Sissy Spacek at 78 Still Amazes with Her Hair Has Aged Well – In Her Youth She Did Not Brush Her Teeth Due to a Role

• At the age of 17, Sissy Spacek lost her brother and moved to another city, where she unsuccessfully tried to become a singer.
• She was shy about her appearance and southern accent.
• Spacek met her husband on set.
• Today she is raising her grandchildren on her farm away from Hollywood and still amazes people with her beauty.

Veteran star Sissy Spacek is an acclaimed actress who began her Hollywood career with a passion for singing. Known for her ability to portray every role she plays genuinely, she received several nods for lead actress roles.

Spacek is a multi-Oscar Award nominee, including for the horror classic, “Carrie,” and dramas such as “In the Bedroom” and “Missing.”

She won an Academy Award for portraying Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and also appeared in “The Help” and “Get Low.” Born in Quitman, Texas, in December 1949, Spacek studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, now the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.

She made her film debut in the thriller “Prime Cut” (1972), where she played a teenager abducted by a white slavery ring. She received attention for playing another adolescent character in “Badlands” (1973).

Spacek’s Childhood Involved a Tragedy

Over the years, Spacek has taken time away from Hollywood to retreat to her farm in Virginia. In 2012, she went on a hiatus and only returned in 2015 to star in the Netflix thriller series, “Bloodline,” playing Sally Rayburn.

When asked during an interview what she had been up to, she divulged, “Family and animals. I need to fill myself up with real life. That’s kind of the well I draw from.”

Earlier in her acting career, Spacek was particular about the type of roles she agreed to play and became an icon in 1976 after starring in “Carrie.” Following her stint in the film, she appeared in “3 Women” and stopped making movies for three years after that.

When she made a comeback in “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” she bagged an Oscar. Born on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, Spacek’s acting career was influenced by her older brother, Robbie, who tragically died from leukemia at 18 – when she was 17.

She penned about grieving for her sibling in her 2012 autobiography, “My Extraordinary Ordinary Life,” writing, “For me, the grief was almost like a rocket fuel,” adding:

“I think it made me brave. Once you experience something like that, you’ve experienced the ultimate tragedy. And if you can continue, nothing else frightens you. That’s what I mean about it being rocket fuel – I was fearless, in a way.”

Spacek further explained that although it was under unfavorable circumstances, something positive came from the tragedy. She evolved a lot thanks to her mom, who wanted everyone to become better versions of themselves after going through that ordeal and not wallow in the situation.

Spacek, nicknamed “Sissy” by her two older brothers, said Robbie’s death left an intense feeling inside her that never left. She always depends on it to resurface, making her feel like she did not lose him. “It’s like he shared my career,” said the three-time Golden Globe Award winner.

Young Spacek used to go fishing with her brothers, Robbie and Ed Jr., went barefoot throughout the summer, rode a horse called Buck, performed at talent contests from age six, and watched matinees at the local theatre.

However, her life abruptly changed due to Robbie’s sickness and ultimate death. After he became ill, Spacek went to spend time with her cousin, actor Rip Torn and his wife, Geraldine Paige, for the summer in New York.

She wanted to escape her reality as she had initially planned on going to the University of Texas. But Robbie’s health woes sent her in a different direction. While in high school, the “Night Sky” star felt there was no progress with her life in the small town of Quitman, adding she felt her life was headed in a single direction.

Spacek wanted to be a college student, join music like Robbie, and become a female Buddy Holly. She intended to return home at the time, but things fell apart once Robbie became sick. He returned home because he could not attend classes, and his health deteriorated.

It was around the period when she was chosen as a runner-up in the area’s annual beauty and talent show. Spacek wore a dress she designed herself and sang two original songs. She managed to impress one judge, a newspaperwoman who convinced her she would do reasonably well in New York City if she established a singing career there.

Spacek asked for her parents’ permission, who said they would consider it. Eventually, they agreed, and after graduating from high school, the future showbiz star returned to the Big Apple, hoping to become a folk singer.

“I intended to be a rock star,” said Spacek in an October 1979 interview. She set up an appointment with the William Morris Agency, organized by her cousin Torn. Sadly, agents told her to try again in the following years.

Spacek had a demo made with Eddie Simon, which also fizzled. She later failed to reach the “Tonight Show” audition requirements because she had a hoarse voice. Meanwhile, Bob LeMond, the manager who later represented actor John Travolta, told her to lose the accent and go back home.

Although her music journey failed, Spacek succeeded in acting and made quite an impression on set. With her first movie, “Prime Cut,” a crew member said she was a ray of sunshine. When asked about her good image at work, the star stated:

“It never bothered me. I am the way I am. I don’t try to exploit my accent or the way I am.”

For her screen test a few days later, Spacek opted for a navy blue sailor’s dress that she had not worn since grade school and put Vaseline on her hair.

With her breakout role in “Carrie,” the three-time Emmy Award nominee revealed in a May 2012 interview that she altered her appearance to suit the character:

“I wanted to feel really badly about myself. There’s nothing like not washing your teeth or washing your face, or brushing your teeth in the morning. I put Vaseline in my hair. That made me feel bad about myself. And that helps with the character.”

