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Mary Elizabeth " Sissy" Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for four British Academy Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Awards. For her contributions to the film industry, Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.
After attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Spacek made her feature film debut in Michael Ritchie's Prime Cut (1972). Her performance in Terrence Malick's neo-noir crime drama film Badlands (1973), earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Spacek's breakthrough came when she played the abused teen misfit Carrie White with Telekinesis powers in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film Carrie (1976), which earned her first of six nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She then starred in Robert Altman's psychological drama film 3 Women (1977). Spacek's complex performance as country music star Loretta Lynn in Michael Apted's biographical musical film Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), in which she portrayed Lynn from the age of about 13 to near middle age and did her own singing, earned her an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe Award. She received four more Academy Award nominations for her roles in Missing (1982), The River (1984), Crimes of the Heart (1986), and In the Bedroom (2001). Spacek won a Golden Globe Award for the latter. Her other notable films include Raggedy Man (1981), 'night, Mother (1986), The Long Walk Home (1990), JFK (1991), Affliction (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Nine Lives (2005), North Country (2005), Get Low (2010), The Help (2011), The Old Man & the Gun (2018), and Sam & Kate (2022).
In television, Spacek received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the Western film film The Good Old Boys (1995). She was later Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work in the drama film Last Call (2002) and the HBO series Big Love (2010–2011), respectively. Spacek played matriarch Sally Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline (2015–2017), Ruth Deaver in the Hulu series Castle Rock (2018), and Ellen Bergman in the Amazon Prime Video series Homecoming (2018). Her other notable television work include the films The Migrants (1974), A Place for Annie (1994), If These Walls Could Talk (1996), Midwives (2001) and Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007), and the series Night Sky (2022).
Spacek has also ventured into the music industry. In 1968, under the stage name Rainbo, she recorded her debut single "John You Went Too Far This Time". When sales sputtered, Spacek was dropped by her record label. She later recorded vocals for the soundtrack album to Coal Miner's Daughter, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and garnered her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Spacek subsequently released her debut studio album, Hangin' Up My Heart (1983).
At the age of six, Spacek performed on stage for the first time in a local talent show. Although her birth name was Mary Elizabeth, she was always called Sissy by her brothers, which led to her nickname. She attended Quitman High School.
Spacek was greatly affected by the 1967 death of her 18-year-old brother Robbie from leukemia, which she has called "the defining event of my whole life." She has said the tragedy made her fearless in her acting career:
Spacek initially aspired to a singing career. In 1968, under the stage name Rainbo, she recorded a single, "John You Went Too Far This Time", the lyrics of which chided John Lennon for his and Yoko Ono's nude album cover for Two Virgins. When sales of her music sputtered, Spacek was dropped by her record label. She switched her focus to acting, enrolling at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
Spacek's first credited film role was in the action crime thriller Prime Cut (1972), in which she played Poppy, a girl sold into sexual slavery. The film led to a guest role in the television series The Waltons (1973), which she played twice. Spacek received international attention for her breakthrough role in Terrence Malick's neo-noir crime drama film Badlands (1973); she played Holly, the film's narrator and 15-year-old girlfriend of serial killer Kit (Martin Sheen). Spacek has described Badlands as the "most incredible" experience of her career. Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it a "cool, sometimes brilliant, always ferociously American film", and wrote "Sheen and Miss Spacek are splendid as the self-absorbed, cruel, possibly psychotic children of our time." On the set of Badlands, Spacek met art director Jack Fisk, whom she married in 1974. She worked as the set dresser for Brian De Palma's film Phantom of the Paradise (1974).
Spacek began the 1980s with an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Michael Apted's biographical musical Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), in which she portrayed country music star Loretta Lynn, who personally selected her for the role. In addition to the Oscar, she also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, National Society of Film Critics Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Both Spacek and Beverly D'Angelo, who played Patsy Cline, sang their characters' vocals themselves in the film. Roger Ebert credited the film's success to "the performance by Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn. With the same sort of magical chemistry she's shown before, when she played the high school kid in Carrie, Spacek at 29 has the ability to appear to be almost any age on screen. Here, she ages from about 14 to somewhere in her 30s, always looks the age, and never seems to be wearing makeup." Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice wrote: "Sissy Spacek—yes, I'm flabbergasted—is simple and faithful as Lynn. Spacek's face is no more of an actor's instrument than it ever was, but given a human being to play, given a director concerned with acting, she makes that woman exist. She sings the songs herself, nicely, and she has mastered the Appalachian accent."Andrew Sarris, Village Voice. Coal Miner's Daughter review. March 10, 1980 Spacek also was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the film's soundtrack album. She followed this with her own country album, Hangin' Up My Heart (1983); spawning one Hit song, "Lonely but Only for You," a song written by K. T. Oslin, which reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Joel Whitburn's Music Yearbook (1983) p. 154
In John Byrum's romantic drama film Heart Beat (1980), Spacek portrayed Carolyn Cassady, who—under the influence of Jack Kerouac (John Heard) and Neal Cassady (Nick Nolte)—slips into a combination of drudgery and debauchery. Spacek was so adamant about getting the role that she pored through over 4,000 pages of research to prepare for her character. Byrum and producer Ed Pressman took her to dinner to advise her that she did not have the role. Spacek was so distraught at the news that she shattered a glass of wine in her hand. After that, Pressman walked up to her with a piece of shattered glass and told her she had the role. He said that Spacek breaking the glass clinched the deal, and they believed she ultimately would best suit the part. The film was released on April 25, 1980, to mixed reviews. Ebert called Spacek's performance "wonderfully played", and her scenes with Heard and Nolte "almost poetic".
