Octavia Spencer
98 movies · 39 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 25, 1970 (age 56)
- Place of birth
- 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).
Read the full biography
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).
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Known for
Octavia Spencer: movies and TV shows
Acting (134)
- Upcoming Margie Claus
as (voice)
- Upcoming
- Upcoming
- Upcoming
- Upcoming Ma 2
as Sue Ann
- Upcoming Death of a Salesman
as Linda Loman
- Upcoming Deck the Y'alls
as Gladys Gibbes
- 2026
- 2026 Tow
as Barbara
- 2025 Smurfs
as Asmodius (voice)
- 2023
- 2022 Spirited
as Kimberly
- 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
- 2020 Onward
as The Manticore (voice)
- 2020 Dolittle
as Dab-Dab (voice)
- 2019
- 2019 Luce
as Harriet Wilson
- 2019 Ma
as Sue Ann
- 2018 Instant Family
as Karen
- 2018 A Kid Like Jake
as Judy
- 2018 Small Town Crime
as Kelly Banks
- 2017 The Shape of Water
as Zelda Fuller
- 2017
- 2017 Gifted
as Roberta Taylor
- 2017 The Shack
as Papa / Elouisa
- 2016 Hidden Figures
as Dorothy Vaughan
- 2016 Bad Santa 2
as Opal
- 2016 The Free World
as Linda Workman
- 2016 Car Dogs
as Mrs. Barrett
- 2016 Allegiant
as Johanna Reyes
- 2016 Zootopia
as Mrs. Otterton (voice)
- 2015 The Great Gilly Hopkins
as Miss Harris
- 2015 Fathers and Daughters
as Dr. Corman
- 2015 Insurgent
as Johanna Reyes
- 2015 Black or White
as Rowena Jeffers
- 2014
- 2014
- 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
- 2013 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
as Martha (voice)
- 2013 Snowpiercer
as Tanya
- 2013 Fruitvale Station
as Wanda
- 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 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 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 Drag Me to Hell
as Bank Co-Worker
- 2009 The Soloist
as Troubled Woman
- 2009
- 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
- 2008 Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School
as Dr. Evilini
- 2007
- 2007
- 2007
- 2007
- 2007 The Nines
as Streetwalker
- 2006
- 2006
- 2006
- 2006 Pulse
as Landlady
- 2006
- 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
- 2005 Pretty Persuasion
as Woman
- 2005 Coach Carter
as Mrs. Battle
- 2005
- 2004
- 2004
- 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 S.W.A.T.
as Neighbor in Alley
- 2003 Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
as Security Guard
- 2003 Sol Goode
as Unemployment Clerk
- 2002
- 2002 Little John
as Waitress
- 2002 Spider-Man
as Check-In Girl
- 2001 Everything Put Together
as Nurse B
- 2001
- 2001 The Sky is Falling
as Nurse #2
- 2001 Follow the Stars Home
as Hildy
- 2001 The Journeyman
as Black Belly
- 2001
- 2001 Missing Pieces
as Elegant Guest (as Octavia L. Spencer)
- 2000
- 2000 Four Dogs Playing Poker
as Waitress
- 2000 American Virgin
as Agnes Large
- 2000 Big Momma's House
as Twila
- 2000
- 2000 Auto Motives
as Rhonda
- 2000 What Planet Are You From?
as Baby Nurse
- 2000
- 1999 Being John Malkovich
as Woman in Elevator
- 1999
- 1999 Blue Streak
as Shawna
- 1999 Never Been Kissed
as Cynthia
- 1999 Lansky
as Evelyn
- 1998
- 1998
- 1998
- 1997 Sparkler
as Wanda
- 1997
- 1997 The 6th Man
as Nativity Watson
- 1997
- 1996 Valley Girls
as Cheerleader
- 1996 A Time to Kill
as Roark's Nurse
- 1996
- 1994
- 1994
- 1993
- 1951
Behind the camera (13)
- Upcoming Nobody Nothing Nowhere
Producer
- Upcoming Death of a Salesman
Producer
- 2026
- 2026 Tow
Executive Producer
- 2023
- 2020
- 2019
- 2019 Ma
Executive Producer
- 2018 Green Book
Executive Producer
- 2018 Small Town Crime
Executive Producer
- 2017 Candid
Executive Producer
- 2013 Fruitvale Station
Co-Executive Producer
- 1996 The Grass Harp
Extras Casting
Talk shows and appearances (30)
- 2026 Lost Women of Alaska
3 episodes
- 2025 Family Recipe Showdown
8 episodes
- 2025 My Happy Place
6 episodes
- 2025 Number One on the Call Sheet
1 episode
- 2024 Hollywood Black
4 episodes
- 2024
- 2022
- 2022 The Jennifer Hudson Show
3 episodes
- 2019 The Kelly Clarkson Show
3 episodes
- 2019
- 2016 Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party
1 episode
- 2016 To Tell the Truth
1 episode
- 2015 Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
1 episode
- 2015 The Late Late Show with James Corden
1 episode
- 2014 Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
1 episode
- 2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers
1 episode
- 2014 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2 episodes
- 2014 Off Camera with Sam Jones
1 episode
- 2013 Drunk History
1 episode
- 2013
- 2009 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
3 episodes
- 2007 The Graham Norton Show
4 episodes
- 2005 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
1 episode
- 2003 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
3 episodes
- 2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live!
6 episodes
- 1997 The View
2 episodes
- 1996 The Daily Show
1 episode
- 1981 Entertainment Tonight
1 episode
- 1975 Saturday Night Live
1 episode
- 1953 The Oscars
1 episode