Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

As a kid, Sissy Spacek climbed trees, rode horses, swam, and played in the woods. She was born Mary Elizabeth Spacek on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, to Virginia Frances (Spilman) and Edwin Arnold Spacek, Sr., a county agricultural agent. Her father's family was of Czech and German origin.



Sissy attended Quitman High School and was homecoming queen. After graduating, she embarked on an acting career, gaining interest in the profession through her cousin, actor Rip Torn. Sissy relocated to New York, and through him, enrolled in the New York branch of the Actors Studio. She studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute while also pursuing work as a model and singer, appearing in West Village showcases such as the Bitter End for $10 a night. Sissy eventually broke into film and one of her first roles was as Holly in the classic Badlands - Zerschossene Träume (1973). The art director on that film was Jack Fisk, with whom she would marry in 1974 and ultimately collaborate on eight films. Sissy followed this landmark film with a star-making and Oscar nominated performance in Carrie: Des Satans jüngste Tochter (1976), in which she played a humiliated prom queen who goes postal with her telekinesis. Sissy has had an enduring and award winning career in movies and television, which includes an Oscar as Best Actress for Nashville Lady (1980). The parents of two grown daughters, Sissy and Jack live on a large horse ranch in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Even though she continued to appear in film and television during the late 1980s and 1990s, Sissy devoted most of those years to her family. Then, in 2001, Sissy returned to the big screen in a major way with a powerful performance in In the Bedroom (2001), which not only earned her a sixth Best Actress Oscar nomination, but a win for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, and numerous critics association awards. Sissy continues to work steadily as an actress, but in 2012, her credits expanded even further to include a memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: kdhaisch@aol.com (original edit)

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (2)

Her sweet southern accent



Strawberry blonde hair and freckles



Trivia (60)

"Sissy" is a nickname given by her brothers when she was growing up.





Not only did she win an Oscar for her performance in Nashville Lady (1980), but she was nominated for a Grammy for her rendition of the title song in the category Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28.





Was the first choice for the role of Emma Greenway in Zeit der Zärtlichkeit (1983), which went to Debra Winger

Decided to skip college after her older brother, Robbie, died at 18 years of age in 1967 from leukemia during her senior year in high school. She decided life was way too short to waste it in four years of college.



Lives on 300 acre farmland named "Beau Val" near Charlottesville, Virginia.



Her brother, Edwin Spacek, is a music industry consultant in Austin, Texas.



Was Homecoming Queen of her Senior Class in High School.





Her performance as Carrie White in Carrie: Des Satans jüngste Tochter (1976) is ranked #63 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.



Her Best Actress Oscar nomination for Carrie: Des Satans jüngste Tochter (1976) is notable in that performances in horror films are rarely recognized by the academy.



In 1969, under the pseudonym of "Rainbo", she recorded a novelty song about John Lennon titled, "John, You've Gone Too Far This Time".

She was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in March 2001 in Austin, Texas.





During her audition for Carrie: Des Satans jüngste Tochter (1976), she wore a dress that her mother forced her to wear to a party when she was in the seventh grade.

Born at 12:03 AM (CST).





According to her commentary on the DVD of Nashville Lady (1980), she initially aspired to be a singer and auditioned for Decca Records. The label liked her but told her she was too similar to another artist they had on their label. That artist was Loretta Lynn



Was the original choice for the role of Milena Flaherty in Blackout - Anatomie einer Leidenschaft (1980), but the production's start date eventually coincided with her work on another film.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on August 1, 2011.



Her father was of three quarters Moravian (Czech) and one quarter German ancestry. Her mother had English and Irish ancestry.





Gave birth to her first child at age 32, a daughter Schuyler Fisk on July 8, 1982. Child's father is her husband, Jack Fisk



Gave birth to her second child at age 38, a daughter Madison Fisk on September 21, 1988. Child's father is her husband, Jack Fisk



Was the 85th actress to receive an Academy Award: she won the Best Actress Oscar for Nashville Lady (1980) at The 53rd Annual Academy Awards (1981) on March 31, 1981.



Was considered for the role of Leah in Das grenzt an Liebe (2014), but dropped out later. The role eventually went to Diane Keaton



Acting protégée of Piper Laurie

She has Celtic, German, Nordic and Slavic ancestry.



Her surname pronounced as "SH:pah-chek".



She is the 22nd great granddaughter of King Edward I.





When she was told that she did not have the role in Herzschläge (1980), she broke a glass of wine in her hands. The producer was so impressed by the gesture, that he ultimately gave Spacek the role. He handed her a piece of shattered glass and said "this clinched the deal".

Sissy's paternal grandparents' last names are both the names of birds in their native Czech: Spacek (pronounced "shPAH-chek," which means "Starling") and Cervenka (pronounced "chair-VENK-ah," which means "Robin").





She was originally cast as Lee Wakefield Lacker in Marvins Töchter (1996), but dropped out. Meryl Streep replaced her.



She auditioned for the role of Phoenix in Das Phantom im Paradies (1974). She worked as set dresser for this film to assist her boyfriend, Jack Fisk , who was the film's production designer. According to Spacek, she did her job so poorly that she ruined a day's worth of filming.



She was considered for the role of Kathryn Murphy in Angeklagt (1988) that went to Kelly McGillis



She auditioned for the role of Thelma Dickinson in Thelma & Louise (1991), but after reading the script, she thought it was "awful".



She was considered for the role of Jacy Farrow in Die letzte Vorstellung (1971) that went to Cybill Shepherd



She was offered the role of Marie in Don McKay (2009) that went to Melissa Leo



She read for the part of Myra in Rettet den Tiger! (1973), which in the end was cast with newcomer Laurie Heineman



She was considered for the role of Hattie in Pretty Baby (1978) that went to Susan Sarandon



She was considered for the role of Meggie Cleary in Die Dornenvögel (1983).



Returned to work six months after giving birth to her daughter Madison Fisk to begin filming Der lange Weg (1990).



Returned to work fourteen months after giving birth to her daughter Schuyler Fisk to begin filming Menschen am Fluß (1984).



She was offered the role of Buffy Brenner in Eine Hochzeit (1978). She couldn't appear in the film due to a scheduling conflict, so the role went to Mia Farrow



She has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Badlands - Zerschossene Träume (1973) and Nashville Lady (1980).

Personal Quotes (6)



[on her daughter Schuyler Fisk becoming an actress] The business has been good to me. I would be a hypocrite if I tried to convince her not to do this.

[Parade magazine, April 1, 2001] I had a dozen years to act before starting a family then found that motherhood dwarfed everything else. Once or twice a year, I take a project that appeals to me for its redeeming social value.





[on why she did not want to appear in Carrie 2 - Die Rache (1999)] I asked if they could use some backflashes instead. I enjoyed the sequel, but hated my role in the first film. I was awful.



My cousin, Rip Torn , persuaded me not to change my name. You shouldn't change what you are in the search for success.

There's a real danger in trying to stay king of the mountain. You stop taking risks, you stop being as creative, because you're trying to maintain a position. Apart from anything else that really takes the fun out of it.



When I started out in independent films in the early 70s, we did everything for the love of art. It wasn't about money and stardom. That was what we were reacting against. You'd die before you'd be bought.

