Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek | |
---|---|
Born | Mary Elizabeth Spacek December 25, 1949 Quitman, Texas, U.S. |
Alma mater | Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1968–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 2, including Schuyler Fisk |
Relatives | Rip Torn (cousin) |
Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek (/ˈspeɪsɛk/; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four BAFTA Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.[1]
After attending Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute she had her breakout role in Terrence Malick's crime film Badlands (1973), which earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Spacek went on to earn the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn in the biographical musical Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). Her other Oscar-nominated roles were in Carrie (1976), Missing (1982), The River (1984), Crimes of the Heart (1986), and In the Bedroom (2001). Her other prominent films include 3 Women (1977), Raggedy Man (1981), 'night, Mother (1986), 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).
Spacek is also known for her television roles, receiving
Spacek 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 also released a studio album, Hangin' Up My Heart (1983), which peaked at number 17 on Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Early life and education
Mary Elizabeth Spacek was born on
At the age of six, Spacek performed on stage for the first time in a local talent show.[10] Although her birth name was Mary Elizabeth, she was always called Sissy by her brothers, which led to her nickname. She attended Quitman High School.[10]
Spacek was greatly affected by the 1967 death of her 18-year-old brother Robbie from leukemia, which she has called "the defining event of my whole life."[11] She has said the tragedy made her fearless in her acting career:
"I think it made me brave. Once you experience something like that, you've experienced the ultimate tragedy. And if you can continue, nothing else frightens you. That's what I meant about it being rocket fuel—I was fearless in a way. Maybe it gave more depth to my work because I had already experienced something profound and life-changing."
— Sissy Spacek (2015)[12]
Spacek initially aspired to a singing career. Under the name Rainbo, she recorded a 1968 single, "John You Went Too Far This Time", the lyrics of which chided
Career
1970–1975: Early roles and breakthrough
She worked as a photographic model (represented by Ford Models) and as an extra at Andy Warhol's Factory. She appeared in a non-credited role in his film Trash (1970). With the help of her cousin, actor Rip Torn, she enrolled in Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio and later the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York.
Spacek's first credited role was in
1976–1980: Carrie and film stardom
Spacek's most prominent early role came in De Palma's film
After Carrie, Spacek played the small role of housekeeper Linda Murray in
Spacek began the 1980s with an
In the film Heart Beat (1980), Spacek played Carolyn Cassady, who—under the influence of John Heard's Jack Kerouac and Nick Nolte's Neal Cassady—slips into a combination of drudgery and debauchery.[22][23] Spacek was so adamant about getting the role that she pored through over 4,000 pages of research to prepare for her character. Producer Ed Pressman and director John Byrum took her to dinner to advise her that she did not have the role. Spacek was so distraught at the news that she shattered a glass of wine in her hand. After that, Pressman walked up to her with a piece of shattered glass and told her she had the role. He said that Spacek breaking the glass clinched the deal, and they believed she ultimately would best suit the part.[24] The film was released on April 25, 1980, to mixed reviews.[25] Ebert called her performance "wonderfully played" and her scenes with Heard and Nolte "almost poetic."[26]
1981–2001: Established actress
Spacek starred with
Spacek had a supporting role as the wife of Jim Garrison (played by Kevin Costner) in Oliver Stone's JFK (1991) and made a number of comedies, TV movies, and the occasional film. She played Verena Talbo in the ensemble piece The Grass Harp (1995), which reunited her with both Lemmon and Piper Laurie. She lent a supporting performance as the waitress Margie Fogg in Paul Schrader's father-son psychodrama Affliction (1997). She also played Rose Straight in David Lynch's The Straight Story (1999) and the mother of Brendan Fraser's character in Blast from the Past.
