Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970 in Montgomery, Alabama) is an American actress.
Spencer is perhaps best known for her Oscar-winning role as Minny Jackson in The Help, which came after a long string of minor (frequently unnamed) roles in films and television. She's since earned two other Oscar nominations for her performances in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.
Because of those roles, she's only the second-ever black actress to earn a minimum of three Oscar nominations, and the first to be nominated over two consecutive years; she's also tied with fellow The Help co-star Viola Davis for being the most-nominated black actress in Oscar history.
She's since appeared in many other films, including The Divergent Series and Snowpiercer. Additionally, some of her more recent television credits include Mom and Red Band Society. She also played Harriet Tubman in an episode of Drunk History.
Selected filmography:
- A Time to Kill (1996) as Ellen's nurse
- Moesha (1998) as Gloria
- ER (1998) as Maria Jones
- Brimstone (1999) as Duty Nurse
- Never Been Kissed (1999) as Cynthia
- Being John Malkovich (1999) as Woman in Elevator
- Blue Streak (1999) as Shawna
- Chicago Hope (1999) as Nurse Jane
- Roswell (1999) as Nurse
- The X-Files (1999) as Nurse
- Just Shoot Me! (2000) as Nurse
- Big Momma's House (2000) as Twila
- Becker (2000) as Ticket Woman
- Malcolm in the Middle (2000) as Cashier
- Grounded for Life (2001) as Admitting Nurse
- The Chronicle (2001-02) as Ruby Rydell
- Dharma & Greg (2001) as Gloria
- Titus (2001-02) as Alice Hays
- NYPD Blue (2002, 2005) as Dawna Cahill, Eleanor Jackson
- Spider-Man (2002) as Check-In Girl
- Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) as Security Guard
- S.W.A.T. (2003) as Neighbor in Alley
- Bad Santa (2003) as Opal
- Bad Santa 2 (2016)
- Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004) as Janine
- Coach Carter (2005) as Mrs. Battle
- Pretty Persuasion (2005) as Woman
- Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005) as Octavia
- Beauty Shop (2005) as Big Customer
- CSI: NY (2005) as Child Welfare Rep
- Medium (2005) as Jurist
- Pulse (2006) as Landlady
- Ugly Betty (2007) as Constance Grady
- The NIN9S (2007) as Pedestrian
- Wizards of Waverly Place (2008) as Dr. Evilini
- CSI (2008) as Sherry
- The Big Bang Theory (2008) as Octavia
- Seven Pounds (2008) as Kate
- Drag Me to Hell (2009) as Bank Co-Worker
- Dollhouse (2009) as Professor Janack
- The Soloist (2009) as Troubled Woman
- Raising the Bar (2009) as Arvina Watkins
- Halloween II (2009) as Nurse Daniels
- Raising the Bar (2009) as Arvina Watkins
- Hawthorne (2010) as Emily Tomkins
- Dinner for Schmucks (2010) as Madame Nora
- The Help (2011) as Minny Jackson note
- Smashed (2012) as Jenny
- 30 Rock (2013) as herself
- Fruitvale Station (2013) as Wanda
- American Dad! (2013) as Shonteeva (voice)
- Snowpiercer (2013) as Tanya
- Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) as Martha (voice)
- Mom (2013-15) as Regina
- Get On Up (2014) as Aunt Honey Washington
- Black or White (2014) as Rowena Jeffers
- Red Band Society (2014-15) as Nurse Dena Jackson
- The Divergent Series as Johanna Reyes:
- The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015)
- The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016)
- Drunk History (2015) as Harriet Tubman
- Zootopia (2016) as Mrs. Otterton (voice)
- Hidden Figures (2016) as Dorothy Vaughan note
- The Shack (2017) as Papa
- Gifted (2017) as Roberta
- The Shape of Water (2017) as Zelda Fuller note
- A Kid Like Jake (2018) as Judy
- The Goldbergs (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- Instant Family (2018) as Karen
- blackâ˘ish (2019) as herself
- Ma (2019) as Sue Ann "Ma" Ellington
- Dolittle (2020) as Dab-Dab (voice)
- Onward (2020) as Corey (voice)
- The Witches (2020) as Grandmamma
- Thunder Force (2021) as Emily Stanton aka "Bingo"
- Spirited (2022) as Kimberly
- Apple's 2030 Status (2023) as Mother Nature
