
Age: 56
female
Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Spencer made her film debut in the 1996 drama A Time to Kill. Following a decade of brief roles in film and television, her breakthrough came in 2011 when she played a maid in 1960s America in the drama film The Help, which won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In ensuing years, she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Ryan Coogler's biopic Fruitvale Station (2013), had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom Mom (2013–2015), and starred in the Fox drama series Red Band Society (2014–2015). Spencer's roles as other black women in 1960s America, as Dorothy Vaughan in the biopic Hidden Figures (2016) and a cleaning woman in the fantasy The Shape of Water (2017), earned her two consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first black actress to achieve such feat, as well as the first, and to date only, to be nominated twice after winning. She has since starred in The Divergent Series (2015–16), The Shack (2017), Gifted (2017), Instant Family (2018), Luce (2019), Ma (2019), Onward (2020), and Spirited(2022). She led the Apple TV+ drama series Truth Be Told (2019–2023). She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for portraying Madam C. J. Walker in the Netflix miniseries Self Made (2020). As an author, Spencer created the children's book series Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective. She has published two books in the series: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit (2013) and The Sweetest Heist in History (2015). Description above from the Wikipedia article Octavia Spencer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Octavia Spencer

Annie Henderson
for Annie Henderson in Rising in Stillness: The Maya Angelou Story
Suggested by kamsismith

"Rising in Stillness: The Maya Angelou Story" is an extraordinary biopic that chronicles the life of one of the most influential and inspiring figures of the 20th century. Maya Angelou, born in 1928 as Marguerite Annie Johnson, overcame a difficult childhood marked by trauma and racial discrimination to become a celebrated poet, storyteller, and civil rights activist. This powerful film takes us on a journey through Maya's life as she discovers her love for literature and the written word, and navigates the challenges of racism, poverty, and personal trauma. Her experiences as a nightclub singer, dancer, and civil rights activist intersect with her burgeoning career as a writer, leading her to write the groundbreaking autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." As Maya's literary career soars, the movie captures her pivotal friendships with luminaries like Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., showcasing her integral role in the civil rights movement. The film portrays Maya's unyielding determination, her ability to transform pain into poetry, and her unwavering commitment to social justice. "Rising in Stillness: The Maya Angelou Story" is a poignant and compelling tribute to a remarkable woman who inspired generations with her words and her deeds. This film is a must-see for anyone who seeks to be inspired and empowered by the story of a true American icon.