Sharon Farrell
Sharon Farrell was an American actress and dancer. Originally beginning her career as a ballerina with the American Ballet Theatre company, Farrell made her film debut in 1959 in Kiss Her Goodbye, followed by roles in 40 Pounds of Trouble, and the neo-noirs A Lovely Way to Die and Marlowe. She worked prolifically in television, including recurring parts in the series Saints and Sinners, Dr. Kildare, and Hawaii Five-O.
Farrell's other roles include Larry Cohen's horror film It's Alive, Dennis Hopper's drama film Out of the Blue, and the teen comedy Can't Buy Me Love. She continued to appear in television and film until 1999. In 2013, she reappeared in a minor role in the web series Broken at Love. Until her death in 2023, she was the last living Hawaii Five-O cast member.
Early life
Born Sharon Forsmoe on Christmas Eve 1940to Hazel Ruth and Darrel LaValle Forsmoe in Sioux City, Iowa, she was of Norwegian descent and was raised with her sister, Dale Candice, in a Lutheran family. During her childhood, Farrell studied ballet and was involved in the theater department during high school. Farrell toured with the American Ballet Theatre Company as a dancer, which brought her to New York City.
Career
Farrell made her acting debut at age 18 in the 1959 film Kiss Her Goodbye. She took her stage name from combining her surname and her father's given name Darrel, with "F" for Forsmoe and two "L"s.From the 1960s to the 1980s, Farrell appeared in such films as The Reivers, Marlowe, It's Alive, The Stunt Man, Out of the Blue, Night of the Comet, and Can't Buy Me Love.
In addition to film work, Farrell also appeared in guest roles on various television shows, including Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Hawaii Five-O.
In 1991, she joined the cast of the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless, remaining with the show until 1997. Farrell's last television role was in a 1999 episode of JAG.
Between 2013 and 2014, Farrell appeared in the web series Broken at Love, marking her first on-screen appearance in 14 years.
Personal life and death
Farrell's first marriage was to actor Andrew Prine in 1962. They later divorced, reportedly after only living together for one month and ten days.Farrell had one son, Chance Boyer, born when she was dating actor John F. Boyer. After Chance's birth in 1970, Farrell suffered an embolism, which caused her heart to stop beating for four minutes. She incurred serious brain damage that resulted in memory loss and physical impairments. With the help of colleagues, Farrell worked to regain her abilities, including her memory. She resumed her acting career, but for many years kept her illness a secret under the advice of friend and actor Steve McQueen, who warned her that if word got out, her career would be over.
Farrell was married to director Dale Trevillian for 32 years. In her autobiography Sharon Farrell: "Hollywood Princess" from Sioux City, Iowa, she claimed that she had romantic relationships with many famous people, including Che Guevara, Steve McQueen, and Bruce Lee.
Unreported until 5 August 2023, Farrell died on 15 May 2023, at the age of 82, possibly in Orange County, California, or Los Angeles Downtown Medical Center.