Spacek began the 2000s with critical acclaim for her performance as Ruth Fowler, a grieving mother consumed by revenge, in
2002–present: Professional expansion
In 2002 she acted the live-action Walt Disney film Tuck Everlasting. That same year she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role as Zelda Fitzgerald in the Showtime television film Last Call (2002). She acted alongside Jeremy Irons and Neve Campbell. Spacek played unfaithful wife Ruth in Rodrigo García's Nine Lives (2005) and a woman suffering from Alzheimer's in the television movie Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007). She had a supporting part in the 2008 Christmas comedy Four Christmases and a lead role in the independent drama Lake City. Spacek appeared in the HBO drama series Big Love for a multi-episode arc as a powerful Washington, D.C., lobbyist and earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[32] Spacek narrated the 2005 audiobook of Stephen King's Carrie.[33] In 2006, she narrated Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), which sold over 30 million copies. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.[34] Spacek acted in Tate Taylor's The Help (2011), whose cast received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.[35]
Spacek published a memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, with co-author Maryanne Vollers, in 2012.[36][37] The Washington Post's Jen Chaney called it "refreshingly down-to-earth" and "beautifully written,"[38] adding that Spacek's description of her childhood is so "evocative that one can almost taste the sour stalks of goatweed she chewed on steamy summer afternoons." Jay Stafford of Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that, unlike other actors' autobiographies, Spacek's "benefits from good writing and remarkable frankness."[39] The Austin Chronicle's Margaret Moser wrote that Spacek's memoir is "as easy to read as it is a pleasure to digest."[40] Biographile's Kirkus Reviews was less appreciative, calling it "an average memoir" and "overly detailed" while criticizing its lack of "narrative arc," but complimented Spacek for being "truly down-to-earth."[41] Kirkus added that "the book is 'ordinary' and does not have enough drama to engage readers not directly interested in Spacek and her work" and is "for diehard movie buffs and Spacek fans only."[41]
Spacek became the first actor to appear in a film nominated for the
Personal life
Spacek married production designer and art director Jack Fisk in 1974, after they met on the set of Badlands.[9] They have two daughters: Schuyler Fisk, who was born on July 8, 1982, and Madison Fisk, who was born on September 21, 1988.[43] Schuyler has followed in her mother's footsteps as both an actress and a singer. Spacek and her family moved to a farm near Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1982.[44]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Prime Cut | Poppy | |
1973 | Badlands | Holly Sargis | |
1974 | Ginger in the Morning | Ginger | [45] |
1974 | Phantom of the Paradise | — | Set dresser |
1976 | Carrie | Carrie White | |
1976 | Welcome to L.A. | Linda Murray | |
1977 | 3 Women | Pinky Rose | |
1980 | Coal Miner's Daughter | Loretta Lynn | |
1980 | Heart Beat | Carolyn Cassady | |
1981 | Raggedy Man | Nita Longley | |
1982 | Missing | Beth Horman | |
1983 | The Man with Two Brains | Anne Uumellmahaye (voice) | Uncredited[27] |
1984 | The River | Mae Garvey | |
1985 | Marie | Marie Ragghianti | |
1986 | Violets Are Blue | Augusta "Gussie" Sawyer | |
1986 | 'night, Mother | Jessie Cates | |
1986 | Crimes of the Heart | Babe Magrath Botrelle | |
1990 | The Long Walk Home | Miriam Thompson | |
1991 | Hard Promises
|
Christine Ann Coalter | |
1991 | JFK | Liz Garrison | |
1994 | Trading Mom | Mrs. Martin and various roles | |
1995 | The Grass Harp | Verena Talbo | |
1997 | Affliction | Margie Fogg | |
1999 | Blast from the Past | Helen Thomas Webber | |
1999 | The Straight Story | Rose "Rosie" Straight | |
2001 | In the Bedroom | Ruth Fowler | |
2001 | Midwives | Sibyl Danforth | |
2002 | Tuck Everlasting | Mae Tuck | |
2004 | A Home at the End of the World | Alice Glover | |
2005 | Nine Lives | Ruth | |
2005 | The Ring Two | Evelyn Borden (née Osorio) | |
2005 | North Country | Alice Aimes | |
2005 | An American Haunting | Lucy Bell | |
2007 | Gray Matters | Sydney | |
2007 | Hot Rod | Marie Powell | |
2007 | Pictures of Hollis Woods | Josie Cahill | |
2008 | Lake City | Maggie | |
2008 | Four Christmases | Paula | |
2009 | Get Low | Mattie Darrow | |
2011 | The Help | Mrs. Walters | |
2012 | Deadfall | June Mills | |
2016 | River of Gold[46] | Narrator (voice) | Documentary |
2018 | The Old Man & the Gun | Jewel | |
2022 | Sam & Kate | Tina |
Television
Year | Title | Notes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1973 | Love, American Style | Teri | Episode: "Love and the Older Lover" |
1973 | The Girls of Huntington House | Sara | Television film |
1973 | The Waltons | Sarah Jane Simmonds | Episodes: "The Townie", "The Odyssey" |
1973 | The Rookies | Barbara Tabnor | Episode: "Sound of Silence" |
1974 | The Migrants | Wanda Trimpin | Television film |
1975 | Katherine | Katherine Alman | Television film |
1978 | Verna: USO Girl | Verna Vane | Television film |
1992 | A Private Matter | Sherri Finkbine | Television film |
1992 | Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories | Narrator | Season 1 Episode 4 |
1994 | A Place for Annie | Susan Lansing | Television film |
1995 | The Good Old Boys | Spring Renfro | Television film |
1995 | Streets of Laredo | Lorena Parker | 3 episodes |
1996 | Beyond the Call | Pam O'Brien | Television film |
1996 | If These Walls Could Talk | Barbara Barrows | Television film; segment: "1974" |
2000 | Songs in Ordinary Time | Marie Fermoyle | Television film |
2002 | Last Call | Zelda Fitzgerald | Television film |
2009 | Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People | Narrator (voice) | 4 episodes |
2010 | Gimme Shelter | Adrienne Nourse | Pilot |
2010–2011 | Big Love | Marilyn Densham | 5 episodes |
2015–2017 | Bloodline | Sally Rayburn | 33 episodes |
2018 | Castle Rock | Ruth Deaver | 8 episodes |
2018 | Homecoming | Ellen Bergman | 6 episodes |
2022 | Night Sky | Irene York | 8 episodes |
Music Video
Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Oh Baby | LCD Soundsystem |
Discography
Albums
Year | Album | US Country | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Hangin' Up My Heart | 17 | Atlantic |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Country | US Bubbling | CAN Country | |||
1980 | "Coal Miner's Daughter" | 24 | — | 7 | Coal Miner's Daughter (Soundtrack) |
"Back in Baby's Arms" | — | — | 71 | ||
1983 | "Lonely but Only for You" | 15 | 10 | 13 | Hangin' Up My Heart |
1984 | "If I Can Just Get Through the Night" | 57 | — | 41 | |
"If You Could Only See Me Now" | 79 | — | — |
Awards and nominations
See also
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
- List of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars
References
- ^ "Sissy Spacek | Biography, Movies, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ Prudom, Laura (September 14, 2016). "'Bloodline' Ending After Season 3 on Netflix". Retrieved September 14, 2016.
