Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer is an actress, author, and producer. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. She is one of two women of color to have received three Oscar nominations and the first Black actress to receive two consecutive nominations.

Spencer made her film debut in the 1996 drama A Time to Kill. However, her breakthrough role came in the film The Help, which won her the 2012 Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, SAG Award, and Broadcast Film Critic's Choice Award, among numerous other honors. She received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for playing the mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in the biographical drama Hidden Figures, and a cleaning woman in the fantasy film The Shape of Water. Spencer also starred as Johanna in Insurgent, the second installment of Lionsgate/Summit's highly successful franchise. She received the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Ryan Coogler's biographical drama Fruitvale Station. Spencer can also be seen in Snowpiercer, Get On Up, Gifted, and Ma.

Spencer had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom, "Mom" and a starring role in the Fox teen drama series "Red Band Society." She portrayed the lead role in the Apple TV+ drama series "Truth Be Told," and received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of Madam C.J. Walker in the Netflix limited series "Self Made."

Among her many other professional achievements, Spencer has created a children's book series titled "Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective." She has published two books in the series, "The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit" and "The Sweetest Heist in History."

A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Spencer holds a BS in Liberal Arts from Auburn University.