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 - Zerschossene Träume (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: Des Satans jüngste Tochter (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
Nashville Lady (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.
