Octavia Spencer

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

164

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

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • American Dad!

    American Dad!

  • The X-Files

    The X-Files

  • 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

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  • The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  • Young Sheldon

    Young Sheldon

  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

  • ER

    ER

  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • The Big Bang Theory

    The Big Bang Theory

  • Zootopia

    Zootopia

  • The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  • Malcolm in the Middle

    Malcolm in the Middle

  • Mom

    Mom

  • CSI: NY

    CSI: NY

  • 30 Rock

    30 Rock

  • The Jennifer Hudson Show

    The Jennifer Hudson Show

  • The Late Late Show with James Corden

    The Late Late Show with James Corden

  • Medium

    Medium

  • Chicago Hope

    Chicago Hope

  • Spider-Man

    Spider-Man

  • Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

    Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

  • black-ish

    black-ish

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  • Off Camera with Sam Jones

    Off Camera with Sam Jones

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Moesha

    Moesha

  • Wizards of Waverly Place

    Wizards of Waverly Place

  • To Tell the Truth

    To Tell the Truth

  • Truth Be Told

    Truth Be Told

  • Smurfs

    Smurfs

  • Becker

    Becker

  • Ugly Betty

    Ugly Betty

  • Roswell

    Roswell

  • Just Shoot Me!

    Just Shoot Me!

  • Snowpiercer

    Snowpiercer

  • The Help

    The Help

  • Drag Me to Hell

    Drag Me to Hell

  • Grounded for Life

    Grounded for Life

  • Drunk History

    Drunk History

  • Fruitvale Station

    Fruitvale Station

  • Hidden Figures

    Hidden Figures

  • The Shape of Water

    The Shape of Water

  • Dollhouse

    Dollhouse

  • Instant Family

    Instant Family

  • Superintelligence

    Superintelligence

  • Tow

    Tow

  • Sparkler

    Sparkler

  • Number One on the Call Sheet

    Number One on the Call Sheet

  • Car Dogs

    Car Dogs

  • Pretty Persuasion

    Pretty Persuasion

  • Dolittle

    Dolittle

  • Insurgent

    Insurgent

  • Small Town Crime

    Small Town Crime

  • Dharma & Greg

    Dharma & Greg

  • L.A. Doctors

    L.A. Doctors

  • The Nines

    The Nines

  • Big Momma's House

    Big Momma's House

  • Luce

    Luce

  • Lansky

    Lansky

  • Raising the Bar

    Raising the Bar

  • A Time to Kill

    A Time to Kill

  • Just Peck

    Just Peck

  • Gifted

    Gifted

  • Seven Pounds

    Seven Pounds

  • Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

    Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

  • S.W.A.T.

    S.W.A.T.

  • Follow the Stars Home

    Follow the Stars Home

  • The Spleenectomy

    The Spleenectomy

  • Onward

    Onward

  • Coach Carter

    Coach Carter

  • Allegiant

    Allegiant

  • Halloween II

    Halloween II

  • Being John Malkovich

    Being John Malkovich

  • Entertainment Tonight

    Entertainment Tonight

  • LAX

    LAX

  • Herpes Boy

    Herpes Boy

  • Blue Streak

    Blue Streak

  • The Shack

    The Shack

  • The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

    The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman

  • Bad Santa

    Bad Santa

  • Roald Dahl's The Witches

    Roald Dahl's The Witches

  • Titus

    Titus

  • Beauty Shop

    Beauty Shop

  • Ma

    Ma

  • Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

    Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

  • Ma 2

    Ma 2

  • Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party

    Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party

  • Brimstone

    Brimstone

  • A Kid Like Jake

    A Kid Like Jake

  • Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

    Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

  • Spirited

    Spirited

  • Untitled Holiday Comedy Project

    Untitled Holiday Comedy Project

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Paradise

    Paradise

  • Red Band Society

    Red Band Society

  • The Chronicle

    The Chronicle

  • Presidio Med

    Presidio Med

  • Cavemen

    Cavemen

  • Never Been Kissed

    Never Been Kissed

  • Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

    Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

  • Standoff

    Standoff

  • Pulse

    Pulse

  • Chicken Party

    Chicken Party

  • Fathers and Daughters

    Fathers and Daughters

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

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

  • Dinner for Schmucks

    Dinner for Schmucks

  • Black or White

    Black or White

  • The Heart

    The Heart

  • Get On Up

    Get On Up

  • Pretty Ugly People

    Pretty Ugly People

  • Bad Santa 2

    Bad Santa 2

  • Encounter

    Encounter

  • My Happy Place

    My Happy Place

  • Thunder Force

    Thunder Force

  • Smashed

    Smashed

  • HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

    HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

  • The Soloist

    The Soloist

  • Flypaper

    Flypaper

  • The Great Gilly Hopkins

    The Great Gilly Hopkins

  • Ride or Die

    Ride or Die

  • Death of a Salesman

    Death of a Salesman

  • Love at First Hiccup

    Love at First Hiccup

  • What Planet Are You From?

    What Planet Are You From?

  • Valley Girls

    Valley Girls

  • Halfway Home

    Halfway Home

  • The 6th Man

    The 6th Man

  • Becoming bell hooks

    Becoming bell hooks

  • Breakin' All the Rules

    Breakin' All the Rules

  • Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

    Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

  • The Santa Stories

    The Santa Stories

  • Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

    Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

  • Peep World

    Peep World

  • Small Town Saturday Night

    Small Town Saturday Night

  • Little John

    Little John

  • Nobody Nothing Nowhere

    Nobody Nothing Nowhere

  • Sol Goode

    Sol Goode

  • Love and Distrust

    Love and Distrust

  • Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School

    Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School

  • Family Recipe Showdown

    Family Recipe Showdown

  • Jesus People

    Jesus People

  • Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

    Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

  • Missing Pieces

    Missing Pieces

  • American Virgin

    American Virgin

  • The Journeyman

    The Journeyman

  • The Sky is Falling

    The Sky is Falling

  • Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

    Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy

  • Auto Motives

    Auto Motives

  • Lost on Purpose

    Lost on Purpose

  • The Free World

    The Free World

  • Four Dogs Playing Poker

    Four Dogs Playing Poker

  • Deck the Y'alls

    Deck the Y'alls

  • Everything Put Together

    Everything Put Together

  • Lost Women of Highway 20

    Lost Women of Highway 20

  • Blues for Willadean

    Blues for Willadean

  • The Quest for Sleep

    The Quest for Sleep