Octavia Spencer is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, and is the first black actress to receive two consecutive Oscar nominations.
37 Facts About Octavia Spencer
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Octavia Spencer received further Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for playing other women in 1960s America, the mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the biographical drama Hidden Figures, and a cleaning woman in the fantasy drama The Shape of Water.
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Octavia Spencer appeared in the films Halloween II, Smashed, Snowpiercer, Get on Up, The Divergent Series, Gifted, Instant Family, and Onward ; and had starring roles in The Shack, Luce, and Ma.
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Octavia Spencer had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom Mom and a starring role in the Fox teen drama series Red Band Society.
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Octavia Spencer has published two books in the series, titled The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit and The Sweetest Heist in History.
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Octavia Lenora Spencer was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and has six siblings, including sisters Rosa and Areka Spencer.
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Octavia Spencer studied at Auburn University at Montgomery, and graduated from Auburn University, where she majored in English with a double minor in journalism and theater.
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In December 2021 and 2022, Auburn alumna Octavia Spencer bought food for students during finals week.
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Octavia Spencer worked as an intern on the set of The Long Walk Home, a film starring Whoopi Goldberg.
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Octavia Spencer made her film debut as a nurse in Joel Schumacher's A Time to Kill, based on the book by John Grisham.
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Octavia Spencer was originally hired to work on casting, but asked Schumacher if she could audition for a part.
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Octavia Spencer is known for her starring roles as Serenity Johnson on Comedy Central's Halfway Home, and Constance Grady, the amorous INS caseworker on Ugly Betty.
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In 2003, Octavia Spencer made her stage debut in Los Angeles, in Del Shores' play, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, starring opposite veteran actress Beth Grant.
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Octavia Spencer had a role in the American remake of the Danish classic Love at First Hiccup, opposite Scout Taylor-Compton.
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Octavia Spencer starred in the feature film Herpes Boy, alongside Beth Grant, Ahna O'Reilly and Byron Lane.
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Octavia Spencer played the voice of "Minny" on the audio version of novel The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.
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Octavia Spencer played the feisty and unflappable maid Minny Jackson.
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On February 12,2012, Octavia Spencer won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her Performance in The Help, and on February 26 she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance; it was her first Oscar nomination and first win.
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Octavia Spencer was given a standing ovation at the ceremony, and was moved to tears during her acceptance speech.
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In June 2012, Octavia Spencer was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Octavia Spencer co-starred alongside Kevin Costner in the drama film Black or White and co-starred as Johanna Reyes in the second installment of the Divergent series, The Divergent Series: Insurgent.
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Octavia Spencer reprised the role in The Divergent Series: Allegiant.
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Octavia Spencer voiced Mrs Otterton in Disney's Zootopia, which marked her animated film debut.
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Day, Octavia Spencer bought out a Los Angeles screening of Hidden Figures to treat low-income families that would have been unable to afford to see the film otherwise.
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In 2017, Octavia Spencer co-starred with Sally Hawkins in Guillermo del Toro's dark fantasy drama film The Shape of Water, which follows a mute custodian at a high-security government laboratory who befriends a captured humanoid-amphibian creature.
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Octavia Spencer earned Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for her portrayal, while receiving her third Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category, making her the first black actress to receive two consecutive Oscar nods in back-to-back years.
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In 2018, Octavia Spencer has starring roles as a preschool principal in the drama film A Kid Like Jake and a social worker in the comedy film Instant Family.
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Octavia Spencer executive produced the biographical comedy-drama film Green Book, which went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Octavia Spencer then received praise for her starring role as Sue Ann "Ma" Ellington in the psychological horror film Ma, which was directed by frequent collaborator Tate Taylor.
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Also in 2019, Octavia Spencer returned to television by executive producing and starring in the Apple TV+ drama series Truth Be Told.
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In January 2020, Octavia Spencer had a voice role as Dab-Dab, an enthusiastic duck with a metal leg, in the fantasy comedy film Dolittle, starring Robert Downey Jr.
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Octavia Spencer voiced a manticore restaurant owner in the Pixar animated fantasy film Onward, which was released in March 2020 to positive reviews.
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Octavia Spencer starred alongside Anne Hathaway in Robert Zemeckis's horror comedy The Witches, which released on October 22,2020.
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Octavia Spencer will reunite with her The Help co-star Jessica Chastain for a holiday comedy film.
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Octavia Spencer has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, including one win.
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Octavia Spencer is the first African-American actress to receive Academy Award nominations in back-to-back years, the first African-American actress to receive two Academy Award nominations after a win, and the second-most nominated African-American actress to date.
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Octavia Spencer has won three Screen Actors Guild Awards, three National Board of Review Awards, two Satellite Awards, two Critics' Choice Movie Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award.