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Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, 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 (20132015), and starred in the Fox drama series Red Band Society (20142015).
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 (201516), 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) and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her portrayal of 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, titled The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit (2013) and The Sweetest Heist in History (2015).
In December 2021 and 2022, Auburn alumna Spencer bought food for students during finals week.
Other film credits include: Never Been Kissed, Big Momma's House, Spider-Man, Bad Santa, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, Coach Carter, Miss Congeniality 2 and Pretty Ugly People. She has made a number of guest appearances on television series, including Raising the Bar, , The Big Bang Theory, Wizards of Waverly Place, Grounded for Life, ER, Titus, Becker, 30 Rock and Dharma & Greg, plus a recurring role on the sitcom Mom. She is also known for her starring roles as Serenity Johnson on Comedy Central's Halfway Home, and Constance Grady, the amorous INS caseworker on Ugly Betty.
In 2003, 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. It was her first and only play, as, she once explained, she suffers from what she called "intense stage fright". Later that year, she starred opposite Allison Janney in Tate Taylor's short feature Chicken Party.
In 2008, Spencer's brief appearance in Seven Pounds as Kate, Rosario Dawson's home care nurse, garnered her high praise and media attention. In April 2009, Entertainment Weekly listed Spencer as among its "25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood".
In August 2009, Spencer appeared in Rob Zombie's Halloween II. She also had a role in the American remake of the Danish classic Love at First Hiccup, opposite Scout Taylor-Compton. Spencer starred in the feature film Herpes Boy, alongside Beth Grant, Ahna O'Reilly and Byron Lane. She played the voice of "Minny" on the audio version of novel The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Later that year, Spencer's short film The Captain was honored by the CICFF as a finalist for the REEL Poetry Award.
In 2013, she appeared alongside Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station, a film chronicling the last day of Oscar Grant, who was killed at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in 2009. In September 2013, it was announced that she would reunite with The Help director Taylor in the biopic on singer James Brown Get On Up, opposite her The Help co-star Viola Davis. The film was released in 2014. From September 2014 until February 2015, she starred in Steven Spielberg's Fox drama television series Red Band Society.
Spencer co-starred alongside Kevin Costner in the drama film Black or White (2014) and co-starred as Johanna Reyes in the second installment of the Divergent series, (2015). She reprised the role in (2016). She voiced Mrs. Otterton in Disney's Zootopia, which marked her animated film debut.
In 2016, she starred alongside Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monáe in Hidden Figures, a film about African-American mathematicians at NASA who were critical to its success in the 1960s in the Space Race, and who each had careers there. She played mathematician and human computer Dorothy Vaughan. The role garnered her a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance and earned Spencer a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first black actress to follow up an Oscar victory with another nomination, having previously won for The Help. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 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.
In 2017, 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. The film was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered to positive reviews on August 31, 2017, and was awarded the Golden Lion for best film in the competition. It also screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. 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.
In 2018, 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. She also executive produced the biographical comedy-drama film Green Book, which went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 2019, she starred as Harriet Wilson, a history teacher who makes an alarming discovery about an all-star student, in the drama film Luce. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and earned critical acclaim. She 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. For the latter, she received a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actress. Also in 2019, Spencer returned to television by executive producing and starring in the Apple TV+ drama series Truth Be Told.
Spencer executive produced and starred as Madam C. J. Walker in the Netflix biographical limited series Self Made, which was released on March 20, 2020. For her performance in the series, Spencer received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
Spencer starred alongside Anne Hathaway in Robert Zemeckis's horror comedy The Witches, which released on October 22, 2020. Spencer co-stars with Melissa McCarthy as women who suddenly develop superpowers in the superhero comedy film Thunder Force. She will reunite with her The Help co-star Jessica Chastain for a holiday comedy film.
