Sissy Spacek

Acting

Sissy Spacek

Born December 25, 1949Quitman, Texas, USA96 credits

Mary Elizabeth 'Sissy' Spacek (born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four British Academy Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. Born and raised in Texas, she initially aspired to a career as a recording artist. In 1968, at age 18, she recorded a single, "John, You Went Too Far This Time," under the name Rainbo. She began her professional acting career in the early 1970s, making her debut as an extra in Andy Warhol's Women in Revolt (1971). Her breakout role came with Terrence Malick's influential crime film Badlands (1973), which earned her a nomination for the British Academy Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles. She rose to international prominence with her portrayal of Carrie White in Brian De Palma's horror film Carrie (1976), for which she received her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. After appearing in the acclaimed films Welcome to L.A. (1976) and Robert Altman's 3 Women (1977), she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Loretta Lynn in the biographical musical film Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). Her other Oscar-nominated roles include Missing (1982), The River (1984), Crimes of the Heart (1986), and In the Bedroom (2001). Her other prominent films include Raggedy Man (1981), JFK (1991), Affliction (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Tuck Everlasting (2002), Nine Lives (2005), North Country (2005), Four Christmases (2008), Get Low (2010), The Help (2011), and The Old Man & the Gun (2018). She received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the television films The Good Old Boys (1995) and Last Call (2002), and for her guest role on the HBO drama series Big Love (2011). She portrayed matriarch Sally Rayburn on the Netflix drama thriller series Bloodline (2015–2017), Ruth Deaver on the Hulu psychological horror series Castle Rock (2018), and Ellen Bergman on the Amazon Prime Video psychological thriller series Homecoming (2018). She has also ventured into music, and recorded vocals for the soundtrack album of Coal Miner's Daughter, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and garnered her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She released a studio album, Hangin' Up My Heart (1983), which was critically well-received and peaked at number 17 on Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Known For

Filmography

Love Letter to Texas
2026Love Letter to Texas
as NarratorMovie
Die My Love
2025Die My Love
as PamMovie
Henry Fonda for President
2025Henry Fonda for President
as Self (archive footage)Movie
Sam & Kate
2022Sam & Kate
as TinaMovie
Night Sky
2022Night Sky
as Irene YorkTV
Without Getting Killed or Caught
2021Without Getting Killed or Caught
as Narrator / Voice of Susanna Clark (voice)Movie
Homecoming
2018Homecoming
as Ellen BergmanTV
Castle Rock
2018Castle Rock
as Ruth DeaverTV
HyperNormalisation
2016HyperNormalisation
as Self (archive footage)Movie
River of Gold
2016River of Gold
as NarratorMovie
Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
2016Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
as Self / Loretta LynnMovie
Bloodline
2015Bloodline
as Sally RayburnTV
Deadfall
2012Deadfall
as JuneMovie
The Help
2011The Help
as Missus WaltersMovie
Get Low
2010Get Low
as Mattie DarrowMovie
Lake City
2008Lake City
as MaggieMovie
Pictures of Hollis Woods
2007Pictures of Hollis Woods
as Josie CahillMovie
Hot Rod
2007Hot Rod
as Marie PowellMovie
Gray Matters
2007Gray Matters
as Dr. SydneyMovie
Big Love
2006Big Love
as Marilyn DenshamTV
Nine Lives
2005Nine Lives
as RuthMovie
An American Haunting
2005An American Haunting
as Lucy BellMovie
The Ring Two
2005The Ring Two
as EvelynMovie
North Country
2005North Country
as Alice AimesMovie
Tuck Everlasting
2002Tuck Everlasting
as Mae TuckMovie
Last Call
2002Last Call
as Zelda FitzgeraldMovie
In the Bedroom
2001In the Bedroom
as Ruth FowlerMovie
Visualizing 'Carrie'
2001Visualizing 'Carrie'
as Self (archive footage)Movie
Midwives
2001Midwives
as Sibyl DanforthMovie
Songs In Ordinary Time
2000Songs In Ordinary Time
as Marie FermoyleMovie
The Rage: Carrie 2
1999The Rage: Carrie 2
as Carrie White (archive footage) (uncredited)Movie
Affliction
1998Affliction
as Margie FoggMovie
The View
1997The View
as SelfTV
The Grass Harp
1996The Grass Harp
as Verena TalboMovie
If These Walls Could Talk
1996If These Walls Could Talk
as Barbara BarrowsMovie
Beyond the Call
1996Beyond the Call
as Pam O'BrienMovie
Thomas Jefferson: A View from the Mountain
1995Thomas Jefferson: A View from the Mountain
as Martha Jefferson Randolph (voice)TV
The Good Old Boys
1995The Good Old Boys
as Spring RenfroMovie
A Place for Annie
1994A Place for Annie
as Susan LansingMovie
Trading Mom
1994Trading Mom
as Mommy / Mama / Mom / NatashaMovie
A Private Matter
1992A Private Matter
as Sherri FinkbineMovie
Hard Promises
1992Hard Promises
as Christine Ann CoalterMovie
Fonda on Fonda
1992Fonda on Fonda
as Self - The 53rd Annual Academy Awards (archive footage)Movie
JFK
1991JFK
as Liz GarrisonMovie
T
1991The Talking Eggs
as Narrator (voice)Movie
Voices That Care
1991Voices That Care
as Self - Choir MemberMovie
The Long Walk Home
1990The Long Walk Home
as Miriam ThompsonMovie
Crimes of the Heart
1986Crimes of the Heart
as Babe MagrathMovie
'night, Mother
1986'night, Mother
as Jessie CatesMovie
Violets Are Blue
1986Violets Are Blue
as Augusta "Gussie" SawyerMovie
Marie: A True Story
1985Marie: A True Story
as Marie RagghiantiMovie
The River
1984The River
as Mae GarveyMovie
The Man with Two Brains
1983The Man with Two Brains
as Anne Uumellmahaye (uncredited) (voice)Movie
Missing
1982Missing
as Beth HormanMovie
Raggedy Man
1981Raggedy Man
as NitaMovie
Heart Beat
1980Heart Beat
as Carolyn CassadyMovie
Coal Miner's Daughter
1980Coal Miner's Daughter
as Loretta LynnMovie
Verna: USO Girl
1978Verna: USO Girl
as Verna VaneMovie
3 Women
19773 Women
as Mildred "Pinky" RoseMovie
Welcome to L.A.
1976Welcome to L.A.
as Linda MurrayMovie
Carrie
1976Carrie
as CarrieMovie
Saturday Night Live
1975Saturday Night Live
as Self - HostTV
Katherine
1975Katherine
as Katherine AlmanMovie
Ginger in the Morning
1974Ginger in the Morning
as Ginger BrownMovie
The Migrants
1974The Migrants
as Wanda TrimpinMovie
Badlands
1974Badlands
as Holly SargisMovie
Prime Cut
1972Prime Cut
as PoppyMovie
Great Performances
1971Great Performances
as Verna VaneTV
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame
as Susan LansingTV