Sally Field receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Sally Field received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, honoring her 50 years of work that began with the ABC comedy "Gidget."

"I was 17 years old, right out of high school. I didn't have an agent, I wasn't a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and all of a sudden, I was the star of a television series," Field said.

Field was joined by Jane Fonda and Beau Bridges for the ceremony in front of the Hollywood Wax Museum. She received the 2,524th star on the Walk of Fame.

The 67-year-old actress recalled growing up in a "working class show business family." Her stepfather was a stunt man and actor, while her mother was an actress.

"It was not a life filled with glamour or prestige or security," she said. "I never expected my life to be any different."

After "Gidget," Field went on to another ABC comedy called "The Flying Nun," which aired from 1967 to 1970. Field won her first Oscar in 1980 for her role as a union organizer in "Norma Rae," and then she won her second Oscar five years later for her role as a Depression-era Texas widow in "Place in the Heart."

"To have a long-term career, you have to want what you want more than you think you're capable of wanting," Field said. "I've ridden the highs and tried to learn from the lows."

The ceremony comes just three days after the release of her latest film, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," where she reprises her role as Peter Parker's Aunt May.

Her other films include "Forrest Gump," "Punchline," "Smokey and the Bandit," "The End," "Hooper,"

"Absence of Malice," "Steel Magnolias" and "Mrs. Doubtfire."

Field has also won three Emmys for her work in "Sybil," "ER" and "Brothers & Sisters."

City News Service contributed to this report.