Actress and famous cancer spokesperson Farrah Fawcett was born February 2, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Farrah was famous around the world for her stunning good looks. She was one of America’s best known models in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and she will always be remembered as one of the original Charlie’s Angels.

Farrah was more of a reserved, smart girl in her younger years. She went to high school at W. B. Ray in Texas and was not surprisingly dubbed the most beautiful student for all four years she attended. After graduating in 1965, Farrah planned on studying microbiology and enrolled at The University of Texas.

By a chance meeting, Farrah crossed paths with a celebrity publicist. He convinced her to move out to California and to attempt modeling. Her parents were dead against this at the start, but after relenting, Farrah and her family made the trek to California in the summer of 1968. She landed modeling jobs immediately and was sought after for TV ads.

Farrah met actor Lee Majors that same year and the couple married in 1973 after five years of dating. After appearing in Lee’s hit show, The Six Million Dollar Man, Farrah received an offer to play Jill Monroe in Charlie’s Angels. To promote the show, Farrah modeled a red bathing suit on a poster which sold 12 million copies worldwide.

The enormous sex appeal is what catapulted Farrah into the mainstream. After some trouble with Charlie’s Angels creator Aaron Spelling, Fawcett left the show and didn’t return to acting full time again until Logan’s Run in 1976. The blonde bombshell continued to act in mildly successful movies throughout the 1980s and 90s.

In 1995, a 48-year-old Fawcett appeared topless for the first time in an issue of Playboy. It was one of the biggest-selling issues ever. She would appear in the magazine again two years later, and continue to act in various films and television shows.

Farrah had started a relationship with Ryan O’Neal after divorcing Lee Majors, but the 15 year partnership fizzled and Fawcett began dating director James Orr. In 1998, after Orr was arrested for attacking Fawcett, she and O’Neal began to date again. After a long layoff from acting, Fawcett appeared in 2000’s Dr. T and the Women.

In 2006, Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer, which she would beat by 2007. However, less than a year later, the cancer returned. She went to Germany for experimental treatments, but ultimately lost her bout with cancer on June 25, 2009. Fawcett documented her bout with cancer to show the world her struggles.

Recently, on March 7, 2010, the Oscar Award show ran a montage of celebrities who had recently died. Other actors such as Patrick Swayze, David Carradine and Brittany Murphy were honored, but Fawcett was notably absent. This has created some stirring controversy, and many in the Hollywood community are upset over the snubbing.