- Born
- Birth nameMary Elizabeth Spacek
- Height5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
- 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 (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 (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 Coal Miner's Daughter (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)
- SpouseJack Fisk(April 12, 1974 - present) (2 children)
- Children
- ParentsVirginia Frances SpilmanEdwin Arnold Spacek Sr.
- RelativesRip Torn(Cousin)Cillian De Ros(Cousin)Mark Spacek(Niece or Nephew)Stephen Spacek(Niece or Nephew)Claire Marie Torn(Cousin)
- Her sweet southern accent
- Strawberry blonde hair and freckles
- During her audition for Carrie (1976), she wore a dress that her mother forced her to wear to a party when she was in the seventh grade.
- According to her commentary on the DVD of Coal Miner's Daughter (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.
- 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.
- Her Best Actress Oscar nomination for Carrie (1976) is notable in that performances in horror films are rarely recognized by the academy.
- "Sissy" is a nickname given by her brothers when she was growing up.
- [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 The Rage: Carrie 2 (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.
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