Sissy Spacek
Spacek in 2013, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Mary Elizabeth Spacek
Place of Birth: Quitman, Smith, Texas, U.S.
Date of Birth: December 25, 1949
Ethnicity:
*Moravian/Czech, German (father)
*English (mother)
Sissy Spacek is an American actress and singer. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980).
Sissy is the daughter of Virginia Frances (Spilman) and Edwin Arnold Spacek. Her father was of three quarters Bohemian (Czech) and one quarter German descent. Her mother had English ancestry. The surname Špaček means “starling” in Czech, and is used as a slang word for “cigarette.”
Sissy’s first cousin was actor and comedian Rip Torn, who was her father’s sister’s son. Sissy is married to production designer, art director, and director Jack Fisk, with whom she has two children, including actress, singer, and songwriter Schuyler Fisk.
Sissy’s paternal grandfather was Arnold Adolph Špaček (the son of František/Frank John Špaček and Julia/Julie Anna Gloeckner/Gloekner/Glockner). Arnold was born in Texas, and was mayor of Granger, Texas in Williamson County. Frank was born in Bordovice, Moravia (now in the Czech Republic), the son of František Jan Špaček and Rosie Klimicek Mynar. Julia was born in Neustadt, Germany, the daughter of William Gloekner/Gloekcner and Johanna Kirsch.
Sissy’s paternal grandmother was Mary Julia Červenka (the daughter of Josef Friedrich Červenka and Anna Machu). Mary was born in Texas, to a father from Huckvaldy, Moravia (now the Czech Republic) and a mother from Senince Usti, Vsetin Valley, Moravia (also now the Czech Republic). Anna was the daughter of Pavel Machu and Rozina Talica.
Sissy’s maternal grandfather was Thomas Hall Spilman (the son of Thomas Percival Spilman and Almira H. Randall). Sissy’s grandfather Thomas was born in Iowa. Sissy’s great-grandfather Thomas was the son of John Dyke Spilman and Amelia Percival. Almira was the daughter of Benjamin Randall and Miranda Lathrop, who was born in Canada.
Sissy’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Allen Holliday (the daughter of Joseph Evans Holliday and Virginia Jenny Prichard Baker). Elizabeth was born in Mississippi. Joseph was the son of Isaac Newton Holliday and Elizabeth A. “Lizzie” Tisdale. Virginia was the daughter of Samuel Smith Baker and Eliza Jane Austin.
Sources: Genealogies of Sissy Spacek – https://www.geni.com
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Genealogy of Sissy Spacek (focusing on her father’s side) (through Sissy’s cousin, Rip Torn) – http://www.wargs.com
Death record of Sissy’s paternal great-grandmother, Julia/Julie Anna (Gloeckner/Gloekner/Glockner) Spacek – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Sissy Spacek (focusing on her mother’s side) – http://www.wargs.com
Does she really have Irish ancestry? I haven’t found any from the sources. I think it should be removed, only leaving English on her mother’s side.
She said her mother was of English and Irish descent on Inside the Actors Studio.
What is it with Americans and exaggerating their Irish ancestry?
Madman makes a good point. Chuck Norris, Babe Ruth, Philip Mauceri, Sissy Spacek are all American celebrities claiming Irish heritage…..
What is this a Rachel Dolezal reunion?
She most likely has some distant Welsh ancestry since his maternal 3rd great-grandmothe carries the very Welsh surname “Evans”
Another interesting thing is a remote ancestor who was named Elizabeth BROCAS, a quite unusual last name (at least with this spelling)
They say only 33.4 million of us claim Irish heritage. Every person I know that is white or black claims to have a little Irish in them. and almost every white, black, and Latino claim Native American as well. You would think over half the United States is Irish and Native American.
@jackson9
Quote (Every person I know that is white or black claims to have a little Irish in them. and almost every white, black, and Latino claim Native American as well)
Did you ever find out if those black people actually did have those blood tides, or did you just write them off?
Lord knows. A lot of them say it without really checking. Some think they are Irish when they are really of Scottish or Ulster-Scots descent. And some just have this misplaced romantic idea of what they think Ireland was/is like so want to have a link to it.
Spot on.
@ses101
On those DNA tests, they put the Irish /Scottish together. So aren’t they seen basically as the same?
@Fuzzybear, I didn’t write anyone off I said if they were all right which is possible in our melting pot of a country (which to make perfectly clear I love) there are many more than the estimated 33-40 million Irish Americans. I like and respect you a lot and I am confused why you said I write off only black people specifically when I was referring to whites, blacks, Latinos, etc with my hesitance to believe every Americans ethnic claims?
@Jackson9
First let me say sorry, I was not coming at you in a hostile way, sorry if it read like that.I was just curious .I mean Irish people and African American people were intermingled alot early on . As i said before many AA’s families got started thru white women, many of the white women were Irish. Also I have mention before, I took the Ancestry DNA test. The test says I have Irish ancestry, although another member on this site says my Europe ancestries are probably wrong which I’m okay with. . Anyhow, Ancestry says I’m related to 1500 people on their site, of which 1494 of them , I’ve never seen before. yet they all have Irish ancestry(you can see the results of anyone you’re related to). So I was just curious if you ever found out if your friends had Irish ancestry, or you left it alone.
Thank you @fuzzybear for clarifying just wanted to make sure we were cool was all :-) Most of my friends including African-American friends haven’t taken DNA tests sadly, although I am always eager to convince everyone to, preferably 23andme and/or ancestry DNA. BTW from the articles I have been reading about African Americans heritage the number being tossed around is 38% of AA have Irish heritage. I am curious to know if you believe that is accurate or not? Also you took the Ancestry DNA test, I did that test and 23andme. with Ancestry did it specify which part of Ireland or just lump it with Scotland? mine just said Ireland/Scotland. Again, love your knowledge and contributions to ethnic celebs :)
I’d say more African Americans have Scots-Irish (i.e. Scottish) heritage, than Irish one. Irish people only started coming in large numbers in mid 19th century. I can only think of a few African American people with an Irish last name, like Shaquille O’Neal.
You screwed up everything on her paternal grandfather’s side. Revise.
Everything? That’s a bit harsh.
Well, yes, but adding almost wouldn’t have sounded as good. Anyway, Julia wasn’t from Germany proper, she was an ethnic German from the Czech Republic, hence why I changed it in Rip’s profile. I don’t know where you get Neustadt from.
From the Wargs.com reference.
Where do they get it from? Censuses say she was from Czech Republic. Not that it’s really important or anything…
I don’t know, though it was a very specific location.
Maybe it’s Neustadt an der Mettau or Neustadt an der Tafelfichte?
Her suname “Špaček” means starling or it is using for slang word of cigarette.
She needs a revision rhinoplasty. She’s so cute btw.
here is a real “celeb”
if u mean for “celebs” ppl who made a sextape or trash tv shows I agree.
I think, she would be ashamed to be put together
with Karadshian-Jenner herd
Sex tape? Are you crazy??
No, as Sissy and James began their career, the
world was still not crazy. It would be the end of
their career
Ah, James Deen.
He should make a sex tape with Demi Moore.