| 1996 | A Time to Kill | Nurse Annette | |
| Valley Girls | Cheerleader | Short | |
| 1997 | The 6th Man | Nativity Watson | |
| Sparkler | Wanda | ||
| 1998 | Making Sandwiches | – | Short |
| 1999 | Never Been Kissed | Cynthia | |
| Being John Malkovich | Woman in Elevator | ||
| Blue Streak | Shawna | ||
| 2000 | The Sky Is Falling | Nurse #2 | |
| Everything Put Together | Nurse B | ||
| American Virgin | Agnes Large | ||
| What Planet Are You From? | Nurse Damiana | ||
| Auto Motives | Rhonda | Short | |
| Big Momma's House | Twila | ||
| Four Dogs Playing Poker | Lorraine | ||
| 2001 | Sol Goode | Unemployment Clerk | |
| The Journeyman | Black Belly | ||
| 2002 | Spider-Man | Check-In Girl | |
| 2003 | Security Guard | ||
| S.W.A.T. | Neighbor in Alley | ||
| Chicken Party | Laqueta Mills | Short | |
| Bad Santa | Opal | ||
| 2004 | Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! | Janine | |
| Breakin' All the Rules | Stylist | ||
| 2005 | Coach Carter | Mrs. Battle | |
| Pretty Persuasion | Woman | ||
| Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Ayisha Lebaron | ||
| Octavia – Bookstore | |||
| Beauty Shop | Sassy Customer | ||
| Wannabe | Lady Chanet Janney Jones | ||
| 2006 | Pulse | Landlady | |
| 2007 | The Nines | Pedestrian | |
| 2008 | Pretty Ugly People | Mary | |
| The Spleenectomy | Nurse | Short | |
| Seven Pounds | Home Health Care Nurse Kate | ||
| Next of Kin | Grace | ||
| 2009 | Drag Me to Hell | Bank Co-Worker No. 1 | |
| The Soloist | Troubled Woman | ||
| Angel Angelique | |||
| Just Peck | Detention Room Teacher | ||
| Halloween II | Nurse Daniels | ||
| Love At First Hiccup | Mrs. Hambrick | ||
| Herpes Boy | Rochelle | ||
| 2010 | Small Town Saturday Night | Rhonda Dooley | |
| Dinner for Schmucks | Madame Nora | ||
| Love & Distrust | Rhonda | Video | |
| Peep World | Allison | ||
| 2011 | Flypaper | Madge Wiggins | |
| The Help | Minny Jackson | ||
| Girls! Girls! Girls! | – | ||
| 2012 | Smashed | Jenny | |
| The Perfect Fit | Shy Girl | Short | |
| Blues for Willadean | LaSonia Robinson | ||
| 2013 | Fruitvale Station | Wanda | |
| Lost on Purpose | Nurse Keller | ||
| Snowpiercer | Tanya | ||
| Martha | Voice | ||
| Paradise | Loray | ||
| 2014 | Get On Up | Aunt Honey Washington | |
| Black or White | Rowena Jeffers | ||
| 2015 | Johanna Reyes | ||
| Fathers and Daughters | Dr. Korman | ||
| The Great Gilly Hopkins | Miss Harris | ||
| 2016 | The Free World | Linda Workman | |
| Zootopia | Mrs. Otterton | Voice | |
| Johanna Reyes | |||
| Car Dogs | Mrs. Barrett | ||
| Bad Santa 2 | Opal | ||
| Hidden Figures | Dorothy Vaughan | ||
| 2017 | The Shack | Papa | |
| Small Town Crime | Kelly Banks | ||
| Gifted | Roberta Taylor | ||
| The Shape of Water | Zelda Fuller | ||
| 2018 | A Kid Like Jake | Judith "Judy" Lawson | |
| Instant Family | Karen | ||
| 2019 | Luce | Harriet Wilson | |
| Ma | Sue Ann "Ma" Ellington | ||
| 2020 | Dolittle | Dab-Dab | Voice |
| Onward | "Corey" The Manticore | Voice | |
| The Witches | Grandma Agatha Hansen | ||
| Superintelligence | Herself | Voice | |
| 2021 | Thunder Force | Emily Stanton / Bingo | |
| Encounter | Hattie | ||
| 2022 | Spirited | Kimberly | |
| 2025 | Special thanks | ||
| Tow | Barb | ||
| Smurfs | Asmodius | Voice | |
| 1997 | 413 Hope St. | Job Counselor #1 | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1998 | Moesha | Gloria | Episode: "Teacher" |
| To Have & to Hold | Clerk | Episode: "Right My Fire" | |
| ER | Maria Jones | Episode: "Hazed and Confused" | |
