Octavia Spencer is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and holds a BS in Liberal Arts from Auburn University. At an early age, Octavia’s mother stressed the importance of education to her and her siblings. Today, Octavia has continued that tradition as a passionate advocate for education as a longtime board member of City Year L.A. For that reason, City Year L.A. is honoring Octavia with the City Year Values Award for Service to a Cause Greater Than Self in recognition of her advocacy and commitment to the thousands of children across Los Angeles public schools who benefit directly from having a City Year mentor.
One of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents, Octavia has become a familiar fixture in both television and the silver screen. Her performance as Minny in the DreamWorks feature film The Help won her the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, SAG Award and Broadcast Film Critics’ Choice Award among numerous other accolades. She has since received two additional individual Academy Award nominations and recently served as an executive producer on the critically acclaimed drama, Green Book, which won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Picture and Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Octavia most recently returned for the third season of Apple TV+’s thriller, Truth Be Told, as Poppy Parnell, a true crime podcast host who risks everything in pursuit of truth and justice. In addition to starring in, she also serves as an executive producer on the program alongside Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Chernin Ent / Endeavor Content. In 2022, Octavia could be seen in Apple TV+’s Spirited, alongside Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. Octavia was also recently cast in Alex Fischer and Rachel Wolther’s Nobody Nothing Nowhere and will star in the project alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lucy Liu.
In 2019, Octavia was seen in the psychological thriller, Ma, in which she played the titular role and reunited with The Help director Tate Taylor. That same year, Octavia launched her production company, ORIT Entertainment which she runs with partner and producer Brian Clisham and Head of Production and Development Stephanie Kluft. Projects under the ORIT Entertainment banner include Truth Be Told, Self-Made: Inspired by The Life of Madam C.J. Walker, and their award-winning documentary short, Right to Try. ORIT recently announced that they are teaming with ID, discovery+ and October Films in an expansive partnership and development deal for premium unscripted true-crime content.
In 2020, Octavia starred as the title role in Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” a limited series for Netflix about entrepreneur and social activist, Madam C.J. Walker, which she executive produced along with LeBron James and his production company, Springhill Entertainment. Her performance earned her a nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie” at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a nomination for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards in the category of “Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special.”
In 2021, Octavia starred in Amazon Studios’ Encounter, a sci-fi thriller following two brothers as they embark on a journey with their father, who tries to protect them from an outside threat. Octavia also starred alongside Melissa McCarthy in the Netflix comedy Thunder Force, and she appeared in The Witches, Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic book, alongside Anne Hathaway. She was also previously featured as one of the voices in the Disney adventure animation, Onward, alongside Chris Pratt, Tom Holland and Julia Louis-Dreyfus; as well as the fantasy comedy film, The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle with Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, Emma Thompson, Antonio Banderas, and Selena Gomez.
Additionally, Octavia portrayed Harriet Wilson in the independent drama, Luce, alongside Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for “Best Supporting Female” at the 35th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards.
In 2017, she starred in Guillermo del Toro’s Academy Award-winning fantasy drama, The Shape of Water alongside Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, and Richard Jenkins. She received individual Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations for her role in the film, in addition to the Academy Award for Best Picture, the film received the coveted Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, among numerous other accolades.
Previous film credits include: Instant Family, A Kid Like Jake, Small Town Crime, Hidden Figures, the Academy Award-nominated drama that tells the true story of several African-American women who provided NASA with critical information needed to launch the program’s early successful missions and earned Spencer her second individual nominations for the Academy Awards, SAG Awards, Golden Globe Awards and NAACP Image Awards; The Shack, Gifted; Allegiant, Zootopia, The Free World Fathers and Daughters, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Bad Santa 2, Black or White, Get On Up, Snowpiercer, Fruitvale Station Paradise Smashed, Call Me Crazy: A Five Film, Blues for Willadean, Fly Paper, Peep World, Dinner For Schmucks, Small Town Saturday Night, Herpes Boy, Halloween II, The Soloist, Drag Me To Hell, Seven Pounds, Pretty Ugly People, Coach Carter, Charm School, Win A Date With Tod Hamilton, Bad Santa, Spiderman, Big Momma’s House, Being John Malkovich, Never Been Kissed and A Time to Kill.
In 2009, Spencer directed and produced a short film entitled The Captain, which was a finalist for the coveted Poetry Foundation Prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival.
Among her many other professional achievements, Octavia has co-authored an interactive mystery series for children called “Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective.” The first title in the series, “Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit” was published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing in Fall 2013 and the second book, “Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: Sweetest Heist in History” followed the next year.