Octavia Spencer
Acting

Octavia Spencer

May 25, 1970 (55 years old) Montgomery, Alabama, USA

Also known as: Octavia L. Spencer, Octavia Lenora Spencer

Biography

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

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

2009 • TV

The X-Files

The X-Files

1993 • TV

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

2000 • TV

The Daily Show

The Daily Show

1996 • TV

Zootopia

Zootopia

2016 • Movie

Spider-Man

Spider-Man

2002 • Movie

Movie Credits (56)

Acting

2016

Zootopia

as Mrs. Otterton (voice)

2002

Spider-Man

as Check-In Girl

2013

Snowpiercer

as Tanya

2025

Smurfs

as Asmodius (voice)

2011

The Help

as Minny Jackson

2013

Fruitvale Station

as Wanda

2009

Drag Me to Hell

as Bank Co-Worker

2026

Tow

as Barb

1997

Sparkler

as Wanda

2007

The Nines

as Streetwalker

2015

Insurgent

as Johanna Reyes

2000

Big Momma's House

as Twila

2008

The Spleenectomy

as Nurse

2008

Seven Pounds

as Kate the Home Health Care Nurse

2005

Coach Carter

as Mrs. Battle

2009

Halloween II

as Nurse Daniels

2005

Beauty Shop

as Big Customer

2017

The Shack

as Papa / Elouisa

1999

Being John Malkovich

as Woman in Elevator

2004

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

as Janine

Crew

Nobody Nothing Nowhere

Producer

2018

Small Town Crime

Executive Producer

2017

Candid

Executive Producer

2018

Green Book

Executive Producer

2019

Ma

Executive Producer

Death of a Salesman

Producer

TV Credits (54)

Acting

2009

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

as Self - Guest

2 episodes

1993

The X-Files

as Nurse

1 episodes

2000

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

as Sherry

1 episodes

1996

The Daily Show

as Self

1 episodes

2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

as Self

1 episodes

2014

Late Night with Seth Meyers

as Self

1 episodes

2019

The Kelly Clarkson Show

as Self

1 episodes

1975

Saturday Night Live

as Self - Host

1 episodes

1994

ER

as Maria Jones

1 episodes

2005

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

as Self

1 episodes

2007

The Big Bang Theory

as Octavia

1 episodes

2013

Mom

as Regina Tompkins

9 episodes

2000

Malcolm in the Middle

as Cashier

1 episodes

2006

30 Rock

as Octavia Spencer

1 episodes

2004

CSI: NY

as Child Welfare Rep

1 episodes

2022

The Jennifer Hudson Show

as Self

2 episodes

2005

Medium

as Jurist

1 episodes

1994

Chicago Hope

as Nurse Jane

1 episodes

2014

black-ish

as Octavia Spencer

1 episodes

2003

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

as Self

2 episodes

Crew

2019

Truth Be Told

Executive Producer

2020

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

Executive Producer

2023

Lost Women of Highway 20

Executive Producer

Ride or Die

Executive Producer

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
May 25, 1970 (55 years old)
Place of Birth
Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Popularity
3.1

Career Stats

56
Movies
54
TV Shows