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