The 50 Greatest Actors Alive: No. 39 Sally Field

Every week through the remainder of 2014, Yahoo Movies is counting down Hollywood's 50 very best working actors and actresses. Come back to Yahoo Movies every Thursday to see who makes the cut.

Greatest Actor Alive (No. 39): Sally Field

Age: 67

Stating the Case: "And I can't deny the fact that you like me! Right now! You like me!" So said Sally Field when she accepted the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Places in the Heart." It was true then, and it goes double today.

Field has been bringing her quirky but powerful persona to some of the most memorable movie characters since her turn as excitable settler Mercy McBee in the Kirk Douglas vehicle "The Way West" (1967). She's a shining presence in goofy comedies like "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977) and "The End" (1978) (both co-starring her one-time beau, Burt Reynolds), a force to be reckoned with in hard-hitting dramas like "Norma Rae" (1979) and "Places in the Heart" (1984), a standout in ensemble pieces like "Steel Magnolias" (1989) and "Soapdish" (1991) and the strong maternal center of big Hollywood blockbusters such as "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993), "Forrest Gump" (1994), "Lincoln" (2012), and "The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012).

Really, how can you not like — and even love — the woman who's played Mama Gump, Mrs. Lincoln and Aunt May?

Breakthrough Role: Until then known for TV roles, Field got some major attention for her sexy turn in "Stay Hungry" (1976), director Bob Rafelson's sweaty drama that also marks the first major film gig of Arnold Schwarzenegger (not counting "Hercules in New York"). Field turned up the heat as Mary Tate Farnsworth, the receptionist at a small gym where Joe Santo (Schwarzenegger), aka Mr. Austria, trains for the Mr. Universe competition.

The Best of the Best:

5. "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993): Field brought some dramatic gravitas to what otherwise would've been a one-joke comedy about Robin Williams in drag. Amid all the slapstick and overuse of obvious songs like Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" is a story about a couple going through a painful divorce, the heavier weight of which is felt by Field's career mom.

4. "Places in the Heart" (1984): Field won her second Oscar (and delivered that famous speech) for her portrayal of Edna Spalding, a Depression-era widow who tries to save the family cotton farm in segregated Waxahachie, Texas, with the help of a blinded war veteran (John Malkovich) and black handyman (Danny Glover).

3. "Forrest Gump" (1994): "Mama always said, 'Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.'" That's just one of many bits of existential wisdom from Mama Gump, one of Field's most celebrated (and quoted) roles.

2. "Lincoln" (2012): Field gave a fierce performance as Mary Todd Lincoln, the stubborn and outspoken first lady of Civil War-era America, in Steven Spielberg's celebrated biopic of the 16th president of the United States (Daniel Day-Lewis). Field campaigned hard for the role and her portrayal earned her several accolades, including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

1. "Norma Rae" (1979): Field earned her first Oscar for her performance in the title role of this all-American drama about a blue-collar woman in small-town North Carolina who gets involved — often enthusiastically so — with the labor union at the textile factory where she works.

The BIGGEST Hit: Life is like a box of cash when it comes to "Forrest Gump," which earned over $329 million at the domestic box office. The worldwide champion, however, is "The Amazing Spider-Man," with a global take of over $752 million.

With Honors: Field won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for "Norma Rae" and "Places in the Heart." She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Lincoln."

Field also has 11 Golden Globe nominations and two wins (for "Norma Rae" and "Places in the Heart"), eight Emmy Award nominations and three wins (for "Brothers & Sisters,""ER," and "Sybil"), two BAFTA Award nominations (for "Lincoln" and "Forrest Gump") and a Best Actress win from the Cannes Film Festival (for "Norma Rae").

Trademark: Her high-pitched, little-girl voice that conveys innocence, compassion, and, oddly enough, authority.

Fun Fact: Field gained 25 pounds to play the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in Spielberg's Oscar-winning biography. "I ate brown rice and these protein drinks made out of stuff called pro-Gain," Field said on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." "Oh God, it was just disgusting. I never had a fun meal, basically. It just was discipline."

Best Fan Tribute: Maybe these "Steel Magnolias" cupcake toppers also helped Field pack those pounds on (available on Etsy):

Most Underappreciated Achievement: Field brought understated charm to her role as Lilah Krytsick, a dedicated housewife with aspirations to be a stand-up comedian, in David Seltzer's unfairly overlooked dramedy, "Punchline" (1988). Lilah has the raw talent but none of the craft, though she's soon taken under the wing of her comedy club colleague Steven Gold (Tom Hanks), a struggling medical student with the potential to be a big-time comic. Field and Hanks reunited six year laters as mother and son in "Forrest Gump."

And, come on, who doesn't love "Smokey and the Bandit"... and "Smokey and the Bandit II" (1980)?

Catchphrase: It's often misquoted as "You like me, you really like me!" What Field really said: "And I can't deny the fact that you like me! Right now! You like me!"

Nobody's Perfect: A lot of people don't know there was a sequel to "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) called "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure" (1979), and that's just fine. It's an agonizingly bad follow-up courtesy of disaster master Irwin Allen, with two rival salvage crews boarding the flipped-over ship in search of gold and plutonium (huh?) while the poor passengers continue to await rescue. Field goes completely over-the-top as Celeste Whitman, companion to cockney tugboat captain Mike Turner (Michael Caine).

Moonlighting: Field launched her career on television, starring in lightweight fare like "Gidget" (1965-66), "The Flying Nun" (1967-70), and "The Girl With Something Extra" (1973-74), before proving her dramatic acting chops as the mentally ill title character in the TV movie "Sybil" (1976), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. She also played the role of Maggie Wyczenski on 12 episodes of "ER" from 2000 to 2006 and Nora Walker on "Brothers & Sisters" from 2006 to 2011.

Field can sing, too: She performed the theme song to "The Flying Nun" and was recently heard on the soundtrack to the animated sequel "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning," in which she also voiced villainess Marina Del Ray.

And for Her Next Act: Field will be reprising her role as Aunt May in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," opening May 2.

See Who Else Has Made 'Greatest Actors Alive' List So Far:

#50 Brad Pitt | #49 Sigourney Weaver | #48 Joaquin Phoenix | #47 Paul Giamatti | #46 Forest Whitaker | #45 Matthew McConaughey | #44 Viola Davis | #43 Michael Douglas | #42 Jodie Foster | #41 Ben Kingsley | #40 Javier Bardem

What qualifies actors for a slot on Yahoo Movies' running list of the 50 Greatest Actors Alive? First, we limited the pool to actors who are still currently working. Other factors taken into consideration: Pure skill in the craft; their ability to disappear underneath the skin of the characters they portray; versatility and the range of their roles; ratio of strong performances to weak ones; quality of films acted in; strength of recent work; awards and accolades from peers.