career

Kicking off her career in 1969, actress Farrah Fawcett was already well-acquainted with the spotlight by the time she played Jill Munroe in Charlie’s Angels, which premiered right around the time six million copies of her red swimsuit poster sold in its first year. Fawcett was in a solid position to set the terms of her time on Charlie’s Angels and she did just that with a clause in her contract dedicated to dinner with her husband. Fawcett had three primarily relationships throughout her life. She was partners with Ryan O’Neal from 1979 to 1997 and again from 2001 to 2009, then Greg Lott from 1998 to 2001. But before them, there was The Six Million Dollar Man himself, Lee Majors. Fawcett was three years into her marriage with Majors when starting Charlie’s Angels and she wanted to ensure even a legendary, seductive crime drama didn’t interfere with that. Here’s how. Farrah Fawcett set up a clause in her ‘Charlie’s Angels’ contract dedicated to dinner Fawcett was a top choice for the cast of Charlie's Angels / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection During the early stages of the show’s conception, producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg had some ideas right away for the cast. Kate Jackson was a first choice thanks to her success in The Rookies. Fawcett was next to be cast and ultimately did not even audition for the role; Spelling was already won over by Fawcett’s performance in the 1976 film Logan’s Run, in which Fawcett played Holly 13 in the dystopian adaptation of a story in which individuals are slain after they reach a certain age. RELATED: Farrah Fawcett: Remembering Her Glamorous Years In Photos, 14 Years After Her Death However, Fawcett came with a very important requirement. Reportedly, she had a clause written into her contract that guaranteed her workday ended by 7 p.m. so she could comfortably go home and have dinner with her husband. “I love Lee and I love cooking,” said Fawcett. Two giants of the industry Farrah Fawcett had a clause in her contract ensuring she could have dinner with Lee Majors / Oscar Abolafia/Everett Collection (farrahfawcett_leemajors001) Majors was on the record as completely supportive of this stipulation. In fact, he was reportedly an active participant in making sure Fawcett had plenty of time to come home and have dinner with him. He supervised her contract notes and made sure that requirement was perfectly clear. “I always ask for a 6 p.m. cut-off for her,” explained Lee when the two were still together. At that point during the chat, Fawcett chimed in, “That way I can be home by 6:30 and have dinner ready—then he doesn’t realize I haven’t been home all day.” She again emphasized, “I like my marriage and him being the most important thing in my life.” LEE and FARRAH FAWCETT MAJORS, at a celebrity event, circa 1977 / Everett Collection Even during its heyday, the marriage faced strain, but in its early years that just made Fawcett and Lee all the more determined to defy expectations and make it work. “Lee wasn’t crazy about me getting into this business,” mused Fawcett. “He had these insecurities about ‘who is she going to work with?’ But then I had the same insecurities about him. So, I figured if I had them, he should, too.” On his end, Majors bought space to promote his latest project and signed off to readers with, “To quiet those rumormongers who are determined to dissolve our marriage in print, let it be known that Farrah Fawcett-Majors and I have never been HAPPIER in our seven years together.” Disruptive filming schedules are the most-cited cause of their separation, along with Fawcett’s mounting ambition to further grow as an actress. She continued to work until her death in 2009; she was 62 years old.