Hardest Who You Callin' Sissy? Trivia Quiz | Celebrities

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which name is on her birth certificate?

Answer: Mary Elizabeth Spacek

Mary Elizabeth Spacek was born on December 25, 1949 in Quitman, Texas. She was nicknamed "Sissy" by her brothers. She was popular (unlike her character in "Carrie"), sang, played instruments, and was a cheerleader.

2. Sissy's first cousin is the famous actor, Rip Torn, perhaps best known for his Emmy-winning role as Artie, the producer on "The Larry Sanders Show". He was married to a famous "Method" or "Actor's Studio" actress and Sissy stayed with them in the late 60s when she first came to New York to break into show business. Who was Rip Torn's famous wife (Sissy claimed her as a cousin "by marriage")?

Answer: Geraldine Page

Their mailbox plate read Torn/Page (who could resist?). The couple, who had a feisty marriage, did their best to help Sissy in her fledgling career. On an episode of "Inside The Actor's Studio", Sissy remembered a piece of advice from the (at the time) notoriously difficult Torn: "Don't ever tell anybody you're related to me or you won't ever work".

3. When Sissy first came to New York, her primary interest was singing, rather than acting. She cut a single under what 60s-flavored name?

Answer: Rainbo

The single was titled, "John, You Went Too Far This Time" in reference to John and Yoko's album cover for "Two Virgins". Apparently she repeated the line over and over.

4. Sissy's first big critical hit was "Badlands", director Terrence Malick's first feature film. It was based on a real-life serial killer and his teenage girlfriend. Which actor was her equally brilliant co-star (ironically, he later went on to play the President)?

Answer: Martin Sheen

This was also a breakout performance for Sheen, who was magnificent. Sheen has portrayed the President of the United States on TV's "The West Wing", Bridges in "The Contender", and Douglas in "The American President". Spacek also met her husband, Jack Fisk, on this film (he was the art director).

They celebrated their 29th anniversary on April 12th, 2003. Jack's dog, Five, was a witness at the wedding and his pawprint appears on their marriage license.

5. Sissy did a lot of television in her career. On which TV show did she not appear?

Answer: The Mod Squad

The episode of "Saturday Night Live" that Sissy hosted in 1977 won an Emmy award for Best Writing. She also hosted "The Midnight Special" (anybody remember "The Midnight Special"?) after starring in "Coal Miner's Daughter". She and Beverly D'Angelo, Levon Helm, and Phyllis Boyens played music and sang songs. Oh, I wish I had a tape of that!

6. What color was Carrie's prom dress-before the..um...unfortunate bucket incident?

Answer: Pink (pastel)

When she comes downstairs, her mother (not a big prom fan, to say the least), says, "Red, I might have known it would be red". Carrie says, "It's pink, Mama". Later, of course, it does become red.

7. For a time, Sissy had a famous director as a brother-in-law. Although this director later divorced Jack Fisk's sister, the director remained on friendly terms and worked with Sissy later. What is his name?

Answer: David Lynch

Jack Fisk had been friends with David Lynch going all the way back to Lynch's AFI "student" film, "Eraserhead", in which Fisk had a part. He went on to be production designer on Lynch's "The Straight Story" and "Mulholland Drive" and Sissy acted for Lynch in "The Straight Story".

8. Loretta Lynn hand-picked Sissy to play herself in "Coal Miner's Daughter".

Answer: True

Loretta was looking through stacks of pictures of actresses and stopped cold. "That's her. That's the coal miner's daughter"! she exclaimed. Sissy went to Nashville and Loretta helped her work on the songs (Sissy did all of her own singing and recorded a soundtrack album).

The women became great friends and Sissy appeared on one of Loretta's television specials. Sissy won many critic's awards for the film, the Golden Globe, and the Academy Award. I consider it to be one of the two greatest performances ever given by an actress in a movie (the other is Elizabeth Taylor's in "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?").

9. After singing brilliantly as Loretta Lynn on film and the soundtrack album, Sissy achieved a longtime dream and recorded her own album in 1983. What was it called?

Answer: Hangin' Up My Heart

Sissy's brother Ed worked in the music business in Nashville and had a lot to do with this album, which is filled with heavy hitters. Vince Gill did lead electric and acoustic guitar, Rosanne Cash and Gill were among the backup singers, and Annie Leibovitz did the album cover photo. All of the incorrect answers are songs on the album. Sissy wrote the music for "Smooth Talkin' Daddy" and she and Loretta Lynn cowrote the lyrics, and Sissy wrote both music and lyrics for "He Don't Know Me", which I have always interpreted as being about the perils and fear that can accompany fame.

10. Who doesn't want to work with Sissy? Which "Affliction" performer asked if he/she would have scenes with Spacek before signing on?

Answer: James Coburn

Well, for all I know, they might have all asked, but James Coburn spoke of it in an interview. When director Paul Schrader approached him about the project, Coburn asked who was in it. "Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek", Schrader replied. I don't have the exact quote, but Coburn asked if he had any scenes with Sissy and was very pleased to hear that he did. I do have an exact quote from the Oscar pre-show before he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: "It was great to work with Paul Schrader. And Sissy Spacek. Great actress, that lady".

Source: Author missglitz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor JuniorTheJaws before going online.
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Who You Callin' Sissy? Trivia Quiz

My favorite actress, the beautiful, freckled, redheaded, multi-award-winning Sissy Spacek, that's who! Here's just a sampling of the wonderful career of this natural beauty and talent.

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