Spacek had a supporting role as the wife of Jim Garrison (played by Kevin Costner) in Oliver Stone's epic political thriller film JFK (1991) and made a number of comedies and television films. She played Verena Talbo in Charles Matthau's comedy drama film The Grass Harp (1995), which reunited her with both Lemmon and Piper Laurie. Spacek lent a supporting role as the waitress Margie Fogg in Paul Schrader's neo-noir crime drama film Affliction (1997). She also played Rose Straight in David Lynch's biographical road drama film The Straight Story (1999) and the mother of Brendan Fraser's character in Hugh Wilson's romantic comedy fantasy adventure film Blast from the Past (1999).
Spacek began the 2000s with critical acclaim for her performance as Ruth Fowler, a grieving mother consumed by revenge, in Todd Field's drama film In the Bedroom, which was released in 2001. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said of her work in the film: "Ms. Spacek's performance is as devastating as it is unflashy. With the slight tightening of her neck muscles and a downward twitch of her mouth, she conveys her character's relentlessness, then balances it with enough sweetness to make Ruth seem entirely human. It is one of Ms. Spacek's greatest performances." She earned a sixth nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which established her as the eighth and most recent actress to be nominated for at least six leading role Oscars. She additionally won the New York Film Critics Circle Award and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, as well as the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, among others. Spacek starred in Jay Russell's romantic fantasy drama film Tuck Everlasting (2002). That same year, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald in the Showtime film Last Call (2002).
In 2012, Spacek published her memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, with co-author Maryanne Vollers. The Washington Post Jen Chaney called it "refreshingly down-to-earth" and "beautifully written", adding that Spacek's description of her childhood is so "evocative that one can almost taste the sour stalks of goatweed she chewed on steamy summer afternoons." Jay Stafford of Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that, unlike other actors' autobiographies, Spacek's "benefits from good writing and remarkable frankness." Margaret Moser of The Austin Chronicle wrote that Spacek's memoir is "as easy to read as it is a pleasure to digest." Biographile Kirkus Reviews was less appreciative, calling it "an average memoir" and "overly detailed" while criticizing its lack of "narrative arc", but complimented Spacek for being "truly down-to-earth." Kirkus added that "the book is 'ordinary' and does not have enough drama to engage readers not directly interested in Spacek and her work" and is "for diehard movie buffs and Spacek fans only."
Spacek became the first actor to appear in a film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in each of the four most recent decades. Each film was released near the beginning of its decade: Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Missing (1982), JFK (1991), In the Bedroom (2001) and The Help (2011). Spacek appeared in the crime drama film Deadfall (2012). She also co-starred with Robert Redford in his next-to-last role before his retirement in David Lowery's biographical crime film The Old Man & the Gun (2018), which received largely positive reviews from critics. Spacek also had starring roles in a variety of television series in the late 2010s. She played matriarch Sally Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline, which aired from 2015 to 2017; Ruth Deaver in the Hulu series Castle Rock (2018), which intertwines characters and themes from King's fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine; and Ellen Bergman, the mother of Julia Roberts's character, in the Amazon Prime Video series Homecoming (2018). Spacek co-starred alongside Dustin Hoffman in Darren Le Gallo's directorial debut Sam & Kate (2022). That same year, she acted in the Amazon Prime Video series Night Sky, acting opposite J. K. Simmons. Despite positive reviews, the series was cancelled after its first season.
1982–2003: Established actress
In 1982, Spacek starred alongside Jack Lemmon in Costa-Gavras's biographical thriller drama film Missing (based on the book The Execution of Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice by Thomas Hauser). She co-starred with Mel Gibson in Mark Rydell's drama film The River (1984), and with Diane Keaton and Jessica Lange in Bruce Beresford's black comedy drama film Crimes of the Heart (1986). Spacek was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for all these roles, and won her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for the latter. Other performances of the decade included star turns in husband Jack Fisk's directorial debut Raggedy Man (1981) and Tom Moore's drama film
2004–present: Professional expansion
Spacek played unfaithful wife Ruth in Rodrigo García's drama film Nine Lives (2005) and a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease in the television film Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007). She played a supporting role in Seth Gordon's comedy film Four Christmases (2008) and the lead role in the drama film Lake City (2008). Spacek appeared in the HBO series Big Love for a multi-episode arc as a powerful Washington, D.C. lobbyist and earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She narrated the 2005 audiobook of Stephen King's 1974 novel Carrie. In 2006, Spacek narrated Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), which sold over 30 million copies. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. That same year, Spacek appeared in Tate Taylor's period drama film The Help, whose ensemble cast, including Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain and Allison Janney, received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Personal life
Spacek married production designer and art director Jack Fisk in 1974, after they met on the set of Badlands. They have two daughters: Schuyler Fisk, who was born on July 8, 1982, and Madison Fisk, who was born on September 21, 1988. Schuyler has followed in her mother's footsteps as both an actress and a singer. Spacek and her family moved to a farm near Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1982.
