Sissy Spacek made her silver screen debut in the 1972 American action crime film ‘Prime Cut’ directed by Michael Ritchie. The film holds a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The following year, she starred as ‘Holly Sargis’ in the Terrence Malick-directed American neo-noir period crime drama film, ‘Badlands.’ The film was praised by critics and was selected for preservation at the National Film Registry in 1993. In 1976, Spacek portrayed ‘Carrie White’ in the American supernatural horror film ‘Carrie’ directed by Brian De Palma. The film received critical acclaim upon release and came to be regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made. It was also a commercial success and grossed over $33.8 million on a budget of $1.8 million. The following year, she played the role of ‘Pinky Rose’ in the American drama film, ‘3 Women’ directed by Robert Altman. The film was warmly received by critics and holds a 94% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Spacek became a recipient of the ‘Academy Award’ and ‘Golden Globe Award’ for her portrayal of ‘Loretta Lynn’ in the 1980 American biographical musical film, ‘Coal Miner's Daughter’ directed by Michael Apted. The film garnered praise from critics and grossed over $67.18 million on a budget of $15 million. That same year, she also played the role of ‘Carolyn Cassady’ in the American romantic drama film ‘Heart Beat’ directed by John Byrum. The film received mixed reviews from critics and failed to perform at the box office.
She continued to star in films such as ‘Raggedy Man’ (1981), ‘Missing’ (1982), ‘The River’ (1984), ‘Marie’ (1985), ‘Violets Are Blue’ (1986), 'night, Mother (1986), ‘Crimes of the Heart’ (1986), ‘The Long Walk Home’ (1990), ‘Hard Promises’ (1991), ‘JFK’ (1991), ‘Trading Mom’ (1994), ‘The Grass Harp’ (1995), ‘Affliction’ (1997), and ‘The Straight Story’ (1999). In 2001, she portrayed ‘Ruth Fowler’ in the American independent drama film ‘In the Bedroom’ directed by Todd Field. The film opened to critical acclaim and received 5 ‘Academy Award’ nominations, including ‘Best Actress’ for Spacek. She next starred in films like ‘Tuck Everlasting’ (2002), ‘A Home at the End of the World’ (2004), ‘Nine Lives’ (2005), ‘North Country’ (2005), ‘Gray Matters’ (2007), ‘Pictures of Hollis Woods’ (2007), ‘Four Christmases’ (2008), ‘Get Low’ (2009), ‘The Help’ (2011), and ‘Deadfall’ (2012). In 2015, she joined the cast of the American Netflix original thriller drama television series ‘Bloodline’ where she portrayed ‘Sally Rayburn.’ The series ran for 3 seasons and aired its final episode in 2017. Spacek last appeared in the American science fiction drama streaming television series ‘Night Sky’ in 2022.
