Which historical figure did Ride or Die star Octavia Spencer portray in Self Made?

Octavia Spencer portrayed Madam C. J. Walker in Self Made. The Netflix miniseries dramatizes the life of the pioneering Black entrepreneur, whose birth name was Sarah Breedlove.

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker premiered on Netflix on March 20, 2020, as a four-episode limited series. It was based on A’Lelia Bundles’s biography On Her Own Ground and earned praise for Spencer’s performance, even as viewers and historians noted the show’s fictionalized elements.

Walker built a business selling cosmetics and hair-care products for Black women through the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company. She also became known for philanthropy, political activism and support for Black institutions.

The title can cause confusion: “Madam C. J. Walker” was a professional name adopted after her marriage to Charles Joseph Walker. She was born Sarah Breedlove in Louisiana in 1867, not with the name Walker.