Mary Elizabeth “Sissy” Spacek was bon on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas. As a kid, she climbed trees, rode horses swam and played in the woods and was given the nickname of Sissy by her two brothers when she was growing up. Her older brother, Robbie, died from leukemia in 1967. She was also a drum majorette and popular homecoming queen at Quitman High School from which she graduated. Of Czech, German and English descent, she is a cousin to actor Rip Torn, whose mother’s maiden name was also Spacek. It was Torn who influenced her choice for an acting career, and through him after graduation from high school, she was able to enroll in Lee Strasberg’s Actor’s Studio in New York City.
Her first role came in 1972 in the film, “Prime Cut,” in which she played a young woman sold into white slavery. It was her second role, however, in “Badlands” opposite Martin Sheen, which first brought her notice. It is also where she met art director, Jack Fiske, whom she would marry in 1974. Fame came with the film “Carrie,” in 1976 for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. (This was more than the obvious honor, for it made her one of the chosen few to be Oscar-nominated for a lead performance in a horror film.) Four years later in 1980, she would win the Oscar for her portrayal of country singer, Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” She was also nominated for a Grammy for her rendition of the title song in the category “Best Vocal Performance, Female.”
Sissy Spacek has appeared in many films, each rendering a stellar performance. She lives with her husband and two daughters on a large horse ranch named “Beau Val” in the Virginia foothills and, hopefully, will continue to work in film for many years to come, pleasing her many adoring fans.