Octavia Spencer

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

162

Gender

Female

Birthday

1970-05-25 (55 years old)

Place of Birth

Montgomery, Alabama, USA

Octavia Spencer

Biography

Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Spencer made her film debut in the 1996 drama A Time to Kill. Following a decade of brief roles in film and television, her breakthrough came in 2011 when she played a maid in 1960s America in the drama film The Help, which won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In ensuing years, she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Ryan Coogler's biopic Fruitvale Station (2013), had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom Mom (2013–2015), and starred in the Fox drama series Red Band Society (2014–2015). Spencer's roles as other black women in 1960s America, as Dorothy Vaughan in the biopic Hidden Figures (2016) and a cleaning woman in the fantasy The Shape of Water (2017), earned her two consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first black actress to achieve such feat, as well as the first, and to date only, to be nominated twice after winning. She has since starred in The Divergent Series (2015–16), The Shack (2017), Gifted (2017), Instant Family (2018), Luce (2019), Ma (2019), Onward (2020), and Spirited(2022). She led the Apple TV+ drama series Truth Be Told (2019–2023). She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for portraying Madam C. J. Walker in the Netflix miniseries Self Made (2020). As an author, Spencer created the children's book series Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective. She has published two books in the series: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit (2013) and The Sweetest Heist in History (2015). Description above from the Wikipedia article Octavia Spencer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

  • The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • American Dad!

    American Dad!

  • Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  • The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  • The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

  • The X-Files

    The X-Files

  • Young Sheldon

    Young Sheldon

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • Malcolm in the Middle

    Malcolm in the Middle

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • Smurfs

    Smurfs

  • Mom

    Mom

  • The Big Bang Theory

    The Big Bang Theory

  • The Jennifer Hudson Show

    The Jennifer Hudson Show

  • Medium

    Medium

  • CSI: NY

    CSI: NY

  • Off Camera with Sam Jones

    Off Camera with Sam Jones

  • ER

    ER

  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • 30 Rock

    30 Rock

  • Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

    Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

  • Zootopia

    Zootopia

  • Chicago Hope

    Chicago Hope

  • black-ish

    black-ish

  • Wizards of Waverly Place

    Wizards of Waverly Place

  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  • Spider-Man

    Spider-Man

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • Becker

    Becker

  • Just Shoot Me!

    Just Shoot Me!

  • Ugly Betty

    Ugly Betty

  • Roswell

    Roswell

  • Snowpiercer

    Snowpiercer

  • Drag Me to Hell

    Drag Me to Hell

  • Moesha

    Moesha

  • Drunk History

    Drunk History

  • The Help

    The Help

  • Dharma & Greg

    Dharma & Greg

  • Hidden Figures

    Hidden Figures

  • Grounded for Life

    Grounded for Life

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

    HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

  • Dollhouse

    Dollhouse

  • Truth Be Told

    Truth Be Told

  • Truth Be Told

    Truth Be Told

  • To Tell the Truth

    To Tell the Truth

  • Blue Streak

    Blue Streak

  • Roald Dahl's The Witches

    Roald Dahl's The Witches

  • Allegiant

    Allegiant

  • Insurgent

    Insurgent

  • Entertainment Tonight

    Entertainment Tonight

  • Titus

    Titus

  • Never Been Kissed

    Never Been Kissed

  • The Shape of Water

    The Shape of Water

  • Gifted

    Gifted

  • Pulse

    Pulse

  • Seven Pounds

    Seven Pounds

  • L.A. Doctors

    L.A. Doctors

  • Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

    Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

  • Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

    Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

  • Onward

    Onward

  • A Time to Kill

    A Time to Kill

  • Ma

    Ma

  • S.W.A.T.

    S.W.A.T.

  • Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

    Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

  • Halloween II

    Halloween II

  • Fruitvale Station

    Fruitvale Station

  • Raising the Bar

    Raising the Bar

  • Dolittle

    Dolittle

  • Number One on the Call Sheet

    Number One on the Call Sheet

  • The Shack

    The Shack

  • Instant Family

    Instant Family

  • Coach Carter

    Coach Carter

  • Dinner for Schmucks

    Dinner for Schmucks

  • Brimstone

    Brimstone

  • Follow the Stars Home

    Follow the Stars Home

  • Spirited

    Spirited

  • Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party

    Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party

  • Big Momma's House

    Big Momma's House

  • LAX

    LAX

  • Lost on Purpose

    Lost on Purpose

  • Bad Santa

    Bad Santa

  • Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

    Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

  • The Great Gilly Hopkins

    The Great Gilly Hopkins

  • Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

    Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

  • Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

    Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

  • The Chronicle

    The Chronicle

  • Blues for Willadean

    Blues for Willadean

  • Smashed

    Smashed

  • The Nines

    The Nines

  • Being John Malkovich

    Being John Malkovich

  • Red Band Society

    Red Band Society

  • Presidio Med

    Presidio Med

  • Tow

    Tow

  • Peep World

    Peep World

  • Sol Goode

    Sol Goode

  • Small Town Crime

    Small Town Crime

  • The Sky is Falling

    The Sky is Falling

  • Get on Up

    Get on Up

  • Cavemen

    Cavemen

  • Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

    Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

  • The Journeyman

    The Journeyman

  • Herpes Boy

    Herpes Boy

  • Breakin' All the Rules

    Breakin' All the Rules

  • Ma 2

    Ma 2

  • Standoff

    Standoff

  • Thunder Force

    Thunder Force

  • Superintelligence

    Superintelligence

  • Beauty Shop

    Beauty Shop

  • Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

    Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Fathers and Daughters

    Fathers and Daughters

  • Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

    Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

  • Love at First Hiccup

    Love at First Hiccup

  • The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

    The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

  • Encounter

    Encounter

  • The Soloist

    The Soloist

  • Halfway Home

    Halfway Home

  • What Planet Are You From?

    What Planet Are You From?

  • The Free World

    The Free World

  • American Virgin

    American Virgin

  • Paradise

    Paradise

  • Small Town Saturday Night

    Small Town Saturday Night

  • Car Dogs

    Car Dogs

  • Pretty Persuasion

    Pretty Persuasion

  • Flypaper

    Flypaper

  • Love and Distrust

    Love and Distrust

  • Luce

    Luce

  • My Happy Place

    My Happy Place

  • Little John

    Little John

  • Sparkler

    Sparkler

  • Bad Santa 2

    Bad Santa 2

  • Lansky

    Lansky

  • Ride or Die

    Ride or Die

  • Just Peck

    Just Peck

  • Family Recipe Showdown

    Family Recipe Showdown

  • A Kid Like Jake

    A Kid Like Jake

  • The Santa Stories

    The Santa Stories

  • Four Dogs Playing Poker

    Four Dogs Playing Poker

  • Death of a Salesman

    Death of a Salesman

  • The 6th Man

    The 6th Man

  • Pretty Ugly People

    Pretty Ugly People

  • Black or White

    Black or White

  • Chicken Party

    Chicken Party

  • The Spleenectomy

    The Spleenectomy

  • Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School

    Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School

  • Lost Women of Highway 20

    Lost Women of Highway 20

  • Everything Put Together

    Everything Put Together

  • Missing Pieces

    Missing Pieces

  • Untitled Holiday Comedy Project

    Untitled Holiday Comedy Project

  • Nobody Nothing Nowhere

    Nobody Nothing Nowhere

  • Becoming bell hooks

    Becoming bell hooks

  • The Heart

    The Heart

  • Valley Girls

    Valley Girls

  • Jesus People

    Jesus People

  • Deck the Y'alls

    Deck the Y'alls

  • The Quest for Sleep

    The Quest for Sleep