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

  • Zootopia

    Zootopia

  • The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

  • American Dad!

    American Dad!

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • Young Sheldon

    Young Sheldon

  • Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  • The X-Files

    The X-Files

  • The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  • Malcolm in the Middle

    Malcolm in the Middle

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • The Big Bang Theory

    The Big Bang Theory

  • The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • Mom

    Mom

  • 30 Rock

    30 Rock

  • Medium

    Medium

  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

  • CSI: NY

    CSI: NY

  • ER

    ER

  • Chicago Hope

    Chicago Hope

  • The Jennifer Hudson Show

    The Jennifer Hudson Show

  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • Smurfs

    Smurfs

  • black-ish

    black-ish

  • Becker

    Becker

  • Spider-Man

    Spider-Man

  • Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

    Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  • Wizards of Waverly Place

    Wizards of Waverly Place

  • Moesha

    Moesha

  • Roswell

    Roswell

  • Ugly Betty

    Ugly Betty

  • Snowpiercer

    Snowpiercer

  • Off Camera with Sam Jones

    Off Camera with Sam Jones

  • Just Shoot Me!

    Just Shoot Me!

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • Dollhouse

    Dollhouse

  • Spirited

    Spirited

  • Gifted

    Gifted

  • The Help

    The Help

  • Dolittle

    Dolittle

  • Truth Be Told

    Truth Be Told

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Dharma & Greg

    Dharma & Greg

  • Insurgent

    Insurgent

  • Hidden Figures

    Hidden Figures

  • Pulse

    Pulse

  • A Time to Kill

    A Time to Kill

  • Allegiant

    Allegiant

  • Grounded for Life

    Grounded for Life

  • Drunk History

    Drunk History

  • Blue Streak

    Blue Streak

  • Ma

    Ma

  • Big Momma's House

    Big Momma's House

  • Onward

    Onward

  • To Tell the Truth

    To Tell the Truth

  • The Shape of Water

    The Shape of Water

  • Roald Dahl's The Witches

    Roald Dahl's The Witches

  • Coach Carter

    Coach Carter

  • Instant Family

    Instant Family

  • Bad Santa

    Bad Santa

  • Titus

    Titus

  • Drag Me to Hell

    Drag Me to Hell

  • S.W.A.T.

    S.W.A.T.

  • Entertainment Tonight

    Entertainment Tonight

  • Fruitvale Station

    Fruitvale Station

  • Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

    Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

  • Brimstone

    Brimstone

  • The Nines

    The Nines

  • Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

    Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

  • Herpes Boy

    Herpes Boy

  • Superintelligence

    Superintelligence

  • The Shack

    The Shack

  • Raising the Bar

    Raising the Bar

  • Being John Malkovich

    Being John Malkovich

  • Thunder Force

    Thunder Force

  • Sparkler

    Sparkler

  • L.A. Doctors

    L.A. Doctors

  • Seven Pounds

    Seven Pounds

  • Peep World

    Peep World

  • Pretty Persuasion

    Pretty Persuasion

  • Encounter

    Encounter

  • Paradise

    Paradise

  • Tow

    Tow

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

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

  • The Journeyman

    The Journeyman

  • Number One on the Call Sheet

    Number One on the Call Sheet

  • Dinner for Schmucks

    Dinner for Schmucks

  • Red Band Society

    Red Band Society

  • Just Peck

    Just Peck

  • Smashed

    Smashed

  • Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

    Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

  • Never Been Kissed

    Never Been Kissed

  • Beauty Shop

    Beauty Shop

  • Little John

    Little John

  • Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party

    Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party

  • The Great Gilly Hopkins

    The Great Gilly Hopkins

  • HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

    HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

  • Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

    Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

  • Halloween II

    Halloween II

  • The Free World

    The Free World

  • Bad Santa 2

    Bad Santa 2

  • Chicken Party

    Chicken Party

  • LAX

    LAX

  • Car Dogs

    Car Dogs

  • American Virgin

    American Virgin

  • Presidio Med

    Presidio Med

  • The Chronicle

    The Chronicle

  • Lansky

    Lansky

  • The 6th Man

    The 6th Man

  • The Soloist

    The Soloist

  • Missing Pieces

    Missing Pieces

  • Luce

    Luce

  • Cavemen

    Cavemen

  • Standoff

    Standoff

  • Fathers and Daughters

    Fathers and Daughters

  • Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

    Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

  • Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School

    Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School

  • What Planet Are You From?

    What Planet Are You From?

  • Get on Up

    Get on Up

  • The Spleenectomy

    The Spleenectomy

  • Love at First Hiccup

    Love at First Hiccup

  • Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

    Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

  • Love and Distrust

    Love and Distrust

  • A Kid Like Jake

    A Kid Like Jake

  • Lost on Purpose

    Lost on Purpose

  • Ma 2

    Ma 2

  • Untitled Holiday Comedy Project

    Untitled Holiday Comedy Project

  • Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

    Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

  • Follow the Stars Home

    Follow the Stars Home

  • Black or White

    Black or White

  • Breakin' All the Rules

    Breakin' All the Rules

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Small Town Crime

    Small Town Crime

  • The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

    The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

  • Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

    Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

  • The Sky is Falling

    The Sky is Falling

  • Small Town Saturday Night

    Small Town Saturday Night

  • Blues for Willadean

    Blues for Willadean

  • Four Dogs Playing Poker

    Four Dogs Playing Poker

  • Flypaper

    Flypaper

  • Halfway Home

    Halfway Home

  • The Heart

    The Heart

  • Death of a Salesman

    Death of a Salesman

  • Lost Women of Highway 20

    Lost Women of Highway 20

  • Family Recipe Showdown

    Family Recipe Showdown

  • Pretty Ugly People

    Pretty Ugly People

  • Nobody Nothing Nowhere

    Nobody Nothing Nowhere

  • Everything Put Together

    Everything Put Together

  • Valley Girls

    Valley Girls

  • The Santa Stories

    The Santa Stories

  • Ride or Die

    Ride or Die

  • My Happy Place

    My Happy Place

  • Sol Goode

    Sol Goode

  • Becoming bell hooks

    Becoming bell hooks

  • Jesus People

    Jesus People

  • Deck the Y'alls

    Deck the Y'alls

  • Auto Motives

    Auto Motives

  • The Quest for Sleep

    The Quest for Sleep