Biographie

Is one of 8 African-American actresses to win the Oscar in a competitive category. The others in chronological order are Hattie McDaniel for Autant en emporte le vent (1939), Whoopi Goldberg for Mon fantôme d'amour (1990), Halle Berry for Le bal du monstre (2001), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006), Mo'Nique for La véritable Precious Jones (2009), Viola Davis for Barrières (2016), and Regina King in Si Beale Street pouvait parler (2018).

A lifelong fan of the horror/fantasy film genre, she claims to have seen every film directed and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro.

As a dyslexic, Octavia has to learn her character's lines by acting out the gist of the dialogue.

Between 1996 and 2013, Spencer has played a nurse at least 16 different times, including in movies such as Non coupable (1996) and Sept vies (2008), as a regular on the television series City of Angels (2000) and in guest spots on series like Chicago Hope (1994), Aux frontières du réel (1993) and Roswell (1999).

In 2017, Spencer became the first Black Actress to be nominated for an Academy Award after having already won one. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for a second time in 2017.

I was not a Girl Scout, but I try to be very prepared. I triple-Spanx!

[on 'Smashed'] To say we did it on a shoestring budget would be putting it mildly. We did it on a dental-floss budget.

I was always a closet lover of acting. My mom was very practical. She never, ever restricted our dreams, always told us we could do or be anything. Then I said, 'Maybe I want to be an actor'. And she said, 'Maybe not that'.

[on her role as an alcoholic teacher in 'Smashed'] The subject matter is so relevant.People have been having issues with substance abuse since the dawn of time, I imagine, since they started fermenting fruit and vegetables, for God's sake. It was definitely an enlightening part to play. I'll say that I don't think you can throw a stone and not come in contact with someone who knows someone or has problems with substance abuse.

You can't rest on your laurels. Because if you go in there and stink up the room, they go, 'They gave that one an Oscar?'