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 · Number One on the Call Sheet as Self
- 2023 · The Santa Stories as Detective Grinchauser
- 2023 · Lost Women of Highway 20 as Host
- 2022 · Spirited as Kimberly
- 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 · Small Town Crime as Kelly Banks
- 2016 · Bad Santa 2 as Opal
- 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 · Paradise as Loray
- 2013 · Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters as Martha (voice)
- 2013 · Fruitvale Station as Wanda
- 2012 · Smashed as Jenny
- 2011 · Flypaper as Madge Wiggins
- 2010 · Dinner for Schmucks as Madame Nora
- 2009 · Halloween II as Nurse Daniels
- 2009 · The Soloist as Troubled Woman
- 2007 · Halfway Home as
- 2007 · The Nines as Streetwalker
- 2006 · Standoff as Rapid Air Clerk
- 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
- 2004 · Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! as Janine
- 2003 · Bad Santa as Opal
- 2001 · The Chronicle as Ruby Rydell
- 1999 · Never Been Kissed as Cynthia
- Future · Ride or Die as Debbie
- 2025 · Tow as
- 2025 · My Happy Place as Self
- 2024 · Becoming bell hooks as Self
- 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
- 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
- 2018 · A Kid Like Jake as Judy
- 2017 · The Shape of Water as Zelda Fuller
- 2017 · Young Sheldon as Officer Rhonda Tomasson
- 2017 · Gifted as Roberta Taylor
- 2017 · Car Dogs as Mrs. Barrett
- 2017 · The Shack as Papa / Elouisa
- 2016 · Hidden Figures as Dorothy Vaughan
- 2016 · Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party as Team Martha
- 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 · 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 · Jesus People as Angel Angelique
- 2013 · Lost on Purpose as Nurse Keller
- 2013 · The Goldbergs as Felicia (voice)
- 2013 · Mom as Regina Tompkins
- 2013 · Snowpiercer as Tanya
- 2013 · Drunk History as Harriet Tubman
- 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
- 2011 · The Help as Minny Jackson
- 2011 · Just Peck as Detention Teacher
- 2010 · Peep World as Alison
- 2010 · Love and Distrust as Rhonda (segment "Auto Motives")
- 2010 · Small Town Saturday Night as Rhonda Dooley
- 2009 · Herpes Boy as Rochelle
- 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
- 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 · Raising the Bar as Arvina Watkins
- 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 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2006 · 30 Rock as Octavia Spencer
- 2006 · Ugly Betty as Constance Grady
- 2006 · The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman as
- 2005 · American Dad! as Shonteeva (voice)
- 2005 · Pretty Persuasion as Woman
- 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
- 2004 · Breakin' All the Rules as Stylist
- 2003 · Chicken Party as Laqueta Mills
- 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
- 2002 · Presidio Med as
- 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 · Follow the Stars Home as Hildy
- 2001 · The Journeyman as Black Belly
- 2001 · Grounded for Life as
- 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
- 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
- 1999 · Lansky as Evelyn
- 1998 · Becker as Ticket Woman
- 1998 · L.A. Doctors as
- 1997 · Sparkler as Wanda
- 1997 · Dharma & Greg as Gloria
- 1997 · The 6th Man as Nativity Watson
- 1997 · Just Shoot Me! as Nurse
- 1996 · Valley Girls as Cheerleader
- 1996 · A Time to Kill as Roark's 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 · Nobody Nothing Nowhere as
- Future · The Heart as
- Future · Untitled Holiday Comedy Project as