At 74, Sissy Spacek Is Aging Gracefully Despite Not Washing Her Hair & Teeth For A Role In Her Youth

Jun 09, 2023

In Hollywood, there are only a handful of people who have successfully managed to shine in different fields at the same time. Some artists are better on television, some are gifted with powerful vocals, while some are really born for the silver screen. 

Sissy Spacek defied those expectations that she should only be caged in one industry. The 74-year-old Texas native is an Academy Award-winning actress, a Grammy Award-nominated vocalist and a three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee. 

Born Mary Elizabeth Spacek on Dec. 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, to Virginia Frances and Edwin Spacek Sr., her love for the arts and performing started at the age of 6 when she performed onstage at a local talent show. Although Elizabeth is her given birth name, the nickname Sissy was coined by her brothers — which became her eventual screen name. 

In a 2012 interview with Toronto Star, Spacek revealed that it was her 18-year-old brother Robbie’s death from leukemia in 1967 that made her “fearless” in her now-illustrious acting career. Describing it as "the defining event of my whole life,” it didn’t stop Spacek from pursuing her dreams of becoming an actress. 

Her breakthrough didn’t come until Brian De Palma’s “Carrie” in 1976. As a newbie in the industry at the time, her impressive performance as Carrie White eventually landed her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress that year. However, it was “Coal Miner’s Daughter” that ultimately scored her an Oscar win for playing country music Icon Loretta Lynn on the big screen — cementing her place in the acting hall of fame. 

Nowadays, fans can’t get over how gorgeous the actress looks in her laid-back lifestyle.

When Spacek was cast as Holly in the 1973 American neo-noir period crime drama film “Badlands,” she met her future husband, Jack Fisk, who was working as the film’s art director and production designer. Spacek was playing the lead, while Fisk was behind the camera. 

After their meeting in “Badlands,” the two eventually dated and embarked on a relationship. In an interview with Texas Monthly, Spacek revealed the moment when she realized that it was Fisk who she wanted to settle down with. 

“Jack had built this incredible treehouse on a river,” Spacek recalled. “One day he asked me to ride home with him on a boat. We loaded up, and there came a terrible flash flood. The boat sank. Right then I knew life with Jack was going to be eventful.”

According to an interview with Rolling Stone, Fisk was drawn to Spacek when they met on set, noting that the both of them “had the same kind of conviction to work.” 

Spacek and Fisk are quite the opposite. Fisk stands at 6'2" and has shaggy hair and a more reserved personality, while Spacek, on the other hand, is a foot smaller, and smiles like sunshine with her freckles and golden corn-colored hair. Their children are the spitting image of them — Schuyler, the eldest, looks like her mom, and Madison, their younger daughter, resembles her dad more. 

The “Carrie” actress was very candid in recalling the start of her relationship with his husband. Speaking to People Magazine, Spacek thought their relationship wouldn’t last that long. 

"We never expected a lifelong relationship," Spacek confessed. "In fact, we even opened a bank account and put $30 in it, because that's how much it cost to get divorced. Now I think it would take something dramatic like death to end it."

Despite working in Hollywood, Spacek and Fisk have been content living a simple country life. In 1974, they tied the knot in a private ceremony wearing jeans with only a sole guest — their dog. They got married in a small California chapel, and they've been enjoying a happy marriage since.

At the height of their fame and popularity, Spacek and Fisk decided to live a quiet life and relocated to Virginia — abandoning their home in California for a ranch on the East Coast. 

“If you live only a movie-star life you know only movie-star things. I needed to live a regular life with normal people around,” she told People Magazine in 1983.

Spacek thought that transitioning to a simpler life in Virginia would help their children in the long run. 

“We moved there not because we didn't love L.A., but we wanted to raise our children in a more natural environment," Spacek told Yahoo Entertainment. "(An environment) where they could make mistakes, ride ponies, do stupid stuff and climb trees and not have to deal with that celebrity child thing."

It would seem like the decision to move to Virginia helped Spacek and her family flourish in life, and her marriage with Fisk as well. They have been married for almost 50 years already. 

A 2022 interview with Esquire had the actress expressing her love for her husband when asked how she relates to her role in “Night Sky.” For her, the lasting relationship between the main characters reminded her of her husband: 

“My husband is such a wonderful artist. He's phenomenal, and I learned so much from him about the artist’s life, and about work, and what it involves, and how much you have to give.”

Speaking about the success of her long-lasting marriage, Spacek spoke words of wisdom: "Just pick your battles."

While Spacek seems content with her laid-back lifestyle, this isn’t the first time she’s stepped on the less glamorous side. According to CBS, the actress didn’t brush her teeth when she was in “Carrie” in order to fully get into character.

"I wanted to feel really badly about myself,” Spacek explained. “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 really bad about myself. And that helps with the character."

It seems like Spacek’s dedication paid off, as she still has a thriving career today. Not only that, but she is incredibly happy with her personal life. “I'm not depressed. I have grandchildren now. One and two,” the actress said. She continued:

“It’s the greatest thing that I've experienced. I'm very content. I think happiness is overrated. I think contentment is what we need and just to be. I'm kind of an introvert. I spend a lot of time with my family and then work every so often.”

At 74, Spacek has few complaints as she enjoys growing older. She told Closer Weekly:

“People treat you with more respect. They open doors for you. Plus, you have the courage to really say what you believe. I believe as long as you have your health, it’s a really great time of life, the best time.”

Fans have raved over how great Spacek looks in her 70s, with one person saying, “I want to age like Sissy Spacek. She's so gorgeous and has this air of...grace about her, that age cannot touch.”

What do you think about Sissy Spacek today? Are you intrigued by her lifestyle and outlook on aging? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.