Sissy Spacek

Sissy Spacek

Acting
Born Dec 25, 1949
From Quitman, Texas, USA

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 — Acting

Die My Love
6.2
2025

Die My Love

Pam

The Help
8.2
2011

The Help

Missus Walters

Carrie
7.3
1976

Carrie

Carrie

JFK
7.6
1991

JFK

Liz Garrison

Blast from the Past
6.8
1999

Blast from the Past

Helen

The Ring Two
5.8
2005

The Ring Two

Evelyn

Badlands
7.5
1974

Badlands

Holly Sargis

The Straight Story
7.7
1999

The Straight Story

Rose

In the Bedroom
6.9
2001

In the Bedroom

Ruth Fowler

Deadfall
6.0
2012

Deadfall

June

Hot Rod
6.4
2007

Hot Rod

Marie Powell

Four Christmases
5.8
2008

Four Christmases

Paula

Coal Miner's Daughter
7.2
1980

Coal Miner's Daughter

Loretta Lynn

The Rage: Carrie 2
5.6
1999

The Rage: Carrie 2

Carrie White (archive footage) (uncredited)

North Country
7.2
2005

North Country

Alice Aimes

3 Women
7.1
1977

3 Women

Mildred "Pinky" Rose

Tuck Everlasting
6.7
2002

Tuck Everlasting

Mae Tuck

Nine Lives
6.1
2005

Nine Lives

Ruth

The River
6.3
1984

The River

Mae Garvey

Get Low
6.7
2010

Get Low

Mattie Darrow

The Long Walk Home
7.6
1990

The Long Walk Home

Miriam Thompson

HyperNormalisation
7.5
2016

HyperNormalisation

Self (archive footage)

Affliction
6.3
1998

Affliction

Margie Fogg

The Old Man & the Gun
6.4
2018

The Old Man & the Gun

Jewel

An American Haunting
5.5
2005

An American Haunting

Lucy Bell

Missing
7.2
1982

Missing

Beth Horman

Prime Cut
6.4
1972

Prime Cut

Poppy

Sam & Kate
6.3
2022

Sam & Kate

Tina

Last Call
5.9
2002

Last Call

Zelda Fitzgerald

A Decade Under the Influence
7.9
2003

A Decade Under the Influence

Self

The Man with Two Brains
6.2
1983

The Man with Two Brains

Anne Uumellmahaye (uncredited) (voice)

Crimes of the Heart
6.1
1986

Crimes of the Heart

Babe Magrath

Raggedy Man
5.4
1981

Raggedy Man

Nita

If These Walls Could Talk
6.6
1996

If These Walls Could Talk

Barbara Barrows

A Home at the End of the World
6.4
2004

A Home at the End of the World

Alice Glover

The Grass Harp
5.8
1996

The Grass Harp

Verena Talbo

Marie: A True Story
5.7
1985

Marie: A True Story

Marie Ragghianti

Trading Mom
6.0
1994

Trading Mom

Mommy / Mama / Mom / Natasha

Voices That Care
8.0
1991

Voices That Care

Self - Choir Member

Gray Matters
5.8
2007

Gray Matters

Dr. Sydney

Welcome to L.A.
4.8
1976

Welcome to L.A.

Linda Murray

Rosy-Fingered Dawn: A Film on Terrence Malick
6.7
2002

Rosy-Fingered Dawn: A Film on Terrence Malick

Self

'night, Mother
7.4
1986

'night, Mother

Jessie Cates

The Good Old Boys
6.7
1995

The Good Old Boys

Spring Renfro

Hard Promises
5.5
1992

Hard Promises

Christine Ann Coalter

Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary
8.0
1977

Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary

Self

A Place for Annie
6.0
1994

A Place for Annie

Susan Lansing

Pictures of Hollis Woods
6.6
2007

Pictures of Hollis Woods

Josie Cahill

Beyond the Call
6.0
1996

Beyond the Call

Pam O'Brien

Lake City
5.4
2008

Lake City

Maggie

Without Getting Killed or Caught
2021

Without Getting Killed or Caught

Narrator / Voice of Susanna Clark (voice)

Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
7.8
2016

Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl

Self / Loretta Lynn

A Private Matter
4.8
1992

A Private Matter

Sherri Finkbine

Songs In Ordinary Time
3.8
2000

Songs In Ordinary Time

Marie Fermoyle

Violets Are Blue
4.8
1986

Violets Are Blue

Augusta "Gussie" Sawyer

Katherine
6.1
1975

Katherine

Katherine Alman

Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
5.6
1993

Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy

Self

Heart Beat
5.4
1980

Heart Beat

Carolyn Cassady

Ginger in the Morning
4.4
1974

Ginger in the Morning

Ginger Brown

Midwives
6.2
2001

Midwives

Sibyl Danforth

Visualizing 'Carrie'
5.7
2001

Visualizing 'Carrie'

Self (archive footage)

Henry Fonda for President
7.0
2025

Henry Fonda for President

Self (archive footage)

Acting 'Carrie'
7.0
2001

Acting 'Carrie'

Self

The Migrants
5.7
1974

The Migrants

Wanda Trimpin

The Girls of Huntington House
6.0
1973

The Girls of Huntington House

Sara

Verna: USO Girl
1978

Verna: USO Girl

Verna Vane

Fonda on Fonda
6.0
1992

Fonda on Fonda

Self - The 53rd Annual Academy Awards (archive footage)

Making Badlands
8.0
2013

Making Badlands

Self

Love Letter to Texas
2026

Love Letter to Texas

Narrator

River of Gold
2016

River of Gold

Narrator

Absence of Malick
7.0
2003

Absence of Malick

Self

1991

The Talking Eggs

Narrator (voice)