Arts & Culture | January 18, 2017

Octavia Spencer is the Hasty Pudding Club's 2017 Woman of the Year

The actress will attend the Hasty Pudding's festivities on January 26.

by Sophia Nguyen

Smiling woman with dark hair in a teal dress, standing in front of a branded backdrop. — Octavia Spencer at a screening of *Hidden Figures* at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
Photograph by Joel Kowsky/NASA

Hasty Pudding theatricals has named actress Octavia Spencer its 2017 Woman of the Year.

Best known for her performance as Minny Jackson in The Help, for which she won an Oscar in 2012, she has also played: a reluctant rebel in the young adult franchise dystopia Divergent and a determined one in Snowpiercer; the worried mother of Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station; and an otter with a missing husband in Zootopia. Recent television roles include a tough nurse in the series Red Band Society and Harriet Tubman in the comedy show Drunk History. Currently, Spencer can be seen playing Dorothy Vaughan, a mathematician and NASA supervisor, in Hidden Figures. She was nominated for a 2017 Golden Globe for the role.

Spencer will receive her award on January 26, and lead a parade through the streets of Cambridge. The festivities also feature a celebratory roast, the presentation of her Pudding Pot, and a live-streamed press conference. The Woman of the Year award, established in 1951, pre-dates the society’s Man of the Year award. Past recipients include Rosalind Russell, Lucille Ball, and most recently, Kerry Washington.

Spencer joins Hasty Pudding Man of the Year Ryan Reynolds, announced last week.

You might also like

A man sitting at a wooden table in a formal setting with portraits on the wall.

A theatrical reenactment explores a 1976 clash between science and democracy.

A vibrant group of dancers in colorful outfits poses on a stage with shiny decorations.

The Harvard Arts Medalist wants his smash-hit Cats revival to reach “as many young queer people” as possible.

A woman with long hair stands confidently with crossed arms next to a pickup truck.

In her memoir All That's Unseen, Emilee Hackney explores religion, friendship, and home.

Most popular

Two colorful octopuses swim among vibrant coral and sea life in a lively underwater scene.

New Harvard research finds octopuses go beyond sight and touch to find mates.

Historic building entrance featuring tall columns and a rounded arch doorway.

A new proposed structure, layoffs, and a five-day-a-week in-person work mandate will take effect by fall.

An older man sits on a gravestone in a cemetery, looking contemplative.

The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead

A Harvard botanist investigates mystic potions, voodoo rites, and the making of zombies.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two figures stand before a large, colorful pixelated face against a yellow background.

Research

Harvard scientists identify hundreds of genes under selective pressure.

Five individuals are posed in a monochrome outdoor setting near a cinderblock building, some standing, some seated.

Visual Arts

Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.

Colorful abstract design resembling an octopus with intricate swirls and patterns.

Research

Growing liver implants, mapping the sense of smell, and journalism at risk