| 1999 | Brimstone | Duty Nurse | Episode: "Faces" |
| L.A. Doctors | Bus Driver | Episode: "Forty-Eight Minutes" | |
| Chicago Hope | Nurse Jane | Episode: "Oh What a Piece of Work Is Man" | |
| Roswell | Nurse | Episode: "Leaving Normal" | |
| The X-Files | Nurse Octavia | Episode: "Millennium" | |
| Lansky | Evelyn the Maid | Television film | |
| 2000 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Hannah | Episode: "Thinking of You/Mama's Soup Pot/The Letter" |
| Just Shoot Me! | Nurse | Episode: "Finch on Ice" | |
| Becker | Ticket Woman | Episode: "One Wong Move" | |
| Malcolm in the Middle | Cashier | Episode: "High School Play" | |
| City of Angels | Nurse Bernice | Recurring cast | |
| Missing Pieces | Elegant Guest | Television film | |
| 2001 | Grounded for Life | Admitting Nurse | Episode: "Jimmy's Got a Gun" |
| Dharma & Greg | Gloria | Episode: "Wish We Weren't Here" | |
| Follow the Stars Home | Hildy | Television film | |
| 2001–02 | The Chronicle | Ruby Rydell | Recurring cast |
| Titus | Ms. Alice Hays | Episode: "Amy's Birthday" & "The Visit" | |
| 2002 | Presidio Med | Sheryl Washington | Episode: "Do No Harm" |
| NYPD Blue | Dawna Cahill | Episode: "Gypsy Woe's Me" | |
| Little John | Waitress | Television film | |
| 2004–05 | LAX | Flight Attendant | Recurring cast |
| 2005 | NYPD Blue | Eleanor Jackson | Episode: "Old Man Quiver" |
| Child Welfare Rep | Episode: "" | ||
| Medium | Jurist | Episode: "Judge, Jury and Executioner" | |
| 2006 | Huff | Demetria | Episode: "Red Meat" |
| Standoff | Rapid Air Clerk | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2006–07 | The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman | Female Security Guard Cheryl | Recurring cast |
| 2007 | Ugly Betty | Constance Grady | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| Halfway Home | Serenity Johnson | Main cast | |
| 2008 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Dr. Evilini | Episode: "Wizard School: Part 1 & 2" |
| Sherry | Episode: "" | ||
| The Big Bang Theory | DMV Employee | Episode: "The Euclid Alternative" | |
| Faux Baby | Robyn | Episode: "Valley of the Fauxs" | |
| 2009 | Worst Week | Nurse | Episode: "The Epidural" |
| Dollhouse | Professor Janack | Episode: "Echoes" | |
| Raising the Bar | Arvina Watkins | Recurring cast (season 2) | |
| 2010 | Hawthorne | Emily Thomkins | Episode: "Afterglow" |
| 2011 | Family Practice | Helen Overby | Television film |
| 2013 | 30 Rock | Herself | Episode: "Game Over" |
| American Dad! | Shonteeva | Voice; episode: "For Black Eyes Only" | |
| Dr. Nance | Television film | ||
| 2013–15 | Mom | Regina Tompkins | Recurring cast; seasons 1–3 |
| 2014–15 | Red Band Society | Nurse Dena Jackson | Main cast |
| 2015 | Break a Hip | Dr. Trekman | Episode: "The Doctor" |
| Drunk History | Harriet Tubman | Episode: "Spies" | |
| 2017 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Octavia Spencer/Joshua Tillman" |
| 2018 | The Goldbergs: 1990-Something | Narrator | Television film |
| 2019 | Black-ish | Herself | Episode: "Black History Month" |
| 2019–23 | Truth Be Told | Poppy Parnell | Main cast |
| 2020 | Self Made | Madam C. J. Walker | Main cast |
| 2022 | Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter | Herself | Television special |
| 2024 | Young Sheldon | Officer Rhonda Thompson | Episode: "Community Service and the Key to a Happy Marriage" |
She has also 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 WSFA Award.
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