Octavia Spencer

Highest Rated: 98% Zootopia (2016)

Lowest Rated: 11% The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016)

Birthday: May 25, 1972

Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama, USA

Alabama native Octavia Spencer was working as part of the crew for the 1996 thriller A Time to Kill when she was handed the chance of a lifetime: Director Joel Schumacher thought she was right for a small role in the film, and Spencer's acting career was born. In addition to honing her craft on the professional stages of Los Angeles, Spencer continued to act on screen, appearing in a multitude of projects, including Never Been Kissed, Blue Streak, Big Momma's House, Dinner for Schmucks, and Peep World. Spencer also became a familiar TV face, with starring and recurring roles on LAX, Ugly Betty, Halfway Home, and Raising the Bar. A major boon for Spencer arrived in 2011 when, after 15 years in the industry, her performance in the critically acclaimed period movie The Help earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Photos

View All Photos (2)

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

RATING	TITLE	CREDIT	BOX OFFICE	YEAR
57%	Encounter	Actor	—	2021
21%	Thunder Force	Emily	—	2021
No Score Yet	Fremad	Actor	—	2020
88%	Onward	Manticore	—	2020
No Score Yet	Framåt	Actor	—	2020
No Score Yet	Eteenpäin	Actor	—	2020
14%	Dolittle	Dab-Dab	—	2020
49%	The Witches	Actor	—	2020
90%	Luce	Harriet Wilson	—	2019
56%	Ma	Sue Ann/Ma	—	2019
81%	Instant Family	Actor	—	2018
49%	A Kid Like Jake	Judy	—	2018
79%	Small Town Crime	Kelly Banks Executive Producer	—	2018
92%	The Shape of Water	Zelda	$57.4M	2017
73%	Gifted	Roberta	$24.8M	2017
No Score Yet	Car Dogs	Mrs. Barrett	—	2017
21%	The Shack	Papa	$57.4M	2017
93%	Hidden Figures	Dorothy Vaughan	$169.4M	2017
23%	Bad Santa 2	Opal	$17.7M	2016
65%	The Great Gilly Hopkins	Miss Harris	—	2016
50%	The Free World	Linda Workman	—	2016
28%	Fathers And Daughters	Dr. Corman	—	2016
11%	The Divergent Series: Allegiant	Johanna	—	2016
98%	Zootopia	Mrs. Otterton	$341.3M	2016
38%	Black or White	Rowena Jeffers	$15.6M	2015
No Score Yet	Branco Sai, Preto Fica (White Out, Black In)	Rowena Jeffers	—	2015
No Score Yet	Zbuntowana 3D	Actor	—	2015
80%	Get On Up	Aunt Honey	$22.9M	2014
94%	Snowpiercer	Tanya	$2.8M	2014
No Score Yet	Jesus People	Actor	—	2014
21%	Paradise	Loray	—	2013
No Score Yet	Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy	Actor	—	2013
42%	Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters	Martha	$68.6M	2013
94%	Fruitvale Station	Oscar's Mother	$11.1M	2013
No Score Yet	Call Me Crazy: A Five Film	Dr. Nance	—	2013
83%	Smashed	Jenny	$0.4M	2012
No Score Yet	Blues for Willadean	Actor	—	2012
No Score Yet	Lost On Purpose	Actor	—	2012
16%	Flypaper	Madge	$1.6k	2011
76%	The Help	Minny Jackson	$169.8M	2011
42%	Dinner for Schmucks	Madame Nora, the Pet Psychic	$73M	2010
No Score Yet	Small Town Saturday Night	Rhonda Dooley	—	2010
92%	Drag Me to Hell	Bank Co-Worker	$42.1M	2009
No Score Yet	Herpes Boy	Rochelle	—	2009
No Score Yet	The First Time	Mrs. Hambrick	—	2009
27%	Seven Pounds	Kate, home health care nurse	$70M	2008
No Score Yet	Pretty Ugly People	Mary	—	2008
65%	The Nines	Streetwalker/Woman on Sidewalk	—	2007
11%	Pulse	Landlady	$20.3M	2006
22%	Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School	Ayisha Lebaron	$0.2M	2006
33%	Pretty Persuasion	Woman	$59.1k	2005
16%	Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed and Fabulous	Middle-aged Woman	$47.1M	2005
64%	Coach Carter	Mrs. Battle	$67.2M	2005
31%	Breakin' All the Rules	Stylist	$11.9M	2004
54%	Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!	Janine	$16.9M	2004
78%	Bad Santa	Opal	—	2003
37%	Legally Blonde 2 - Red, White & Blonde	Security Guard	$89.9M	2003
90%	Spider-Man	Check-In Girl	$403.8M	2002
69%	Everything Put Together	Nurse B	—	2001
No Score Yet	Follow the Stars Home	Hilda	—	2001
No Score Yet	Sol Goode	Unemployment Officer Clerk	—	2001
No Score Yet	Four Dogs Playing Poker	Waitress	—	2000
30%	Big Momma's House	Twila	$0.5M	2000
42%	What Planet Are You From?	Baby Nurse	—	2000
29%	American Virgin	Agnes Large	—	2000
94%	Being John Malkovich	Woman In Elevator	—	1999
36%	Blue Streak	Shawna	—	1999
55%	Never Been Kissed	Cynthia	—	1999
17%	Sparkler	QNS	—	1999
23%	The Sixth Man	Nativity Watson	—	1997
68%	A Time to Kill	Roark's Nurse	—	1996

TV

RATING	TITLE	CREDIT	YEAR
31%	Truth Be Told 2019	Poppy Parnell Executive Producer	2021 2020 2019
68%	Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker 2020	Madam C.J. Walker Executive Producer	2020
No Score Yet	The Daily Show With Trevor Noah 2015	Guest	2020
73%	Schooled 2019-2020	Voice	2020 2019
No Score Yet	Jimmy Kimmel Live 2003	Guest	2020 2017 2015 2012
No Score Yet	Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party 2016-2020	Appearing	2019
No Score Yet	The Graham Norton Show 2007	Guest	2019
92%	black-ish 2014	Herself	2019
No Score Yet	The Late Late Show With James Corden 2015	Guest	2019 2018
No Score Yet	The Talk 2010	Guest	2019 2017 2015 2014
No Score Yet	The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 2014	Guest	2019 2017 2014
No Score Yet	The Goldbergs 2013	Voice	2018
No Score Yet	To Tell the Truth 2016	Panelist	2018
No Score Yet	Close Up With the Hollywood Reporter 2015-2020	Guest	2018 2017
No Score Yet	The Ellen DeGeneres Show 2003	Guest Appearing	2018 2017 2015 2012
No Score Yet	Saturday Night Live 1975	Host	2017
No Score Yet	The Chew 2011-2018	Guest	2017
No Score Yet	Variety Studio: Actors on Actors 2015-2019	Guest	2017
No Score Yet	Tavis Smiley 2013-2018	Guest	2017 2015
No Score Yet	CBS This Morning 2012	Guest	2017 2012
No Score Yet	Charlie Rose 2013-2017	Guest	2016
No Score Yet	The Late Show With Stephen Colbert 2015	Guest	2016 2015
No Score Yet	Drunk History 2013	Actor	2015
59%	Red Band Society 2014-2015	Nurse Jackson	2015 2014
No Score Yet	Mom 2013	Regina	2015 2014 2013
No Score Yet	The View 1997	Guest	2015 2013 2012 2011
No Score Yet	Conan 2010	Guest	2014
No Score Yet	Late Night With Seth Meyers 2014	Guest	2014
78%	30 Rock 2006-2020	Herself	2013
No Score Yet	Chelsea Lately 2007-2014	Guest	2013
No Score Yet	The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 1992-2014	Guest	2012 2011
No Score Yet	The Nate Berkus Show 2010-2013	Guest	2011
71%	Dollhouse 2009-2010	Professor Janack	2009
68%	Worst Week 2008-2009	Nurse	2009
22%	Raising the Bar 2008-2009	Arvina Watkins	2009 2008
No Score Yet	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 2000-2015	Sherry	2008
No Score Yet	Wizards of Waverly Place 2007-2012	Dr. Evilini	2008
81%	The Big Bang Theory 2007-2019	Octavia	2008 2007
60%	Halfway Home 2007	Serenity	2007
97%	Ugly Betty 2006-2010	Constance Grady	2007
23%	Standoff 2006	Rapid Air Clerk	2006
67%	Huff 2006	Denetria	2006 2004
38%	LAX 2004-2005	Suz	2004
27%	Presidio Med 2002-2003	Sheryl Washington	2002
No Score Yet	Dharma & Greg 1997-2002	Gloria	2001
No Score Yet	Grounded for Life 2001-2005	Admitting Nurse	2001
No Score Yet	Becker 1998-2004	Ticket Woman	2000
20%	City of Angels 2000	Bernice Nurse Bernice Cottrel Nurse Bernice	2000
45%	Time of Your Life 1999-2000	Charge Nurse	1999
No Score Yet	ER 1994-2009	Maria Jones	1998
No Score Yet	Madam C.J. Walker	Sarah Breedlove Executive Producer
No Score Yet	Mom	Regina
83%	NYPD Blue 1993-2005	Dawna Cahill

Quotes from Octavia Spencer's Characters

Johanna:

Great leaders don't seek power, they're called by necessity.

