Sally Field winning Best Actress for "Norma Rae"

Richard Dreyfuss presenting Sally Field with the Best Actress Oscar® for her performance in "Norma Rae" at the 52nd Annual Academy Awards® in 1980.

[@adagiobreeze8493]

I never realized how iconic this woman is, she played Norma Rae, Momma Gump, The Flying Nun and Lady Lincoln

[@musicaltheatergeek79]

In the gay community, her *Celeste Talbert* ("Soapdish") and *M'Lynn Eatenton* ("Steel Magnolias") are very iconic and quotable!

[@jamesmonroe7751]

I knew. Joanne Woodward knew. Burt Reynolds knew. She was the it girl. The Jennifer Lawrence of her generation. I always liked Sally. She's America's sweetheart who won the Oscar. She deserved it. When she put up that organize sign I knew she was on her way!

[@gb4478]

And Sybil!

[@crobeastness]

@@jamesmonroe7751 wish you didn't compare her to Jennifer lawerance. only actresses I cannot stand. she is one of them. so repulsively fake and crass

[@jimkrizman2015]

Talent Actress

[@adagiobreeze8493]

It’s crazy how Sally Field has given all her characters an eternal life. It’s almost as if Gidget, Norma Rae, Mama Gump and Mary Todd Lincoln were playing Sally Field.

[@charbokh]

Sybill too

[@estherlara6475]

The most sincere speech ever. What a legend. I love her movies.

[@bigtux11]

I loved Sally's performance as Norma. She portrayed Norma Rae as a woman who was hampered by circumstance, economy and unequal social views, but was so determined to turn her life around that when the opportunity presented itself she shed everything to see it through. A loyal, kind, ballsy woman and a role that probably helped inspire the performances by Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep in similar films like Erin Brockovich and Silkwood. She was every bit deserving.

[@debram8741]

ONE OF THE BEST ACTRESSES OF ALL TIME!

[@horsewomn]

I love Richard Dreyfus

[@dimitroulak.5295]

Absolutely!

[@mathiaslopez5862]

@@horsewomn meryl street?

[@horsewomn]

@@mathiaslopez5862 yes she rocks, and Sally does too.

[@horsewomn]

@@mathiaslopez5862 I meant Streep.

[@cuzitsnecessary]

How can one go wrong with Sally Field. One of my favorite actresses ever.

[@reneehurt387]

Ms field I thank you personally for your unforgettable performance. Your work has inspired me to survive a toxic environment. I am still standing. Thank you

[@briansky10]

Sally, you certainly deserve that Oscar! Norma Rae was a gift to you, and your performance is a gift to the world, including yourself I hope. Congratulations!

[@MJLOVEnow]

What a line up of iconic actresses! I’d forgotten how amazing the nominees all were that year. And Richard Dreyfus was too adorable and charming for words. Wish he’d do more acting these days- really miss him! And what can you say about Sally except that we all felt we knew her personally, she never, ever disappointed in any role she played, and we’ve all been so lucky to enjoy her talent all these years. We need to see more of her, too. She is very much missed. And of course, she totally knocked it out of the park with Norma Rae and so deserved to win that Oscar. Side note; Beau Bridges was REALLY cute in that movie!

[@markwhitman72]

Richard didn't have a disappointed look on his face when he announced Sally"s name he slapped the envelope down looking to me like he was saying: "damned good choice it is about time Sally was honored" Look more closely also how he hugs Sally when she got to the podium

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

They worked together in "Gidget" years earlier.

[@jimmysapien9961]

I agree

[@nursegrace7492]

I love Sally Field's outfit. She didn't want to dress up too much, and it was made by Bob Mackie.

[@joaopauloduartedasilva4101]

Jill Clayburgh, I love you and your shiny face and hope you are resting in peace. You will not be forgotten

[@coldwinter5710]

Jill's work in "Starting Over" was a well deserved Oscar nomination for her that year. Top nods 2 yrs in a row for her! (Previous yr for "An Unmarried Woman".

[@jamesmonroe7751]

Thanks to her wonderful daughter lily she won't be. Can you imagine rabe doing an unmarried woman? Get on that!

