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Sissy Spacek

Sissy Spacek

Actor · Born December 25, 1949 (76) · Quitman, Texas, USA

Oscar winner · 3 Golden Globes · Screen Actors Guild Award winner · 5 other major award bodies

Mary Elizabeth 'Sissy' Spacek (born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four British Academy Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. Born and raised in Texas, she initially aspired to a career as a recording artist. In 1968, at age 18, she recorded a single, "John, You Went Too Far This Time," under the name Rainbo. She began her professional acting career in the early 1970s, making her debut as an extra in Andy Warhol's Women in Revolt (1971). Her breakout role came with Terrence Malick's influential crime film Badlands (1973), which earned her a nomination for the British Academy Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles. She rose to international prominence with her portrayal of Carrie White in Brian De Palma's horror film Carrie (1976), for which she received her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. After appearing in the acclaimed films Welcome to L.A. (1976) and Robert Altman's 3 Women (1977), she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Loretta Lynn in the biographical musical film Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). Her other Oscar-nominated roles include Missing (1982), The River (1984), Crimes of the Heart (1986), and In the Bedroom (2001). Her other prominent films include Raggedy Man (1981), JFK (1991), Affliction (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Tuck Everlasting (2002), Nine Lives (2005), North Country (2005), Four Christmases (2008), Get Low (2010), The Help (2011), and The Old Man & the Gun (2018). She received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the television films The Good Old Boys (1995) and Last Call (2002), and for her guest role on the HBO drama series Big Love (2011). She portrayed matriarch Sally Rayburn on the Netflix drama thriller series Bloodline (2015–2017), Ruth Deaver on the Hulu psychological horror series Castle Rock (2018), and Ellen Bergman on the Amazon Prime Video psychological thriller series Homecoming (2018). She has also ventured into music, and recorded vocals for the soundtrack album of Coal Miner's Daughter, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and garnered her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She released a studio album, Hangin' Up My Heart (1983), which was critically well-received and peaked at number 17 on Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 25, 1949 (76)
From
Quitman, Texas, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
62 on MovieCove · 78 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 5% in 30 days

What are Sissy Spacek's films like?

Across their 54 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama22 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Biography6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 88th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Self
19%
Morality
17%
Survival
14%
Power
8%
Society
6%
Ideas
4%
Family bonds19 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity9 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief8 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory7 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 49 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 14 · Dark 21

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 36 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 14 · Charged 17 · Intense 18

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 25 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 34 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 33 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 22 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 6

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 14 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 24

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 29 · Open-ended 12 · Ambiguous 8

Roles they play

32 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 10 of 32 analyzed roles.

Ally
10 of 32
Hero
8 of 32
Mentor
8 of 32
Shapeshifter
3 of 32
Herald
1 of 32
Shadow
1 of 32
Threshold guardian
1 of 32
Show the 32 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
36
Tense
29
Dread
14
Contemplative
16
Bittersweet
15
Other
41

How their films linger

Bittersweet24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet27
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous12

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sissy Spacek's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 44 of their 62 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (22).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sissy Spacek's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

78 credits, 62 with a MovieCove page; 25 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Catch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Actor

  • Love Letter to Texas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Narrator

  • Die My Love(2025)

    as Pam

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Dying for Sex(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · as Gail

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Sam & Kate(2022)

    as Tina

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Night Sky(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · as Irene York

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Without Getting Killed or Caught(2021)

    as Narrator / Voice of Susanna Clark (voice)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Homecoming(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as Ellen Bergman

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • The Old Man & the Gun(2018)

    as Jewel

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Castle Rock(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as Ruth Deaver

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • River of Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Narrator

  • Bloodline(2015)

    Show 33 episodes · as Sally Rayburn

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Deadfall(2012)

    as June

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Help(2011)

    as Missus Walters

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Get Low(2009)

    as Mattie Darrow

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show Actor

  • Four Christmases(2008)

    as Paula

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Lake City(2008)

    as Maggie

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Pictures of Hollis Woods(2007)

    as Josie Cahill

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Hot Rod(2007)

    as Marie Powell

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Gray Matters(2006)

    as Dr. Sydney

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Big Love(2006)