Minny Jackson:

Fried chicken just tend to make you feel better about life.

Minny Jackson:

Minnie don't burn fried chicken.

Celia Foote:	They don't like me because of what they think I did.
Minny Jackson:	They don't like you because they think that you white trash.

Minny Jackson:	I can't let you eat anymore cornpone. Mr. Johnny.
Johnny Foote:	Well, thanks to you, now I have to let out every pair of pants I own.

Minny Jackson:	Now Mr. Johnny's gonna catch me here, and shoot me dead right here on this no-wax floor. You gotta tell him. Ain't he wonderin' how the cookin's so good?
Celia Foote:	You're right. Maybe we oughta burn the chicken a little.
Minny Jackson:	Minnie don't burn no chicken.

Minny Jackson:	Forgive me, Lord, but I have to kill that woman, Aibileen. Now, she's gone puttin' pencil marks on my toilet paper.
Aibileen Clark:	Did she?
Minny Jackson:	But I carry the paper in from my own house. That fool don't know.
Aibileen Clark:	Miss Leefolt got so much hairspray on her head and she's gonna blow us all up if she lights a cigarette.
Minny Jackson:	And you know that she will.

Minny Jackson:	(talking to Aibileen as she points to Skeeter) I gotta make sure she understands that expression.
Minny Jackson:	I gotta make sure she understands that expression.

Minny Jackson:	Eat my shit.
Hilly Holbrook:	Have you lost your mind?!
Minny Jackson:	No, but you're about to, 'cause you just did.
Hilly Holbrook:	Did what?

Minny Jackson:	(Talking to Skeeter) You ain't nothin' left here but enemies in the Junior League. You've done burned every bridge there is. And you ain't never gonna get another man in this town. Everybody knows that. So don't walk your white butt to New York, run it!.
Minny Jackson:	[talking to Skeeter] You ain't nothin' left here but enemies in the Junior League. You've done burned every bridge there is. And you ain't never gonna get another man in this town. Everybody knows that. So don't walk your white butt to New York, run it!

Minny Jackson:	Forgive me, Lord, but I have to kill that woman, Aibileen. Now, she gone to putting pencil marks on my toilet paper.
Aibileen Clark:	Did she?
Minny Jackson:	But I carry paper in from my own damn house. That fool don't know.
Aibileen Clark:	Miss Leefolt got so much hairspray on her head she gonna blow us all up if she light a cigarette.
Minny Jackson:	And you know she will!

Aibileen Clark:	Hey Minny
Aibileen Clark:	Hey Minny.
Minny Jackson:	Hey Aiblienen
Minny Jackson:	Hey Aiblienen.
Yule Mae Davis:	Hey Minny
Yule Mae Davis:	Hey Minny.
Minny Jackson:	Hmmmmm
Minny Jackson:	Hmmmmm.

Jenny:

It's hard to life your life honestly.

Minny Jackson:

Fried chicken just tend to make you feel better about life.

Hilly Holbrook:	Have you lost your mind?
Minny Jackson:	No ma'am, but you 'bout to.

Minny Jackson:

You're a fool, woman. You're a fool!

Minny Jackson:	Eat my shit!.
Minny Jackson:	Eat my shit!
Hilly Holbrook:	Excuse me?.
Hilly Holbrook:	Excuse me?
Minny Jackson:	I said eat... my... shit!.
Minny Jackson:	I said eat... my... shit!
Hilly Holbrook:	Have you lost your mind?.
Hilly Holbrook:	Have you lost your mind?
Minny Jackson:	No, ma'am, but, you are about to. 'Cause you just did.

Minny Jackson:

You ain't got nothing left here but enemies in the Junior League. You done burned every bridge there is. And you ain't never gonna get another man in this town. Everybody know that. So don't walk your white butt to New York, run it!

Minny Jackson:	Now Mr. Johnny gonna catch me here, and shoot me dead right here on this no-wax floor. You gots to tell him. Ain't he wondering how the cooking's so good?
Celia Foote:	You're right. Maybe we ought to burn the chicken a little.
Minny Jackson:	Minny don't burn chicken.

Celia Foote:	Maybe we ought to burn the chicken a little.
Minny Jackson:	Minny don't burn chicken.

Minny Jackson:	Eat my....
Hilly Holbrook:	What did you say?
Hilly Holbrook:	What are you saying?

Hilly Holbrook:	Are you losing your mind? (Response by Minny: "No, but you are about to."
Hilly Holbrook:	Have you lost your mind?
Minny Jackson:	No mam. But you are about to.