- ^ Virginia Spacek death register Ancestry.com
- ^ "Edwin A Spacek – US Social Security Death Index". Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ "Sissy Spacek The Coal Miner's Daughter". New Straits Times. October 9, 1981. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
- ^ Ancestry of Sissy Spacek. Wargs.com.
- ^ Hattenstone, Simon (May 9, 2022). "'I'd carry the misery around with me all day': Sissy Spacek on acting, grief and her sci-fi debut at 72". The Guardian. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ Texas Monthly, vol. 19, no. 2, Feb. 1991, p. 124
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 2002
- ^ a b c "Sissy Spacek". Bio. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ Ouzounian, Richard (April 27, 2012). "Big Interview: Sissy Spacek". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ Godfrey, Alex (March 19, 2015). "Sissy Spacek: "I was fearless"". The Guardian. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ "Sissy Spacek's shy career". BBC.co.uk. February 7, 2002.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (October 15, 1973). "Badlands". NYT Critics' Pick. The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ Brian De Palma.net, archived from the original on September 21, 2007
- ^ Kael, Pauline (November 15, 1976). "Brian De Palma's "Carrie," Reviewed". The New Yorker.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (April 11, 1977). "Altman's '3 Women' a Moving Film; Shelley Duvall in Memorable Role". The New York Times.
- ^ "Show Business: Basic Spacek: Keeping Life Tidy". Time. December 6, 1976. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1980). "Coal Miner's Daughter". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
- ^ Andrew Sarris, Village Voice. Coal Miner's Daughter review. March 10, 1980
- ISBN 978-0-898-20163-5p. 154
- ISBN 978-0916870034.
- ^ Brenner, Paul. "Heart Beat > Overview". AllMovie. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ^ "From a nymphette to weirdo". The Montreal Gazette. November 19, 1979. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ "Heart Beat (1980) at Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Heart Beat movie review & film summary (1980)". Rogerebert.com.
- ^ a b "Movies You Might Have Missed: Carl Reiner's The Man with Two Brains". The Independent. June 21, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (November 23, 2001). "When Grief Becomes A Member of the Family". The New York Times.
- ^ King, Susan (December 16, 2001). "'Bedroom' Is Top Pick of L.A. Film Critics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ Broadcast Film Critics Association. "7th Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners and Nominees". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (January 21, 2002). "Golden Globes 2002 / A night for the Aussies / 'Beautiful Mind,' 'Moulin Rouge,' cable TV take top Golden Globes". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ Gina DiNunnot (September 17, 2009). "Sissy Spacek Signs On for Big Love". TVGuide.com. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
- ^ "StephenKing.com – Carrie". Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ "Actress Sissy Spacek To Receive Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame Next Monday". Beverly Hills Courier. July 26, 2011. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012.
- ^ "The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". Sagawards.org. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ Sissy Spacek; Maryanne Vollers (May 2012). My Extraordinary Ordinary Life. Hyperion. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ Douglass K. Daniel (April 30, 2012). "Quitman Native Sissy Spacek Writes Tender, Touching Book". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ Chaney, Jen. "Book review: Sissy Spacek's "My Extraordinary Ordinary Life"". Denver Post. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
- ^ Stafford, Jay. "Nonfiction review: My Extraordinary Ordinary Life". timedispatch.com. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
- ^ Moser, Margaret. "My Extraordinary Ordinary Life". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
- ^ a b Kirkus Reviews. "My Extraordinary Ordinary Life". kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (June 10, 2021). "Dustin Hoffman And Sissy Spacek To Star in Darren Le Gallo's 'Sam & Kate' – Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ Finlayson, Ariana. "Sissy Spacek's Daughter, Schuyler Fisk, Is Married!". US Weekly. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ "Sissy Spacek's Wonderful Life". Richmond Times Despatch. January 18, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ "Ginger in the Morning". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "River of Gold". riverofgoldfilm.com.
Further reading
- Crowe, Cameron. "From a Nymphet to Weirdo". The Montreal Gazette. November 19, 1979.
External links
- Sissy Spacek at IMDb