Sissy Spacek

Early life and education

Mary Elizabeth Spacek was born on Christmas Day 1949, in Quitman, Texas, the daughter of Virginia Frances (née Spilman, 1917–1981) and Edwin Arnold Spacek Sr., a Wood County agricultural agent in Quitman. Her father was of three quarters Czech (Moravian) and one quarter Sudeten-German ancestry; her paternal grandparents were Mary (née Cervenka) and Arnold A. Spacek (who served as mayor of Granger, Texas in Williamson County). Rip Torn was her first cousin; his mother Thelma Torn (née Spacek) was an elder sister of Sissy's father Edwin. Spacek's mother, who was of English and Irish descent, was from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

At the age of six, Spacek performed on stage for the first time in a local talent show. Although her birth name was Mary Elizabeth, she was always called Sissy by her brothers, which led to her nickname, Sissy, derived from 'sister' and a common Southern/Texas nickname. She attended Quitman High School.

Spacek was greatly affected by the 1967 death of her 19-year-old brother Robbie from leukemia, which she has called "the defining event of my whole life." She has said the tragedy made her fearless in her acting career:

Spacek initially aspired to a singing career. In 1968, under the stage name Rainbo, she recorded a single, "John You Went Too Far This Time", the lyrics of which chided John Lennon for his and Yoko Ono's nude album cover for Two Virgins. When sales of her music sputtered, Spacek was dropped by her record label. She switched her focus to acting, enrolling at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Career

1970s: Early work and rise to prominence

Spacek worked as a photographic model (represented by Ford Models) and as an extra at Andy Warhol's Factory. With the help of her cousin, actor Rip Torn, she enrolled in Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio and later the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Spacek's first credited film role was in the action crime thriller Prime Cut (1972), in which she played Poppy, a girl sold into sexual slavery. The film led to a guest role in the television series The Waltons (1973), which she played twice. Spacek received international attention for her breakthrough role in Terrence Malick's neo-noir crime drama film Badlands (1973); she played Holly, the film's narrator and 15-year-old girlfriend of serial killer Kit (Martin Sheen). Spacek has described Badlands as the "most incredible" experience of her career. Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it a "cool, sometimes brilliant, always ferociously American film", and wrote "Sheen and Miss Spacek are splendid as the self-absorbed, cruel, possibly psychotic children of our time." On the set of Badlands, Spacek met art director Jack Fisk, whom she married in 1974. She worked as the set dresser for Brian De Palma's film Phantom of the Paradise (1974).

Spacek's most prominent early role came in De Palma's supernatural horror film Carrie (1976), playing Carrie White, a shy, troubled high school senior with telekinetic powers. Spacek had to work hard to persuade De Palma to cast her in the role. Spacek's performance was critically acclaimed and led to a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Pauline Kael of The New Yorker wrote: "Though few actresses have distinguished themselves in gothics, Sissy Spacek, who is onscreen almost continuously, gives a classic chameleon performance. She shifts back and forth and sideways: a nasal, whining child; a chaste young beauty at the prom; and then a second transformation when her destructive impulses burst out and age her. Spacek uses her freckled pallor and whitish eyelashes to suggest a squashed, groggy girl who could go in any direction; at times, she seems unborn–a fetus. I don't see how this performance could be any better; she's touching, like Elizabeth Hartman in one of her victim roles, but she's also unearthly—a changeling."

After Carrie success, Spacek played the role of housekeeper Linda Murray in Alan Rudolph's drama musical romance film Welcome to L.A. (1976) and cemented her reputation in independent film with her performance as Pinky Rose in Robert Altman's psychological drama 3 Women (1977). A review in The New York Times said, "In this film Miss Spacek added a new dimension of eeriness to the waif she played so effectively in Carrie." Altman was deeply impressed by her performance: "She's remarkable, one of the top actresses I've ever worked with. Her resources are like a deep well." De Palma said: "[Spacek is] a phantom. She has this mysterious way of slipping into a part, letting it take over her. She's got a wider range than any young actress I know." Spacek helped finance Eraserhead (1977), David Lynch's directorial debut, and is thanked in the film's credits.

1980s: Continued acclaim and music

In John Byrum's romantic drama film Heart Beat (1980), Spacek portrayed Carolyn Cassady, who—under the influence of Jack Kerouac (John Heard) and Neal Cassady (Nick Nolte)—slips into a combination of drudgery and debauchery. Spacek was so adamant about getting the role that she pored through over 4,000 pages of research to prepare for her character. Byrum and producer Ed Pressman 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. The film was released on April 25, 1980, to mixed reviews. Ebert called Spacek's performance "wonderfully played", and her scenes with Heard and Nolte "almost poetic".