[@janepatterson6779]

She fought it for 20 years...

[@AnthonyWilliams-li5mz]

I like Sally Field I really really really like her

[@velvetskin8595]

Right now...

[@rabidheartbeats5953]

wrong year dude

[@robertinoyanzanny1782]

Wrong movie sir, Places in the ❤

[@mechantics]

LIKE.....LIKE......

[@44excalibur]

She never said “really," she said “right now."

[@ChandrabhanSingh-mz4hc]

One of the most well deserved wins of all-time

[@purplelucrezia]

Norma Rae has sadly become such an underrated movie nowadays... Sally Fields’ performance was so moving!

[@Toywithme200]

I LOVE richard dreyfuss voice!!!

[@italishgirl5601]

Love her in everything she’s ever done!!!!!

[@JoeMartinez-vh5cv]

Sally Field is one of my all time Favorites. We love you we really really love you.

[@Hibbs4Prez]

Deserved win for a performance in a movie that still has relevance to our times.

[@trenier23]

Sally is always humble and sweet, yes incredibly talented.

[@Toywithme200]

dreyfuss was so cute when he was young at 5secs. he looks so cute!

[@fatimasoria443]

what a film, what a performance, what...everything!!

[@X982]

What a marvellous round of applause hugs Sally Field's win!

[@kevins.butler3402]

And..if you're reading this..Ms.Field? Thanks for your gift of giving to us all..your best film performances.

[@hairyscotman]

ALL these years later and I still think my DEVINE Miss M deserved this Oscar.....

[@sunnyhill5119]

Richard Dreyfuss is AMAZING 💪🤘💯👍

[@dfa3366]

She deserved the Oscar but Ron Leibman was so overlooked. He put in a great performance.

[@LWOPP]

Kvetch kvetch kvetch 😂

[@BarkleyConners]

Love her she's so real and honest

[@dumitrescusorana1907]

I loved her walk and reaction . Her speech was amazing and she had an amazing performance!!

[@nirajkrishan3251]

Dumitrescu Sorana /%%_

[@eriklf64]

These people should never get old. Really.

[@corfan99]

Nice reunion. Richard Dreyfuss had guest starred in an episode of Sally Fields first series Gidget back in 1966.

[@cherylb5680]

What a great year for outstanding women performances all were wonderful but Sally's performance was extraordinary.

[@teammmx]

I've always loved Sally Field. She's a great person in every way and loves all people. I'm only 23, yet I know she's an amazing actress. Lol I just loved the way she walked to the stage.

[@MarCapa-ed5uv]

She’s one of the best actors in the US

[@fobesq]

She is a brilliant actress and this award was so well-deserved.

[@weinerschnitzelrock1]

she's a classy lady--she gives credit and names names

[@crimsonite2044]

I LOVE how she literally marched down the aisle like “Damn right. I worked my butt off for this role”

[@markwhitman72]

Again I think Bette was great but she was hardly robbed! Sally was so good that you truly had empathy with her characterization! At best perhaps should have been a tie but Norma Rae was too strong a movie to pass up an Oscar for Sally!

[@irhjma30000]

It's Richard Dreyfuss!!! :) and Sally Field is SO pretty....she's such a great actress too. She was absolutely amazing in Sybil!

[@annemariewood-orourke5994]

Im 35 and I love watching Sally Fields movies. Especially listening to her character Sassy in the Homeward Bound movies. She's wonderful.

[@jaymorgenthal9479]

A very important film that needed a strong performance from the lead to get it’s message across and Sally Field more than did that and very much earned her Oscar.

[@AB-bt9eb]

Sally's so adorable!...and amazing :)

[@jimmysapien9961]

A Boston -- What was Burt thinking ?????

[@riverrain30]

i have not seen this until today and i was so surprised that she hasn't changed much. she has the same energy here as much as her speech in the emmys for brothers and sisters. I really like her. One of the few American actresses i really admire.

[@WalterLiddy]

These retrospectives are a great idea - they should do that again.

