Which actress won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 'The Help' in 2012?

Octavia Spencer won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Help in 2012.

Spencer played Minny Jackson, a gifted cook and outspoken Black maid working in 1960s Mississippi. The Help, directed by Tate Taylor and based on Kathryn Stockett’s novel, follows the relationships between Black domestic workers and the white families who employ them. Minny’s sharp humour, resilience, and complicated friendship with Celia Foote made the role one of the film’s central performances.

The award was presented at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony on 26 February 2012, honouring films released in 2011. Spencer defeated fellow nominees including Jessica Chastain, who was also nominated for The Help, as well as Janet McTeer, Melissa McCarthy, and Bérénice Bejo. Her win was one of the film’s three acting nominations; Viola Davis was nominated for Best Actress and Chastain for Supporting Actress.

A frequent confusion comes from the ceremony year versus the film year: The Help premiered in 2011, but its Oscars were awarded in 2012. Emma Stone was not a nominee in this category, although she appeared in the film as Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan.