August 15, 1950

Actress Tess Harper was born in Mammoth Spring (Fulton County). She became best known for her Oscar-nominated role as Chick in Crimes of the Heart. Her other films include Tender Mercies, Silkwood, and Criminal Law. In 2008, she was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Award and inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. Her roles have frequently been those of Southern ladies, although she worked to lose her Arkansas accent. She said that her experiences growing up in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas influenced her acting work.