[@s.t.santos5928]

Richard Dreyfuss was incredible in The Goodbye Girl.

[@Emptiness512]

Sally fields has raw talent..and i have to say i love Bett too

[@X982]

What a marvellous round of applause!

[@renzo7575]

How cute is Richard dreyfuss?!

[@babacar3519]

very

[@sorellman]

Not very.

[@erbhastings]

How high is Richard in this presentation? Very cute, but holy eyeballs, batman

[@ccbaxter47]

How coked up is he, wink wink?

[@johnfd0210]

@@sorellman Today he whines in interviews that he is broke and no one will hire him...no doubt this is why.

[@maryquant1967]

You can literally feel her vindication as she walks to the stage. You know she is thinking "they wrote me off as the flying nun. I showed 'em, I showed 'em all!!"

[@roo7227]

A truly iconic performance.. Perfect for the time, and perfectly executed, from direction, to the rest of the cast, which was brilliant, too.. There are very few truly unforgettable moments in cinema, and Norma defying the management, police, and other workers to climb up on that table with a sign that said "Union," cause the textile machines made it impossible to hear anything, is unforgettable..

[@Jackx88]

She's one of my favourite actresses :)

[@RobertPagano226]

This presentation is well done. Nice job Rich

[@lovepaws9771]

Love to see all these wonderful stars in their younger years.

[@NoPawn]

Man...63 years old and she still looks like this!

[@robertinoyanzanny1782]

I love Sally

[@tonitalas1757]

Iconic sally field!

[@markwhitman9029]

Sally"s performance was a divine interpretation of the downtrodden and forgotten workers of our country"s past!!

[@michica68]

She is so deserving of this award I love her

[@depaola63]

Burt you blew it! They loved each other, too bad!

[@missbeatricehaven8204]

Karma did eventually pay Burt a visit .....

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

Sally looks just like a girl I went to high school with. They both look decades younger than their true ages, lucky gals!

[@BillyAlabama]

I was a student at Auburn University when Norma Rae was being filmed. Twice I ran into Sally and both times she waved sweetly as I stood there like an idiot my mouth agape. Lovely lady.

[@ebonumba12]

awww look how nervous Sally was when she was waiting to hear her name. Adorable!

[@garyrobertson6778]

Places in the Heart was still ahead of her. One of my favorite movies ever!

[@dinasztie]

I agree. Sally Field was the best by far. One of the greatest performances by an actress.

[@rockysocky]

This time she didn’t feel it but next time she felt it.

[@nymet2454]

Sally Field wore the best dress in Oscar history. It's simple and classy.

[@X982]

What a marvellous round of applause hugs Sally's win!

[@CC25Y]

ALWAYS loved Sally Field

[@Chrilleg]

*Happy 70th Birthday Sally*

[@Rasscasse]

Last day of January 2023, and I am just commenting. I’ve always loved your work Sally, thank you for everything you have given us.

[@Ladybug1923]

She said that when she won her 2nd Oscar for "Places in the Heart. This video is Sally winning her 1st Oscar for "Norma Rae".

[@jamesfair4315]

I loved her on TVs Flying Nun and followed her my whole life. She was a real actress and those directors made her that.

[@markwhitman72]

Loved Bette Midler BUT Sally richly deserved this first Oscar especially in her defiant scene when the boss fires her, the table standing sign etc.!

[@ebony38ish]

I just rented Norma Rae from the library, outstanding performance. I saw the Rose as well, tight competition, but Sally Field deserved the award!

[@markwhitman72]

Yes Bette was great but Sally was too. The other nominees were far behind!

[@TheChannelTV-bt8em]

+SJ Miller Of all the rationalized explanations I have ever heard to justify an Oscar pick you happen to disagree with, yours has to be the most asinine. Yes, I'm sure academy voters as well as New York and Los Angeles critics, the Cannes Film Festival (that's over in Europe, you know), and every other single body who honored Sally Field's searing performance had Ronald raygun and organized labor on their minds when they filled out their ballots. What indispensable insight you have. Too bad your ability to evaluate the art of screen acting is so lacking. Sally's Norma Rae was a thing of beauty. ps I liked Midler, too. Just not as much.