Filmography
Film
1972 Prime Cut Poppy Film debut 1973 Badlands Holly Sargis 1974 Ginger in the Morning Ginger Phantom of the Paradise Set dresser 1976 Carrie Carrie White Welcome to L.A. Linda Murray 1977 3 Women Pinky Rose 1980 Coal Miner's Daughter Loretta Lynn Heart Beat Carolyn Cassady 1981 Raggedy Man Nita Longley 1982 Missing Joyce Horman 1983 The Man with Two Brains Anne Uumellmahaye (voice) Uncredited 1984 The River Mae Garvey 1985 Marie Marie Ragghianti 1986 Violets Are Blue Augusta "Gussie" Sawyer 'night, Mother Jessie Cates Crimes of the Heart Babe Magrath Botrelle 1990 The Long Walk Home Miriam Thompson 1991 Hard Promises Christine Ann Coalter JFK Liz Garrison 1994 Trading Mom Mrs. Martin and various roles 1995 The Grass Harp Verena Talbo 1997 Affliction Margie Fogg 1999 Blast from the Past Helen Thomas Webber The Straight Story Rose "Rosie" Straight 2001 In the Bedroom Ruth Fowler Midwives Sibyl Danforth 2002 Tuck Everlasting Mae Tuck 2003 A Decade Under the Influence Herself Documentary 2004 A Home at the End of the World Alice Glover 2005 Nine Lives Ruth The Ring Two Evelyn Borden (née Osorio) North Country Alice Aimes An American Haunting Lucy Bell 2007 Gray Matters Sydney Hot Rod Marie Powell Pictures of Hollis Woods Josie Cahill 2008 Lake City Maggie Four Christmases Paula 2009 Get Low Mattie Darrow 2011 The Help Mrs. Walters 2012 Deadfall June Mills 2016 River of Gold Narrator (voice) Documentary 2018 The Old Man & the Gun Jewel 2022 Sam & Kate Tina 2025 Die, My Love Pam
Television
1973 Love, American Style Teri Episode: "Love and the Older Lover" The Girls of Huntington House Sara Television film The Waltons Sarah Jane Simmonds Episodes: "The Townie", "The Odyssey" The Rookies Barbara Tabnor Episode: "Sound of Silence" 1974 The Migrants Wanda Trimpin Television film 1975 Katherine Katherine Alman 1978 Verna Vane 1992 A Private Matter Sherri Finkbine Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories Narrator Season 1 Episode 4 1994 A Place for Annie Susan Lansing Television film 1995 The Good Old Boys Spring Renfro Streets of Laredo Lorena Parker 3 episodes 1996 Beyond the Call Pam O'Brien Television film If These Walls Could Talk Barbara Barrows Television film; segment: "1974" 2000 Songs in Ordinary Time Marie Fermoyle Television film 2002 Last Call Zelda Fitzgerald 2009 Narrator (voice) 4 episodes 2010 Gimme Shelter Adrienne Nourse Pilot 2010–2011 Big Love Marilyn Densham 5 episodes 2015–2017 Bloodline Sally Rayburn 33 episodes 2018 Castle Rock Ruth Deaver 8 episodes Homecoming Ellen Bergman 6 episodes 2022 Night Sky Irene York 8 episodes 2025 Dying for Sex Gail Miniseries
Music video
2018 "Oh Baby" LCD Soundsystem
Discography
Albums
1983 Hangin' Up My Heart 17 Atlantic Records
Singles
1980 "Coal Miner's Daughter" 24 — 7 Coal Miner's Daughter (Soundtrack) "Back in Baby's Arms" — — 71 1983 "Lonely but Only for You" 15 10 13 Hangin' Up My Heart 1984 "If I Can Just Get Through the Night" 57 — 41 "If You Could Only See Me Now" 79 — —
Awards and nominations
See also
Further reading
External links
Categories: 1949 Births, 20th-century American Actresses, 21st-century American Actresses, Actors Studio Alumni, Actresses From Texas, American Film Actresses, American People Of German Bohemian Descent, American People Of English Descent, American People Of Irish Descent, American People Of Moravian Descent, Atlantic Records Artists, Best Actress Academy Award Winners, Best Drama Actress Golden Globe Winners, Best Musical Or Comedy Actress Golden Globe Winners, Independent Spirit Award For Best Female Lead Winners, Lee Strasberg Theatre And Film Institute Alumni, Living People, People From Quitman, Texas, Sundance Film Festival Award Winners
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