV series. A poster of her in a red one-piece bathing suit became iconic, selling some six million copies around the time Charlie's Angels debuted. Her feathered blond hair inspired a style copied by legions of fans in the 1970s. She played a private investigator on the series alongside Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith.

She left Charlie's Angels after one season, in 1977, to pursue more challenging roles. Britannica says success was slow to come until her dramatic turn as a victim of domestic abuse in the TV movie The Burning Bed (1984). She also played a rape survivor in Extremities, first on stage in 1983 and then on film in 1986. She later drew praise for her role opposite Robert Duvall in The Apostle (1997).

Illness and death

After being diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, she chronicled her illness in A Wing & a Prayer: Farrah's Fight for Life (2008) and the TV film Farrah's Story (2009). The latter also portrayed her longtime relationship with actor Ryan O'Neal, with whom she had a son, Redmond. She died on June 25, 2009, at 62.

Name notes for searchers

Farrah was her birth first name, Leni her middle name, and Fawcett her family surname. "Farrah Fawcett-Majors" is the hyphenated credit she used while married to Lee Majors (1973–82); afterward she returned to Farrah Fawcett.