[@TheChannelTV-bt8em]

+Mark Whitman Not that far behind. Don't take anything away from Jane Fonda's anchorwoman in The China Syndrome. That was a very smart, complex interpretation, finding chances and hitting points a lot of other actresses would have overlooked. And Jill Clayburgh got a surprising mileage out of her light comedy role in Starting Over. She acted Reynolds right out of the picture, virtually playing out a love story with only one participant.

[@andrewdancy2849]

Mark Whitman Not Marsh's Mason, I saw someone I love, live through a similar situation...Marsha Mason was more than wonderful, I was for her!!

[@viantzpradz4771]

Love her hair

[@siddharthnaagar7028]

Bette Midler was great in The Rose but Sally Field gave one of the most powerful and iconic performances in movie history

[@johnfd0210]

Bette Midler is very good, but she is out of her league with these actresses.

[@flav2689]

@@johnfd0210 Actually not - or at least it depends on a genre. Maybe in drama, but she is the best of them all when it comes to comedy - and music.

[@scottw6704]

She remains my favorite actress of all time. Meryl Streep is getting up there on the list, but Sally has this way of channeling her vulnerability that really speaks to me.

[@laarbe]

All great nominees. Sally Deserved the Win that year.

[@michelebartlett3921]

What an unbelievably wonderful list of actors to be in the company of

[@LuvTadnDixie]

Sally's hair looks really pretty.

[@MrImiller07]

All of the nominees were outstanding, but Sally Field's performance was a revelation because it was so dissimilar to her previous work with Reynolds, etc. Her work was no aberration as evidenced by her second Oscar win for Places In The Heart and her wonderful work in Spielberg's Lincoln opposite Daniel Day Lewis, a role that she campaigned for. Midler was deserving as well, and she never really got the opportunity to showcase her talents like this on film again, with the possible exception of Beaches. Marsha Mason was superb in Chapter Two opposite James Caan. Clayburgh was exceptional in An Unmarried Woman.

[@marcosvalenca]

Midler was divine not only in "Beaches", but also "For the Boys" and "Stella".

[@arthurgearheard4701]

She put her foot in her mouth when she win the second time!

[@vintage1520]

I love her

[@MikeysGayToday]

I am on the fence here. I loved Sally's performance, But BETTE in THE ROSE was amazing!

[@MontagZoso]

Bette WAS amazing in The Rose!

[@MsDezB1]

Same. I LOVE Sally Field. But Bette though...!

[@ashleydawson8230]

Definitely between Bette and Sally!

[@tashW7092]

@@MontagZoso I agree. I watched The Rose and it was powerfully amazing.

[@jeffcarter3943]

Bette Midler was awesome in The Rose 🥀

[@mgeek1]

Man, movie titles in the seventies sounded SO important.

[@Oohlaful]

loved her in Mrs.Doubtfire..

[@BettinaBalser]

Richly, richly deserved by Sally. NORMA RAE was a triumph, largely due to her performance.

[@rma3_3_3]

Well Deserved ♡♡♡

[@Toywithme200]

at 1:24 richard has the cutest smile!

[@honeybeebadger]

Great actress well deserved

[@leafyutube]

She still looks great even today. A natural beauty.

[@la2alaska336]

Old school glamour! I loved those days!

[@zebop]

Wow, she's so cute here, she still is.

[@jessicalt4121]

Wonderful actresses!!

[@demh7823]

Sally was wonderful on Oscar night 2024.

[@jwelch5742]

Sally Field has great acting in Norma Rae.

[@jakefugger9856]

theres our old freind jim henson in tha backround we miss you jim

[@dldee912]

I adore these 5 wonderful actresses in competition for Oscar that year.

[@sturan08]

100 times better than any award presentation this year :-/

[@andrealschultz]

So adorable - both of them!

[@Dadacomero]

so cute love her

[@33Crazydude]

Sally Field was such a cutie pie in her youth

[@kimkelly5512]

She wore a simply beautiful dress, and looked elegant!!!!!