Born 1949 in Quitman, Texas, American actress and singer Sissy Spacek initially aspired to a career as a singer then subsequently switched her focus to acting. She began her professional acting career in the early 1970s, making her debut as an extra in Andy Warhol’s Women in Revolt (1971). She received attention for her role as Holly Sargis in Terrence Malick’s Badlands (1973).
Spacek rose to prominence with her portrayal of Carrie White in Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976), for which she received her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Following her appearances in the acclaimed films Welcome to L.A. (1976) and Robert Altman's 3 Women (1977), she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Loretta Lynn in the biographical musical Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). Her other Oscar-nominated roles include Missing (1982), The River (1984), Crimes of the Heart (1986) and In the Bedroom (2001).
On television, Spacek received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the television films The Good Old Boys (1995) and Last Call (2002), and the HBO drama series Big Love (2011). She portrayed matriarch Sally Rayburn on the Netflix drama thriller series Bloodline (2015–2017), Ruth Deaver on the Hulu psychological horror series Castle Rock (2018), and Ellen Bergman on the Prime Video psychological thriller series Homecoming (2018).
As a singer, Spacek sang all of Loretta Lynn's songs for the soundtrack album of Coal Miner's Daughter, which garnered her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She also released a debut studio album, Hangin' Up My Heart (1983), which was critically well received and peaked at no. 17 on Billboard Top Country Albums.
These beautiful vintage photos captured portrait of young Sissy Spacek in the 1970s.
