Octavia Spencer
Date of birth: 1970-05-25
Place of birth: Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Octavia L. Spencer, Octavia Spenser, Октавія Спенсер, Октавія Ленора Спенсер, Οκτάβια Σπένσερ, Октавия Спенсер, 옥타비아 스펜서, Octavia Lenora Spencer, 奧塔薇亞·史班森, اوکتیویا اسپنسر, اکتاویا اسپنسر
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.
Movie Credits
Being John Malkovich
1999-10-29
One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich.
Spider-Man
2002-05-01
After being bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp, nerdy but endearing high school studen
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
2005-03-11
After her triumph at the Miss United States pageant, FBI agent Gracie Hart becomes an overnight sens
Nobody Nothing Nowhere
The story of Ruth, one of the Non-People, human-looking beings designed and trained for the sole pur
Never Been Kissed
1999-04-09
Josie Geller, a baby-faced junior copywriter at the Chicago Sun-Times, must pose as a student at her
Seven Pounds
2008-12-18
An IRS agent with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever chan
Halloween II
2009-08-28
Laurie Strode struggles to come to terms with her brother Michael's deadly return to Haddonfield, Il
Sol Goode
2003-03-11
Sol Goode, a charismatic L.A. twenty-something, has always relied on charm, good looks, and fast tal
Coach Carter
2005-01-14
Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines
Pretty Ugly People
2008-11-14
Lucy has always used food to escape life's problems, but when this self-titled "fat friend" lures he
The Nines
2007-01-21
A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives int
Big Momma's House
2000-05-31
When a street-smart FBI agent is sent to Georgia to protect a beautiful single mother and her son fr
Pulse
2006-08-11
When the dead discover a means to contact the living through electronic devices, cellphones and comp
Spirited
2022-11-10
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit f
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
2004-01-23
A small-town girl wins a date with a Hollywood star through a contest. When the date goes better tha
Beauty Shop
2005-04-22
Far from Chicago, hairdresser Gina Norris has relocated to Atlanta with her daughter and has quickly
Love at First Hiccup
2009-02-02
Victor, a bumbling and gullible high school freshman, has caught a serious case of Anya-itis—an acut
American Virgin
2000-06-02
When your father is a pornographer, what can you do to shock him? If you're Katrina Bartalotti, you
Flypaper
2011-08-19
A man caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies at a bank desperately tries to protect the
Dinner for Schmucks
2010-07-30
Rising executive Tim Conrad works for a boss who hosts a monthly dinner in which the guest who bring
Drag Me to Hell
2009-05-27
After denying a woman the extension she needs to keep her home, loan officer Christine Brown sees he
Small Town Saturday Night
2010-05-31
Just days before Rhett (Chris Pine) is leaving for Nashville to pursue a lifelong dream of being a s
The Help
2011-08-09
Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School
2006-01-12
Frank Keane, a baker by trade, has been consumed by grief over his wife's untimely death. But everyt
Smashed
2012-01-22
Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, la
The Spleenectomy
2008-10-14
After passionately auditioning for a role in a local community theater production, Judy is cast asid
Snowpiercer
2013-08-01
In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class syst
Little John
2002-05-05
The unmarried daughter of a Texas rancher gives birth to an unwanted child. She puts the child up fo
The Quest for Sleep
2022-03-18
The Quest for Sleep is a documentary that follows real characters whose struggles with sleep threate
Paradise
2013-10-18
After surviving a plane crash a young conservative woman suffers a crisis of faith.
Fruitvale Station
2013-07-26
Oakland, California. Young Afro-American Oscar Grant crosses paths with family members, friends, ene
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
2013-04-20
A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales de
Herpes Boy
2009-10-24
A social outcast with a facial birthmark finds his world flipped upside down after he posts videos o
Lost on Purpose
2013-10-04
Our story takes place in the fertile, San Joaquin Valley. Fueled by gin and sheer determination, Eli
Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy
2013-06-19
Revisits President John F. Kennedy's presidential legacy through 21 of the more than 800,000 condole
Black or White
2014-09-06
A grieving widower is drawn into a custody battle over his granddaughter, whom he helped raise her e
Get on Up
2014-08-01
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicia
Sparkler
1997-10-01
Melba is a Californian trailer-park girl who is told to look for three kings by a phone psychic, and
Fathers and Daughters
2015-10-01
A Pulitzer-winning writer grapples with being a widower and father after a mental breakdown, while,
Jesus People
2013-12-19
Based on the hilarious and popular FunnyorDie.com web series, the film charts the rise and fall of A
Blues for Willadean
2012-10-05
The film adaptation of Del Shores' hit play. Under the thumb of her abusive husband, post-middle age
Insurgent
2015-03-18
Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance whi
Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter
2022-09-22
The one-night-only celebration honoring the life and legacy of the famed producer features intimate
Becoming bell hooks
2024-02-27
Explore the life and legacy of Kentucky-born author bell hooks, who wrote nearly 40 books and whose
The Shack
2017-03-03
A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called 'The Sh
Tow
2025-06-07
After her car is towed and she is left with a shocking $21,634 tow bill, an unhoused woman wages a r
Smurfs
2025-07-05
When Papa Smurf is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette leads the Smu
Zootopia
2016-02-11
Determined to prove herself, Officer Judy Hopps, the first bunny on Zootopia's police force, jumps a
The Great Gilly Hopkins
2015-10-05
Young and feisty Gilly Hopkins devises a scheme to escape from her new foster home and reunite with
The Free World
2016-09-23
Following his release from a brutal stretch in prison for crimes he didn't commit, Mo is struggling
Allegiant
2016-03-09
Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into prote
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
2003-07-02
Now a rising young lawyer, Elle Woods is about to make partner at her firm, but when she finds out h
Hidden Figures
2016-12-10
The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-Ameri
Gifted
2017-04-07
Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mo
Small Town Crime
2018-01-19
Mike Kendall, a disgraced ex-cop, is fighting a losing battle with the bottle. When he finds a woman
Blue Streak
1999-09-17
Miles Logan is a jewel thief who just hit the big time by stealing a huge diamond. However, after tw
The Shape of Water
2017-12-01
An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute ja
Just Peck
2011-02-16
At 104 pounds dripping wet, baby-faced sophomore Michael Peck (age 15) is not exactly the coolest gu
Bad Santa 2
2016-11-23
Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie Soke teams up with his angry little sidekick, Marc
A Time to Kill
1996-07-24
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daug
The 6th Man
1997-03-28
A college athlete returns from the dead to help his brother's basketball team win the NCAA title.
