Octavia Spencer
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
Credits
- 2025 · Smurfs as (voice)
- 2025 · My Happy Place as Self
- 2025 · Number One on the Call Sheet as Self
- 2023 · The Santa Stories as Detective Grinchauser
- 2022 · The Jennifer Hudson Show as Self
- 2020 · Roald Dahl's The Witches as Grandma
- 2020 · Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker as Madam C. J. Walker
- 2020 · Onward as The Manticore (voice)
- 2020 · Dolittle as Dab-Dab (voice)
- 2019 · Truth Be Told as Poppy Parnell
- 2019 · Truth Be Told as Poppy Scoville
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as
- 2019 · Ma as Sue Ann
- 2018 · Instant Family as Karen
- 2017 · The Shape of Water as Zelda Fuller
- 2017 · Young Sheldon as Officer Rhonda Tomasson
- 2017 · Gifted as Roberta Taylor
- 2017 · The Shack as Papa / Elouisa
- 2016 · Hidden Figures as Dorothy Vaughan
- 2016 · Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party as Team Martha
- 2016 · To Tell the Truth as Self - Panelist
- 2016 · Zootopia as Mrs. Otterton (voice)
- 2015 · Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- 2015 · Insurgent as Johanna Reyes
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · black-ish as Octavia Spencer
- 2014 · Red Band Society as Nurse Jackson
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- 2014 · Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
- 2013 · Mom as Regina Tompkins
- 2013 · Snowpiercer as Tanya
- 2013 · Drunk History as Harriet Tubman
- 2011 · The Help as Minny Jackson
- 2009 · Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- 2009 · Drag Me to Hell as Bank Co-Worker
- 2009 · Dollhouse as Professor Janack
- 2008 · Raising the Bar as Arvina Watkins
- 2007 · Wizards of Waverly Place as Dr. Evilini
- 2007 · The Big Bang Theory as Octavia
- 2007 · Halfway Home as
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2006 · 30 Rock as Octavia Spencer
- 2006 · Ugly Betty as Constance Grady
- 2006 · Standoff as Rapid Air Clerk
- 2006 · The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman as
- 2005 · American Dad! as Shonteeva (voice)
- 2005 · Coach Carter as Mrs. Battle
- 2005 · The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- 2005 · Medium as Jurist
- 2004 · CSI: NY as Child Welfare Rep
- 2004 · LAX as Flight Attendant
- 2003 · The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- 2003 · S.W.A.T. as Neighbor in Alley
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2002 · Presidio Med as
- 2002 · Spider-Man as Check-In Girl
- 2001 · The Chronicle as Ruby Rydell
- 2001 · Grounded for Life as
- 2000 · CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sherry
- 2000 · Titus as
- 2000 · Malcolm in the Middle as Cashier
- 1999 · Roswell as Nurse
- 1998 · Becker as Ticket Woman
- 1998 · Brimstone as Duty Nurse
- 1998 · L.A. Doctors as
- 1997 · Dharma & Greg as Gloria
- 1997 · Just Shoot Me! as Nurse
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1996 · Moesha as
- 1994 · ER as Maria Jones
- 1994 · Chicago Hope as
- 1993 · The X-Files as Nurse
- 1981 · Entertainment Tonight as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self - Presenter
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Elegant guest
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Waitress
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Hildy
- Future · Ride or Die as Debbie
- 2025 · Family Recipe Showdown as Host
- 2025 · Tow as
- 2024 · Becoming bell hooks as Self
- 2023 · Lost Women of Highway 20 as Host
- 2022 · Spirited as Kimberly
- 2022 · Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter as Self
- 2022 · The Quest for Sleep as Narrator
- 2021 · Encounter as Hattie Hayes
- 2021 · Thunder Force as Emily Stanton
- 2020 · Superintelligence as Octavia Spencer (voice)
- 2019 · Luce as Harriet Wilson
- 2019 · HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé as Self
- 2018 · A Kid Like Jake as Judy
- 2018 · Small Town Crime as Kelly Banks
- 2017 · Car Dogs as Mrs. Barrett
- 2016 · Bad Santa 2 as Opal
- 2016 · The Free World as Linda Workman
- 2016 · Allegiant as Johanna Reyes
- 2015 · The Great Gilly Hopkins as Miss Harris
- 2015 · Fathers and Daughters as Dr. Corman
- 2014 · Black or White as Rowena Jeffers
- 2014 · Get on Up as Aunt Honey
- 2013 · Jesus People as Angel Angelique
- 2013 · Paradise as Loray
- 2013 · Lost on Purpose as Nurse Keller
- 2013 · Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters as Martha (voice)
- 2013 · Fruitvale Station as Wanda
- 2013 · Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy as Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · Call Me Crazy: A Five Film as Dr. Nance
- 2012 · Blues for Willadean as LeSonia Robinson
- 2012 · Smashed as Jenny
- 2011 · Flypaper as Madge Wiggins
- 2011 · Just Peck as Detention Teacher
- 2010 · Peep World as Alison
- 2010 · Love and Distrust as Rhonda (segment "Auto Motives")
- 2010 · Dinner for Schmucks as Madame Nora
- 2010 · Small Town Saturday Night as Rhonda Dooley
- 2009 · Herpes Boy as Rochelle
- 2009 · Halloween II as Nurse Daniels
- 2009 · The Soloist as Troubled Woman
- 2009 · Love at First Hiccup as Mrs. Hambrick
- 2008 · Seven Pounds as Kate the Home Health Care Nurse
- 2008 · Pretty Ugly People as Mary
- 2008 · The Spleenectomy as Nurse
- 2008 · Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School as Dr. Evilini
- 2007 · Cavemen as
- 2007 · The Nines as Streetwalker
- 2006 · Pulse as Landlady
- 2006 · Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School as Ayisha Lebaron
- 2005 · Beauty Shop as Big Customer
- 2005 · Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous as Middle-Aged Woman
- 2005 · Pretty Persuasion as Woman
- 2004 · Breakin' All the Rules as Stylist
- 2004 · Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! as Janine
- 2003 · Bad Santa as Opal
- 2003 · Chicken Party as Laqueta Mills
- 2003 · Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde as Security Guard
- 2003 · Sol Goode as Unemployment Clerk
- 2002 · Little John as Waitress
- 2001 · Everything Put Together as Nurse B
- 2001 · The Sky is Falling as Nurse #2
- 2001 · Follow the Stars Home as Hildy
- 2001 · The Journeyman as Black Belly
- 2001 · Missing Pieces as Elegant Guest (as Octavia L. Spencer)
- 2000 · Four Dogs Playing Poker as Waitress
- 2000 · American Virgin as Agnes Large
- 2000 · Big Momma's House as Twila
- 2000 · What Planet Are You From? as Baby Nurse
- 1999 · Being John Malkovich as Woman in Elevator
- 1999 · Blue Streak as Shawna
- 1999 · Never Been Kissed as Cynthia
- 1999 · Lansky as Evelyn
- Future · The Heart as
- 1997 · Sparkler as Wanda
- 1997 · The 6th Man as Nativity Watson
- Future · Ma 2 as Sue Ann
- Future · Nobody Nothing Nowhere as
- 1996 · Valley Girls as Cheerleader
- 1996 · A Time to Kill as Roark's Nurse
- Future · Untitled Holiday Comedy Project as