“When I was 6 and starting to pick books for myself, that’s when I found out I wasn’t a great reader…the words got jumbled up. I didn’t like reading” ~ Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 25, 1970 – one of seven children. At the age of 6, she realized that something was wrong. When she opened her library books, the words looked like a jumbled mess. She had to read the lines over and over again to get the meaning of the passage. She was dyslexic.
Reflecting on her elementary school days, she stated that she was “paralyzed with fear” when it was her turn to read aloud in class. “I didn’t want to be made to feel not as smart as the other kids. I know that I’m a smart person.”
Observing that she liked mystery stories, one of her teachers decided to introduce her to the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series. She had noticed that if Octavia had a mystery that she could follow, it helped her to read.
She persevered in school and eventually completed high school and University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. Today, she enjoys success as an actor in both films (e.g., Hidden Figures, The Help, The Shape of Water) and television (e.g., Moesha, City of Angels, Truth Be Told).
She is one of 11 actresses to win the Critic’s Choice Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and Oscar in the same year.
Because of her belief that “You have to believe in yourself and you have to work very hard,” Octavia has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, including one win. She is the first African American actress to receive two consecutive 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.
Octavia is also now an author writing mystery books for children. Her novels include prompts for the reader to try different creative things, such as dressing incognito or hiding a secret message in an eggshell. So far, she has written and published two books in the series Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective.
As a dyslexic, Octavia has to learn her character’s lines by acting out the gist of the dialogue. She didn’t let her challenge stop her from achieving her dream.
What can you do to keep your child’s dream alive while they’re still struggling in school?
Hi Florence, This is a great success story. Like many I did not know this but even though I do not watch many movies I have seen the few you mentioned. Octavia is definitely inspirational. And Hollywood, what took you so long with the awards?
Well, Doug, I like pictures – viewing and taking them, but like you, I don’t watch many movies. Documentaries are more my thing. I agree that Octavia is inspirational…and determined to succeed.
Florence, how great to learn about Octavia Spencer! She is always clearly very intelligent and obviously successful. And now I know she has been fighting dyslexia (lysdexia?) since she was young. And how appropriate that she is now writing mystery stories for children. Now she’s a hero to the kids. Awesome!
She is certainly inspirational for dyslexic children. I like how she adds creative prompts to her book. That certainly makes mystery story books different.
What a great positive attitude Octavia has had since she was young. This shows that we can succeed and overcome challenges.
Yes, Martha. When one is willing to persevere, nothing is impossible.