In 1982, Spacek starred alongside Jack Lemmon in Costa-Gavras's biographical thriller drama film Missing (based on the book The Execution of Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice by Thomas Hauser). She co-starred with Mel Gibson in Mark Rydell's drama film The River (1984), and with Diane Keaton and Jessica Lange in Bruce Beresford's black comedy drama film Crimes of the Heart (1986).

1990s: Supporting roles

Spacek had a supporting role as the wife of Jim Garrison (played by Kevin Costner) in Oliver Stone's epic political thriller film JFK (1991) and made a number of comedies and television films. She played Verena Talbo in Charles Matthau's comedy drama film The Grass Harp (1995), which reunited her with both Lemmon and Piper Laurie. Spacek lent a supporting role as the waitress Margie Fogg in Paul Schrader's neo-noir crime drama film Affliction (1997). She also played Rose Straight in David Lynch's biographical road drama film The Straight Story (1999) and the mother of Brendan Fraser's character in Hugh Wilson's romantic comedy fantasy adventure film Blast from the Past (1999).

2000s: Television and professional expansion

Spacek played unfaithful wife Ruth in Rodrigo García's drama film Nine Lives (2005) and a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease in the television film Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007). She played a supporting role in Seth Gordon's comedy film Four Christmases (2008) and the lead role in the drama film Lake City (2008). Spacek appeared in the HBO 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. She narrated the 2005 audiobook of Stephen King's 1974 novel Carrie. In 2006, Spacek narrated Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), which sold over 30 million copies.

2010s: Memoir and return to film

Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. That same year, Spacek appeared in Tate Taylor's period drama film The Help, whose ensemble cast, including Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain and Allison Janney, received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

In 2012, Spacek published her memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, with co-author Maryanne Vollers. The Washington Post Jen Chaney called it "refreshingly down-to-earth" and "beautifully written", 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." Margaret Moser of The Austin Chronicle wrote that Spacek's memoir is "as easy to read as it is a pleasure to digest." Biographile 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." 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."

Spacek became the first actor to appear in a film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in each of the four most recent decades. Each film was released near the beginning of its decade: Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Missing (1982), JFK (1991), In the Bedroom (2001) and The Help (2011). Spacek appeared in the crime drama film Deadfall (2012). She also co-starred with Robert Redford in his next-to-last role before his retirement in David Lowery's biographical crime film The Old Man & the Gun (2018), which received largely positive reviews from critics. Spacek also had starring roles in a variety of television series in the late 2010s. She played matriarch Sally Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline, which aired from 2015 to 2017; Ruth Deaver in the Hulu series Castle Rock (2018), which intertwines characters and themes from King's fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine; and Ellen Bergman, the mother of Julia Roberts's character, in the Amazon Prime Video series Homecoming (2018).

2020s work

Spacek co-starred alongside Dustin Hoffman in Darren Le Gallo's directorial debut Sam & Kate (2022). That same year, she acted in the Amazon Prime Video series Night Sky, acting opposite J. K. Simmons. Despite positive reviews, the series was cancelled after its first season.

Personal life

Spacek married production designer and art director Jack Fisk in 1974, after they met on the set of Badlands. 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.

Filmography and discography

Film

Television

Music video

Albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Sissy Spacek

References

References

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9. Texas Monthly, vol. 19, no. 2, Feb. 1991, p. 124
10. Stated on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', 2002
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13. (February 7, 2002). "Sissy Spacek's shy career".
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19. (December 6, 1976). "Show Business: Basic Spacek: Keeping Life Tidy".
20. Andrew Sarris, ''Village Voice''. ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' review. March 10, 1980
21. ''Joel Whitburn's Music Yearbook (1983)'' {{ISBN. 978-0-898-20163-5 p. 154
22. Cassady, Carolyn. (July 1976). "Heartbeat: My Life with Jack and Neal". Creative Arts Book Company.
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24. (November 19, 1979). "From a nymphette to weirdo". The Montreal Gazette.
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27. Gina DiNunnot. (September 17, 2009). "Sissy Spacek Signs On for Big Love". TVGuide.com.
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29. (July 26, 2011). "Actress Sissy Spacek To Receive Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame Next Monday". Beverly Hills Courier.
30. "The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards {{!}} Screen Actors Guild Awards".
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39. "Ginger in the Morning". American Film Institute.
40. "River of Gold".