Having appeared on variety shows since the ’60s and ’70s, including hosting her own show Dolly! in 1976, Parton was no stranger to showbiz.

But it was in the ’80s that her career as an actress took off, with her first performance in comedy movie 9 to 5 (1980) alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin earning her two Golden Globes nominations.

Following that, her leading role in the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) not only earnt her another Golden Globes nomination—in Best Actress in a Comedy category—the film also went on to become one of the top-grossing films of the year.

Parton has never shied away from flamboyant fashion, famously quoting in her book Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, “It takes a lot of time and money to look this cheap”. Her unabashed honest beauty choices—be it being open about undergoing cosmetic surgeries or her love of wigs and tight, embellished ensembles—has earnt the admiration of many, including drag queen RuPaul Charles, who in 2022 honoured her on season seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars with the runway category titled Night of 1000 Dolly Partons. Parton herself has confessed her love for drag in several interviews over the year, even saying she took part in a Dolly Parton lookalike drag contest once—and lost.

She has also been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community since the 1990s. In 1991, she showed her support for the gay community through a song titled Family—whose lyrics were thought to be progressive for its times. In a 2014 interview with Billboard, she again spoke of her queer fans with love.

Parton has advocated for the preservation of bald eagle, the national bird of the US, by partnering with the American Eagle Foundation to have a sanctuary at Dollywood, her theme park. She was awarded the Partnership Award by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2003 for her efforts. She has also starred in a Peta campaign in 2006 to encourage people to bring their dogs indoors rather than chain them outside.

Prior to that, Parton was the source of inspiration for the most famous sheep in the world—Dolly, which had been cloned from a mammary gland in Scotland in 1996.

Parton has proven herself to be a savvy businesswoman, as her investments in theme parks and entertainment spaces are a hit. She first opened Dollywood in Tennessee in 1986, offering rides, food, crafts and traditional music of the Smoky Mountain area.

In 2001, she ventured into water parks, and opened Dollywood’s Splash Country which operates during summer. Both spaces have got local and international awards, and are some of the biggest tourist attractions in Tennessee.

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