As an author, Spencer created the children's book seriesRandi Rhodes, Ninja Detective. She has published two books in the series, titledThe Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit (2013) andThe Sweetest Heist in History (2015).[4]
In 1996, Spencer made her film debut as a nurse inJoel Schumacher'sA Time to Kill, based onthe book byJohn Grisham. She was originally hired to work on casting, but asked Schumacher if she could audition for a part.[16] In 1997, she moved to Los Angeles on the advice of her friendTate Taylor, the future director ofThe Help, in which Spencer would later star.[17]
In 2003, Spencer made her stage debut in Los Angeles, inDel Shores' play,The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, starring opposite veteran actressBeth Grant. It was her first and only play, as, she once explained, she suffers from what she called "intensestage fright".[18] Later that year, she starred oppositeAllison Janney inTate Taylor's short featureChicken Party.
In 2008, Spencer's brief appearance inSeven Pounds as Kate,Rosario Dawson's home care nurse, garnered her high praise and media attention.[19] In April 2009,Entertainment Weekly listed Spencer as among its "25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood".[20]
In May 2009, Spencer had a role inSam Raimi's horror filmDrag Me to Hell, and in August 2009, she appeared inRob Zombie'sHalloween II. She also had a role in the American remake of the Danish classicLove at First Hiccup, opposite Scout Taylor-Compton. Spencer starred in the feature filmHerpes Boy, alongside Beth Grant,Ahna O'Reilly and Byron Lane. She played the voice of "Minny" on the audio version of novelThe Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Later that year, Spencer's short filmThe Captain was honored by the CICFF as a finalist for the REEL Poetry Award.
In 2016, she starred alongsideTaraji P. Henson andJanelle Monáe inHidden Figures, a film about African-American mathematicians at NASA who were critical to its success in the 1960s in theSpace Race, and who each had careers there. She played mathematician and human computerDorothy Vaughan. The role garnered her aGolden Globe Award andScreen Actors Guild Award for her performance and earned Spencer a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first black actress to follow up an Oscar victory with another nomination, having previously won forThe Help.[28] In honor ofMartin Luther King Jr. Day, Spencer bought out a Los Angeles screening ofHidden Figures to treat low-income families that would have been unable to afford to see the film otherwise.[29]
Spencer at theHidden Figures premiere in 2016
In 2017, Spencer starred in the Christian drama filmThe Shack[30] and the family drama filmGifted.[31] She co-starred withSally Hawkins inGuillermo del Toro'sdark fantasydrama filmThe Shape of Water, which follows a mute custodian at a high-security government laboratory who befriends a captured humanoid-amphibian creature. The film was screened in the main competition section of the74th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered to positive reviews on August 31, 2017,[32] and was awarded theGolden Lion for best film in the competition.[33] It also screened at the2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[34] Spencer earned Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for her portrayal, while receiving her third Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category, making her the first black actress to receive two consecutive Oscar nods in back-to-back years.[28]
In 2018, Spencer has starring roles as a preschool principal in the drama filmA Kid Like Jake and a social worker in the comedy filmInstant Family. She also executive produced the biographical comedy-drama filmGreen Book, which went on to receive theAcademy Award for Best Picture.
In 2019, she starred as Harriet Wilson, a history teacher who makes an alarming discovery about an all-star student, in the drama filmLuce. The film premiered at the2019 Sundance Film Festival and earned critical acclaim.[35] She then received praise for her starring role as Sue Ann "Ma" Ellington in the psychological horror filmMa, which was directed by frequent collaborator Tate Taylor. For the latter, she received a nomination for theSaturn Award for Best Actress. Also in 2019, Spencer returned to television by executive producing and starring in theApple TV+ drama seriesTruth Be Told.[36]
In January 2020, Spencer had a voice role as Dab-Dab, an enthusiastic duck with a metal leg, in the fantasy comedy filmDolittle, starringRobert Downey Jr. as thetitular character. She also voiced amanticore restaurant owner in thePixar animated fantasy filmOnward, which was released in March 2020 to positive reviews.
Spencer has received three nominations for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress, including one win. She is the firstAfrican-American actress to receive Academy Award nominations in back-to-back years, the first African-American actress to receive two Academy Award nominations after a win, and the second-most nominated African-American actress to date.[28][45]
^Spencer previously had given her birth year as 1972, a date disseminated in reference sources.[2] She announced in May 2020 that she actually had turned 50.[3]
_(cropped).jpg)