The film’s opening sequence shows her character in the high school gym showers, where she gets her first period and has no idea what is happening to her.

Spacek admitted filming that scene was horrifying because she happens to be an introverted and shy individual in real life, adding it was a bad combo for someone like that to play that scene.

Spacek Met Her Husband of 50 Years on Set

Through her acting career, Spacek met her one and only husband, set designer Jack Fisk. The couple crossed paths on the set of “Badlands” in 1972, and he said they became attracted to each other because they are workaholics.

Nonetheless, the lovebirds, who share an agent, wed two years later in 1974. Following their collaboration in the movie, they worked together on other projects, including 1981’s “Raggedy Man,” directed by Fisk. Spacek said in an October 1983 interview that they both had to leave their husband-and-wife roles at home and focus on the job as professionals on set.

Aside from their strong work ethic, she confessed they never thought they would have a successful marriage, adding they had reservations about it initially. So much so that they believed they would divorce, and in being proactive, they opened a joint bank account and put $30 in it because that was how much it cost to get one back then.

However, Spacek and Fisk’s love has proved beyond reasonable doubt that it can flourish as the pair have been married for 50 years, and she now believes only death will do them apart. In May 2022, Spacek expressed she still could not believe she and the Illinois native had been married this long, saying it is overwhelming to know how fast time has passed.

When asked to share the secret to their five-decade-long marriage, the Grammy Award nominee stated: “Just pick your battles.” After being married for so long, there have been times when she would want to get physical with Fisk, which is part of their long journey together.

Fisk and his award-winning wife are parents of two daughters, Schuyler and Madison. However, Spacek did not initially plan on having kids, but it happened regardless. In the summer of 1981, psychic Jeane Dixon predicted she would have a baby girl for a firstborn. Indeed, her eldest, Schuyler, was born on July 8, 1982, and she clipped the prediction in her baby book.

She and Fisk welcomed their second child, Madison, on September 21, 1988. The duo left Los Angeles several years back to raise their children away from the limelight in Virginia. They are now grandparents of two grandkids. Spacek gushed about being a grandmother in May 2022:

“I have grandchildren now. One and two. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced. I’m very content.”

Living on a Farm Where She Raised Her Kids

Spacek is family-oriented and prides herself on being an ordinary woman with rural roots. She is now 73 and still looks good for her age.

The mother of two has chosen to age gracefully, not confirming to Hollywood standards. Spacek is not fazed by growing old and views it as a privilege because older people are more respected.

What she enjoys more about old age is that she gets to speak her mind freely and believes that as long as she is healthy, it is one of the best stages of her life.

In a 2020 interview, Spacek shared details about her life as a family woman and revealed that she and her spouse and kids make it a point to have fun together and tap into their creative abilities.

However, Spacek and Fisk are now empty nesters, and they enjoy their free time with each other. She always returns to their farm after filming a movie to spend time with her loved ones.

For her role in “Night Sky,” as Irene York, Spacek drew inspiration from her humble life, including her happy marriage and family life, to execute the part. Irene is an elderly woman grieving the loss of her son alongside her husband, Franklin.

When asked if she thinks her life and career would have panned out differently if her late brother was still alive, Spacek said he would have been on the same level as her career-wise, adding Robbie was a more polished actor.

She believes his career would have taken off first, and hers would have followed suit. Still, the Screen Actors Guild Award winner noted that it was difficult to speculate how everything would have turned out.

If she had not left her hometown in Texas, she would not have met her beloved husband, the director of “Badlands,” Terrence Malick, and she would not have had the children she has now.

Spacek once admitted she initially thought she would have sons mainly because she grew up with brothers. Regardless, her kids came at the right time in her life because she was at the peak of her career, and they did not care about her fame and only wanted food, which made her down-to-earth.

She raised them in an environment where she wanted them to have roots. Spacek and Fisk bought their farm in 1978, and it served as a getaway from the city.

While there, she fell pregnant with her first daughter, and they decided to extend their stay, which eventually became a permanent home for them. Although she enjoys life in the city, Spacek loves nature.

She enjoyed gardening and planting annuals when she first arrived on the farm. She now has a serpentine English flower where she plants tulips and columbines. One of her daughters even tied the knot on the farm.

The acclaimed star and Fisk’s kids followed in their footsteps. Schuyler became an actress, and Madison is a production designer like her dad.

In November 2022, Schuyler revealed she was once approached to reprise her mother’s iconic role in, “Carrie,” but turned down the offer. She said it was unnecessary.

The California native explained it felt wrong to partake in the reboot and emphasized she would never be on board with it. Schuyler believes the film is a masterpiece as it is.

Now that her kids are adults, Spacek shared their relationship dynamic as grown-ups and revealed the roles have changed. They now look after her and reciprocate everything she and Fisk have provided them in their upbringing.

She described her brood as incredible, adding she has many words to describe how marvelous they are. When asked how she dealt with being an empty nester, the proud mom said once her daughters went off to school, they communicated a lot throughout the day.

Spacek said she wrote her autobiography, especially for her children, because her late father played a significant role in the person she is today, and she wanted to jot that down while she still could.

She learned a lot about herself because she realized the little things matter the most. Writing the book made Spacek realize how lucky she has been in her life.

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