Lansky
1999-02-27
Organized crime boss Meyer Lansky remembers his life as he is moving about the world looking for som
Everything Put Together
2001-11-02
In a quiet suburban community where everything is peaceful and in its place, a single crack has just
Missing Pieces
2001-01-01
Atticus (James Coburn) goes to the small Mexican town where his estranged son (Paul Kersey) was a re
What Planet Are You From?
2000-03-03
A human-looking alien from a highly advanced but emotionless all-male society is sent to Earth to im
Four Dogs Playing Poker
2000-06-06
With the help of their mentor Felix, a group of the best friends and first-time thieves steal a valu
The Journeyman
2001-03-10
In the Wild West at the turn of the century, two young brothers watch as their Grandpa is gunned dow
Follow the Stars Home
2001-05-06
Two brothers - one virtuous, one feckless - are in love with the same woman. She falls for Brother W
The Sky is Falling
2001-06-07
A young woman, struggling to become a novelist, has her life go into a tailspin. Her first novel is
S.W.A.T.
2003-08-08
Hondo Harrelson recruits Jim Street to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Toge
Breakin' All the Rules
2004-05-14
After being dumped by his model girlfriend, aspiring writer Quincy Watson quits his job and is inspi
Pretty Persuasion
2005-01-22
A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama tea
The Soloist
2009-04-24
A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, while looking for a new ar
Peep World
2010-09-15
On the day of their Father's 70th birthday party, four siblings come to terms with the publication o
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
2013-08-07
In their quest to confront the ultimate evil, Percy and his friends battle swarms of mythical creatu
Car Dogs
2016-03-24
Malcolm is a brilliant, callous businessman who is a vicious, overbearing father. Mark is the sales
A Kid Like Jake
2018-06-01
On the eve of the admissions cycle for New York City kindergartens, Alex and Greg Wheeler have high
Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School
2008-04-06
When Alex is caught using magic to clean her room she is forced to go to wizard school with Justin.
Luce
2019-08-02
A star athlete and top student, Luce's idealized image is challenged by one of his teachers when his
Untitled Holiday Comedy Project
The film follows two women fighting the elements to make it home for Christmas
Ma
2019-05-29
Sue Ann is a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie, a n
Instant Family
2018-11-13
When Pete and Ellie decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. T
Onward
2020-02-29
In a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on an extraordinary quest to discover i
Roald Dahl's The Witches
2020-10-26
In late 1967, a young orphaned boy goes to live with his loving grandma in the rural Alabama town of
HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé
2019-04-16
This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotiona
Thunder Force
2021-04-09
In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after o
The Heart
A couple who, while desperate for cash, agree to take the job of delivering a human heart from New Y
Dolittle
2020-01-02
After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle, famed doctor and veterin
Chicken Party
2003-10-14
A comedic look at crime, love, tolerance and fried chicken.
Encounter
2021-12-03
A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an unhuman threat. As th
Love and Distrust
2010-08-16
This collection of five short films artfully portrays desire's ability to both empower and destroy t
Superintelligence
2020-12-11
When an all-powerful Superintelligence chooses to study the most average person on Earth, Carol Pete
Valley Girls
1996-11-09
Two Welsh women win a trip to Hollywood.
Bad Santa
2003-11-26
You'd better watch out - Santa Claus Willie T. Soke is coming to town, and he doesn't care if you've
Ma 2
Following the events of the first film, Sue Ann now resides in the Pacific Northwest, working as a r
Death of a Salesman
Willy Loman is an over-the-hill salesman who faces a personal turning point when he loses his job an
Deck the Y'alls
A New York baker falls for a younger Southern gentleman, and heads to Charleston, South Carolina to