Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer | |
|---|---|
 Octavia Spencer, May 2005 | |
| Born | Octavia Lenora Spencer May 25, 1970 (age 42) |
| Alma mater | Auburn University |
| Occupation | Actress |
Octavia Lenora Spencer[1] (born May 25, 1970)[2][3][4] is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Minny, the outspoken maid in the 2011 film, The Help, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades including the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
Early life and education
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, she is the sixth of seven children. Her mother worked as a maid.[5] Spencer graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in 1988,[6][7] spent two years at Auburn Montgomery[8] studying drama (1988–89), and received a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Auburn University.[9]
Career
At 16, she worked as an intern on the set of The Long Walk Home, a film starring Whoopi Goldberg.[10]
Spencer made her film debut as a nurse in Joel Schumacher's A Time to Kill based on the book by John Grisham. She was originally hired to work on casting, but asked Schumacher if she could audition for a small part.[11] Other film credits include: Never Been Kissed, Big Momma's House, Bad Santa, Spider-Man, Coach Carter, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and Pretty Ugly People. She has made a number of guest appearances on a myriad of hit series including: Raising the Bar, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Big Bang Theory, Wizards of Waverly Place, NYPD Blue, Grounded for Life, ER, Titus, Becker and Dharma & Greg. However, she is best known for her starring roles as Serenity Johnson on Comedy Central's Halfway Home, and Constance Grady, the amorous INS caseworker on Ugly Betty.
In 2003, she made her stage debut in Los Angeles, in Del Shores' award-winning play, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, starring opposite veteran actress Beth Grant. It was her first and only play, as she told Back Stage Magazine that she suffers from "stage fright."[12] Later that year, she starred opposite Emmy Award-winner Allison Janney in Tate Taylor's critically lauded and award-winning short feature, Chicken Party.
In 2008, Spencer's brief appearance in Seven Pounds as Kate, Rosario Dawson's home care nurse, garnered her high praise and media attention.[13]
In April 2009, Entertainment Weekly listed Spencer in its list of 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood.[14]
In August 2009, Spencer appeared in Rob Zombie's Halloween II. She also had a role in the American remake of the Danish classic Love at First Hiccup opposite Scout Taylor-Compton. Spencer starred in the hit web series-turned feature film Herpes Boy alongside Beth Grant, Ahna O'Reilly, and Byron Lane; and, can be heard as the voice of "Minny" on the audio version of The Help, the award-winning "New York Times Best Seller" by Kathryn Stockett. Later that year, Spencer's short film The Captain was honored by the CICFF as a finalist for the coveted REEL Poetry Award.
In August 2010, Spencer joined Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard in DreamWorks' production of The Help. She played the feisty and unflappable domestic, "Minny Jackson." The film was directed by Tate Taylor, and produced by Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, and Mark Radcliffe. Her role garnered her critical acclaim, and started buzz for various awards nominations. She won the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her work in The Help.[15]
On February 12, 2012 she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her Performance in The Help, and on February 26 she won the Academy Award/Best Supporting Actress for the same performance; making it her first Oscar nomination and first win.
Filmography
- Films & Television
References
- ^ http://www.wsfa.com/story/17021650/octavia-spencer-before-she-was-a-star
- ^ http://ryan.kiisfm.com/pages/ryansrecap.html?feed=152739&article=9703554
- ^ http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/22/10481384-octavia-spencer-planning-a-little-post-oscars-lift
- ^ http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/feb/22/octavia-spencers-surprising-post-oscars-splurge/
- ^ Calkin, Jessamy (July 16, 2009). "The maid's tale: Kathryn Stockett examines slavery and racism in America's Deep South". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110814/NEWS/110819872
- ^ Carlton, Bob (August 7, 2011). "Montgomery actress Octavia Spencer may become a star with The Help". The Birmingham News. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
- ^ http://www.comedycentral.com/press/bios/octaviaspencer.jhtml?series=80439 Comedycentral.com Retrieved on 04-19-7
- ^ Dreier, Peter (February 27, 2012). "Will The Help's Oscar Revive Interest in The Long Walk Home?". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ Riley, Jenelle (April 5, 2005). "Octavia Spencer: The Quip Queen". allbusiness.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ Riley, Jenelle (August 8, 2011). "How Octavia Spencer Landed the Role of a Lifetime". backstage.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ Rosen, Lisa (February 4, 2009). "Big impressions in brief roles". theenvelope.latimes.com. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- ^ "Octavia Spencer – The 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood". ew.com. April 13, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- ^ "Could Viola Davis, Emma Stone & Octavia Spencer Get Oscar Nods for 'The Help'?" from iVillage website
External links
- Octavia Spencer at IMDb
- Octavia Spencer biography – Comedy Central
- "Perfect Casting", BlogStage, Back Stage magazine, May 2010
- Riley, Jenelle, "Octavia Spencer: The quip queen", AllBusiness.com
- 1970 births
- Actors from Alabama
- African-American film actors
- African-American television actors
- Auburn University alumni
- Auburn Montgomery alumni
- Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Living people
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from Montgomery, Alabama
- Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners