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Farrah Fawcett proved more than once that she was far more than a mega watt smile and an impressive mane of hair. She will of course be remembered for “Charlie’s Angels” even though she spent only one season as one of the trio of female detectives who took orders from a disembodied voice, but that first season of “Charlie’s Angels” made her an instantly recognizable phenomenon who sold millions of copies of her swimsuit poster.

The actress wanted more and left the show to pursue a film career. The film that was supposed to make that a reality was called Somebody Killed her Husband and instead it nearly killed her budding career. Instead of slinking away she reinvented herself as a serious actress taking on the unglamorous and difficult role of a battered wife in “The Burning Bed”.

If “Charlie’s Angels” made her an instant icon, “The Burning Bed” made her a respected actress forcing critics to acknowledge that there was more to her than meets the eye. The role earned her respect, acclaim and an Emmy nomination in 1984. It also launched her into a series of serious television movies and mini series roles which included playing Diane Downs, a psychopathic child murderer in “Small Sacrifices”,  Barbara Hutton in “Barbara Hutton: Poor Little Rich Girl” and Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld in “Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story”.

During that period in the 1980’s while continuing to tackle difficult subjects on television she took on a new challenge. She took on the role of a brutalized rape victim who strikes back with brutal force at her attacker in the play “Extremities”. Her acclaimed performance was repeated in the film version of the play in 1986.

She would later make appearances in roles in “Spin City”, “Ally McBeal” and “The Guardian”. Her career defied any attempts to typecast her.

She shared her grueling battle against cancer that began when she was diagnosed in 2006.  She was able to celebrate a brief remission but in 2007 the cancer returned. With her longtime companion Ryan O’Neal at her side she fought for her life and didn’t hide her fight from the public. She let the audience in, made them privy to her struggle when she allowed the video diary of her treatment for cancer “Farrah’s Story” to be broadcast on NBC to an audience of  millions of viewers. Her battle has ended but the bravery she showed in talking about anal cancer, a cancer that few knew existed, may well save lives by raising awareness of the disease.

Farrah Fawcett died at St. Johns Health Center in Santa Monica California. She was 62 years old. She’s survived by her father and her son Redmond with Ryan O’Neal.