Sissy Spacek Biography

Mary Elizabeth Spacek was born on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, to Virginia Frances and Edwin Arnold Spacek Sr. She was given the nickname ‘Sissy’ by her brothers and it struck when she took the stage later in her life.

The same year that her brother died, she moved to New York with the hope to make a career in singing. With the help of her cousin, Rip Torn and his wife Geraldine Page, both actors, she released a single titled ‘John, You’ve Gone Too Far This Time’. The song was meant as a taunt to John Lennon, who had bared it all on the cover of one of his albums. She had used the name ‘Rainbo’ as her stage name but after the song tanked at sales, the name was dropped.

The breakthrough came when she played the girlfriend of a serial killer in Terrence Malick’s ‘Badlands’. Her character, Molly, was also the narrator of the movie and conflicted over her relationship with her boyfriend, Kit, played by Martin Sheen. Her brilliant performance in the movie playing such an intricate character got her international recognition and to this day, she maintains that it was the ‘most incredible’ experience of her career.

Her next path-breaking job was in the 1980 movie ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’. The movie, a biopic of country singer Loretta Lynn, saw her showcasing her remarkable acting as Lynn. Additionally, given her musical background, she insisted on singing the songs herself, making the film even more realistic. She won the 1980 Academy Award for Best Actress for this role and was nominated for a Grammy for the soundtrack of the film.

Spacek is one of the only eight actresses who have been nominated for the Oscars six times. She won it once in 1980, for ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’.

Spacek is married to Jack Firsk since 1974, and has two daughters with him - Schuyler and Madison Frisk born in 1982 and 1988 respectively. Schuyler followed in the footsteps of her mother and is a singer and actress.