Sissy Spacek

American actress and singer who earned an Oscar nomination in 1976 for her role in "Carrie." Her movie and TV films include "Badlands," "Raggedy Man," "Violets Are Blue," "Night Mother," "Crimes of the Heart," and "Coal Miner's Daughter," for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress, 1980.

After growing up in Texas as a tomboy, ambitious to become a country and western signer, she left for New York after high school. Staying with her cousin Rip Torn and his actress-wife, Geraldine Page, she enjoyed a modest singing success under the name of Rainbo. Her first job in show biz was singing TV jingles. At the same time she looked for acting jobs and found one in "Prime Cut," starring Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman. Spacek moved to Hollywood and starred with Martin Sheen in "Badlands," a movie about killer Charles Starkweather. An immediate cult movie, it led to TV movies and the breakthrough with "Carrie."

Spacek, who is entrenched in the rhythms of regular life, always returns home to her horse farm in Virginia after films. She is a relentless researcher for her roles and feels it's important for her to love the project and script. Nominated for Academy Awards five times as Best Actress, Spacek has won only for her 1980 portrayal of the country singer Loretta Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter." Her more recent films include "The Long Walk Home," 1990, "JFK," 1991 and "A Private Matter," 1992.

Spacek met her art director husband, Jack Fisk, while filming "Badlands." They have two daughters, Schulyer and Madison. She takes her whole clan with her when she goes on film location.

Sissy's dad, Edwin Arnold Spacek, 90, died in Virginia on 7 January 2001.