Sissy Spacek (full name Mary Elizabeth Spacek) is an American actress and singer. Winner of awards: Oscar, Golden Globe, Sundance independent film festival, Actors Guild. Repeated nominee for cinematic awards.
Creative biography Spacek began in New York, where she went right after school to become a singer. In the late 1960s of the last century, she first appeared on the screen in cameo roles in TV series and films.
Fans of films based on the works of Stephen King are well aware of the actress who starred in the thriller Carrie and the TV series Castle Rock.
Spacek's career includes more than 100 roles in television and film projects, including participation in popular show programs, Oscars, Golden Globes, and the Actors Guild.
Biography facts
The future screen star was born in the United States in the winter of 1949. In the family, the girl was often affectionately called Sissy. Later, having already started acting in films, she took this name as a stage name.
Her paternal ancestors were Czech émigrés who once settled in America. The lineage also includes representatives of the Celts, British, Irish and Germans.
The family lived in the small town of Quitman, which was no different from many similar towns in northern Texas. As a child, the girl was very mobile and inquisitive. She spent a lot of time with friends in nature, went to the forest, loved to ride and climb trees.
Singing became one of her main hobbies. She learned to play the guitar early and often sang songs with family or friends. During her school years, she dreamed of a singing career and stubbornly moved towards her goal.
When Sissy was in her senior year, tragedy struck the family. Her older brother Robbie died of leukemia. Then she decided that she would not go to college, because life is too short to spend it on years of study. Therefore, immediately after receiving secondary education, the girl went to New York to start a music career.
Creative way
At first, Sissy worked in cafes, restaurants and clubs, performing her own folk-rock songs. She quickly gained popularity and was even able to release several singles under the pseudonym Rainbo.
After a while, Spacek decided that singing alone was not enough for her, and wanted to become an actress. An important role in this decision was played by her cousin, actor Rip Toran. It was he who helped the girl enter the acting department of a theater studio in New York. She then went on to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute.
During her studies, Sissy worked as a model, continued to perform with her songs in a cafe and starred in commercials.
She made her film debut in 1969. The girl starred in several television series: "American Love", "Waltons", "Great Shows". In 1972 she got a small role in the film "First-class Goods" about the underworld of Chicago and Kansas.
A year later, Spacek got one of the central roles in the crime drama Wasteland. Her partner on the set was Martin Sheen. According to the plot of the film, a young man named Keith and his girlfriend Holly commit the murder of the girl's father, who forbade them to meet, and go on the run. They head to Montana and commit a series of crimes and murders on the way to their goal.
For this work, Sissi was nominated for a British Academy Award, and the film received the main prize of the San Sebastian Film Festival - the Golden Shell.
Real success and fame came to the actress in 1976. She got the lead role in the horror film based on the novel Carrie by S. King, directed by Brian De Palma. Many film critics still believe that Sissy is Carrie's best performer and no one in the future even managed to come close to the image that the girl was able to create on the screen.
In 2002, a remake of the film was released, where the main role was played by Chloe Grace Moretz. Then in 2013 the picture was re-shot again, Carrie was played by Angela Battis. But none of them could play better than Spacek.
In 1977, the film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film of the Year, and Sissy Spacek and supporting actress Piper Laurie were nominated for an Oscar.
Later, the actress was nominated for the Oscar 6 times, which speaks of her high professionalism and outstanding talent.
Since the late 1970s, Spacek has become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. She starred in many famous directors, films with her participation constantly appeared on the screen.
In 1980, Sissi got the lead role in the drama "The Miner's Daughter". Tommy Lee Jones became her partner on the set. The film showed the story of the famous country singer Loretta Lynn and her difficult life path. Having got out of poverty, overcoming addiction and nervous breakdown, having survived the death of her beloved friend and the betrayal of her husband, she became a real star of the scene.
The film was highly praised by audiences and film critics. The actress won Oscar and Golden Globe awards.
In the further career of Spacek, there are many roles in various genres. She played in such famous films as: "Missing", "River", "Crimes of the Heart", "Voices of the Grass", "Streets of Loredo", "If These Walls Could Talk", "Immortals", "House on End of the World”,“Call 2”,“Four Christmases”,“Bury Me Alive”,“Servant”,“Castle Rock”,“Old Man with a Gun”,“Coming Home”.
Spacek continues to actively appear in new projects. In addition, her memoir, My Unusual Ordinary Life, was published in 2012.
Personal life
Sissy is married to production designer Jack Fisk. Their union has been going on for 45 years.
The young people met on the set of the picture "Wasteland". The romantic relationship lasted several months and ended in marriage in April 1974. The couple had two children: Skyler and Madison.
Skyler, like her mother, decided to choose a creative profession. She became a singer and actress. She starred in 15 films, released 2 solo albums and recorded many soundtracks for films and TV shows. Since 2004, the girl has been collaborating with the recording studio Universal Records.
