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Sissy Spacek

Sissy Spacek has been one of the industry's most respected actresses for more than three decades. Her many honors include an Academy Award, five additional Oscar nominations, three Golden Globe Awards and numerous critics awards.

She first gained the attention of critics and audiences with her performance in Terrence Malick's widely praised 1973 drama Badlands, in which she starred opposite Martin Sheen. In 1976, Spacek earned her first Academy Award nomination and won a National Society of Film Critics Award for her chilling performance in the title role of Brian De Palma's Carrie, based on the Stephen King novel. The following year, she won the New York Film Critics Award for her work in Robert Altman's Three Women.

In 1980, Spacek starred as Loretta Lynn in the acclaimed biopic Coal Miner's Daughter, winning the Oscar and Golden Globe Award for her performance. Spacek also swept the New York Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, National Board of Review, and National Society of Film Critics Awards for her portrayal of the country music legend.

Spacek received another Golden Globe nomination the next year for her work in Raggedy Man, directed by her husband, Jack Fisk. She earned her third Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for her role in Costa-Gavras' 1982 drama Missing, opposite Jack Lemmon, and her fourth Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for her work in 1984's The River, in which she starred with Mel Gibson.

In 1987, Spacek gained her fifth Academy Award nomination and won another Golden Globe and the New York Film Critics Award for her performance in the dark comedy Crimes of the Heart. Her most recent Oscar nomination came for her portrayal of a mother grieving for her murdered son in the drama In the Bedroom, for which she also won a Golden Globe Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and an AFI Film Award for Best Actress. In addition, she garnered Best Actress Awards from a number of critics organizations, including the Los Angeles, New York and Broadcast Film Critics. Her work in In the Bedroom also brought Spacek two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations, one for Outstanding Lead Actress and another for Outstanding Cast, shared with the rest of the film's ensemble.

Spacek's other film credits include A Home at the End of the World, The Straight Story, Blast From the Past, Affliction, The Grass Harp, JFK, The Long Walk Home, 'Night, Mother and Marie. She next stars in Nine Lives, which premieres at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and also has several films upcoming, including An American Haunting.

Spacek has also been honored for her work on the small screen, where she has starred in several highly praised longform projects. She received Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald in Last Call and for her work in Tommy Lee Jones' Western The Good Old Boys, as well as SAG Award nominations for her performances in Midwives and A Place for Annie. Her additional television credits include If These Walls Could Talk, Beyond the Call, Streets of Laredo and A Private Matter.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2005.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Sissy Spacek Facts

Birth NameMary Elizabeth Spacek
OccupationActress
BirthdayDecember 25, 1949 (74)
SignCapricorn
BirthplaceQuitman, Texas, USA
Height5' 2" (1m57)  How tall is Sissy Spacek compared to you?
Awards2002 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (for In the Bedroom)
1987 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (for Crimes of the Heart)
1981 Academy Awards: Best Actress (for Coal Miner's Daughter)
1981 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (for Coal Miner's Daughter)

Selected Filmography

In The Bedroom
Tuck Everlasting
Blast from the Past
Affliction
Hot Rod
Four Christmases
JFK
Coal Miner's Daughter
Disney's Tuck Everlasting
The Straight Story
Continue » Find more details on the Sissy Spacek Movies page