    Show as Marilyn Densham

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Nine Lives(2005)

    as Ruth

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • An American Haunting(2005)

    as Lucy Bell

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Ring Two(2005)

    as Evelyn

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • North Country(2005)

    as Alice Aimes

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • A Home at the End of the World(2004)

    as Alice Glover

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Tuck Everlasting(2002)

    as Mae Tuck

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Last Call(2002)

    as Zelda Fitzgerald

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • In the Bedroom(2001)

    as Ruth Fowler

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Midwives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Sibyl Danforth

  • Songs In Ordinary Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Marie Fermoyle

  • The Straight Story(1999)

    as Rose

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Rage: Carrie 2(1999)

    as Carrie White (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Blast from the Past(1999)

    as Helen

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Affliction(1997)

    as Margie Fogg

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Eye of God(1997)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Grass Harp(1995)

    as Verena Talbo

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • If These Walls Could Talk(1996)

    as Barbara Barrows

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Beyond the Call(1996)

    as Pam O'Brien

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Streets of Laredo(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · as Lorena

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Thomas Jefferson: A View from the Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 2 episodes · as Martha Jefferson Randolph (voice)

  • The Good Old Boys(1995)

    as Spring Renfro

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • A Place for Annie(1994)

    as Susan Lansing

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Trading Mom(1994)

    as Mommy / Mama / Mom / Natasha

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • A Private Matter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Sherri Finkbine

  • Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Narrator (voice)

  • Hard Promises(1991)

    as Christine Ann Coalter

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • JFK(1991)

    as Liz Garrison

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Talking Eggs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Long Walk Home(1990)

    as Miriam Thompson

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Crimes of the Heart(1986)

    as Babe Magrath

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • 'night, Mother(1986)

    as Jessie Cates

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Violets Are Blue...(1986)

    as Augusta "Gussie" Sawyer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Marie(1985)

    as Marie Ragghianti

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The River(1984)

    as Mae Garvey

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Man with Two Brains(1983)

    as Anne Uumellmahaye (uncredited) (voice)

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Missing(1982)

    as Beth Horman

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Raggedy Man(1981)

    as Nita

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Heart Beat(1980)

    as Carolyn Cassady

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Coal Miner's Daughter(1980)

    as Loretta Lynn

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Verna: USO Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Verna Vane

  • Death Game(1977)

    Set Dresser

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • 3 Women(1977)

    as Mildred "Pinky" Rose

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Welcome to L.A.(1976)

    as Linda Murray

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Carrie(1976)

    as Carrie

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Katherine(1975)

    as Katherine Alman

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Phantom of the Paradise(1974)

    Set Dresser

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Ginger in the Morning(1974)

    Songs · as Ginger Brown

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Migrants(1974)

    as Wanda Trimpin

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Badlands(1973)

    as Holly Sargis

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Girls of Huntington House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Sara

  • The Waltons(1972)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • The Rookies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Prime Cut(1972)

    as Poppy

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Great Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Verna Vane

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Susan Lansing

  • A Woman in the Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 78 titles, 76 of them dated from 1951 to 2026; peak year 2006.

Biggest box office

JFK (1991)

$205M worldwide

Highest rated

JFK (1991)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Carrie (1976)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutAward winNomination
19512026

Peak 2006 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 23 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 6 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting75 of 78: 74 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thOther crew4 of 78: 3 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1950s1 · acting1970s15 · 13 acting · 3 crew1980s10 · acting1990s19 · 18 acting · 1 crew2000s17 · acting2010s8 · acting2020s6 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 18% of 34 roles
7282920207

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

an Oscar, 3 Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award and 3 other major awards from 28 major nominations, 1975–2012.

WinNomination
  1. 2012
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  2. 2010
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
  3. 2008
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
  4. 2002
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Actress
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Female Lead
  5. 2001
    • Sundance award, won · Dramatic
  6. 1995
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries
  7. 1987
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
  8. 1985
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Show 5 earlier years
  1. 1983
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actress
  2. 1982
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actress
  3. 1981
    • Oscar, won · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
  4. 1977
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
  5. 1975
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Sissy Spacek's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 54; across their 49 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Midcredits score across 62 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th22
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

33 of their 62 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved12
  • Crowd Pleaser33
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed14

Most divisive · actor

The Migrants (1974)

72nd percentile spread · 14% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Help (2011)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 46 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 54. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Sissy Spacek's work okay for kids?

Across up to 26 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore23 titles26–79 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity26 titles13–62 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity22 titles20–75 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs20 titles28–55 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense23 titles16–80 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Sissy Spacek work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sissy Spacek's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tony Bill shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles