Which Ride or Die lead won an Oscar for The Help?

Which Ride or Die lead won an Oscar for The Help? The answer is Octavia Spencer. Spencer won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Minny Jackson in The Help, the 2011 film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel. Minny is a gifted but outspoken Black maid working in Mississippi during the early 1960s, and Spencer’s performance became the film’s most celebrated acting achievement.

The Oscar win came at the 84th Academy Awards in 2012. It was Spencer’s first Academy Award nomination and first win. She also received the Golden Globe and BAFTA for the role, establishing The Help as her major breakthrough after years of smaller film and television parts.

The film also earned nominations for Viola Davis as Best Actress and Jessica Chastain as Best Supporting Actress, which can cause confusion when recalling its awards history. Spencer later received Oscar nominations for Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water, but her only win remains The Help. She is also an executive producer and actor known for Truth Be Told, Fruitvale Station, and Hidden Figures.