Alabama has produced some amazing actors, making their marks in movies, TV, theater and more. We’re happy to cheer them on from afar, and celebrate their accomplishments while basking in home state pride.

Today, let’s grab a bucket of popcorn and pay tribute to five legendary film performances by stars who hail from Alabama. These talented folks have earned major acclaim — and rightly so — by taking promising roles and elevating them to excellence. One word: Bravo!

Fletcher (1934-2022), a Birmingham native, earned legendary status as the icy, tyrannical Nurse Ratched in 1975′s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Her character is a twisted angel of mercy, maintaining a tight, almost sadistic grip on the inhabitants of a psych ward. Nurse Ratched finds her primacy challenged, however, by a free-spirited inmate (played by Jack Nicholson), who flouts her rules, disrupts her routines and advocates for anarchy among the patients.

Watch a scene from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in the video below.

Fletcher’s pitch-perfect handling of the role inspired chills in viewers and earned her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. “Cuckoo’s Nest,” directed by Milos Forman, became an international sensation and won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Also, let’s not forget that a restrained, tight-lipped Fletcher went toe-to-toe on screen with a flamboyant Nicholson, which is no small feat. She owned the role then, and her performance remains a classic today.

READ: Birmingham’s Louise Fletcher reflects on Oscar win for ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’

Bankhead (1902-1968) was a grande dame of the American theater, but she made an indelible impression in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat,” dominating the silver screen. Bankhead — born in Huntsville and raised in Jasper — had a glamorous, larger-than-life quality that worked extremely well for her in the 1944 movie. Her character, photojournalist Constance “Connie” Porter, is stranded in a lifeboat with other survivors, after their ship is torpedoed and sunk by the Nazis. Tension ensues in such a claustrophobic setting, and squabbles among the passengers bring out the best and worst in their characters, including the whip-smart Connie.

Watch a scene from “Lifeboat” in the video below.

The camera loved Bankhead, and audiences did, too. She earned massive applause for her performance in “Lifeboat,” excelling among a talented cast that featured Hollywood veterans such as William Bendix and Hume Cronyn. Bankhead won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress for her role, and the film was nominated for three Oscars. The actress also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

READ: Look for a naughty Tallulah Bankhead in Netflix’s ‘Hollywood’

Badham, born and raised in Birmingham, had no previous film experience when she was cast as Scout Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” But at age 10, she turned in a luminous performance that was tender, tough and absolutely believable. The 1962 movie, directed by Robert Mulligan, is based on the famed 1960 novel by Alabama native Harper Lee. Badham is the linchpin of the storyline, portraying the scrappy, endearing daughter of a fair-minded lawyer in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. The lawyer, of course, is played by Gregory Peck, and Badham holds her own nicely in father-daughter scenes with the iconic actor.

Watch a scene from “To Kill a Mockingbird” in the video below.

Badham was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “Mockingbird.” At the time, she was the youngest actress ever nominated in this category. Badham’s life has been intertwined with “Mockingbird” ever since, and as she told AL.com in 2023, the story’s themes — focusing on racial prejudice and social justice, family and community, ignorance and compassion — have been important in shaping her ideas and perspectives.

READ: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ star on Atticus Finch, book bans and her Alabama hometown

Spencer, a Montgomery native and graduate of Auburn University, had a respectable movie career that took off like a skyrocket in 2011. That’s when she inhabited the role of Minny Jackson in “The Help,” breaking through to superstar status. Playing a housekeeper in 1960s Mississippi — a fierce and capable woman who’s sick and tired of being sick and tired — Spencer was a standout. Her achievement was all the more impressive when you consider that Spencer was surrounded by a formidable ensemble of actresses, including Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson.

Watch a scene from “The Help” in the video below.

Spencer earned the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “The Help,” directed by Tate Taylor. She won a Golden Globe, as well, along with awards from the Screen Actors Guild, NAACP, National Board of Review and more. The movie was a box-office hit and an springboard for Spencer, propelling her to roles in “The Shape of Water,” “Hidden Figures,” “The Witches,” “Green Book” and more. In 2022, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

READ: Alabama’s 5 biggest moments at the Oscars

“Fast & Furious”? Forget about it. As far as we’re concerned, Black gave his greatest performance to date — and established himself as an actor to be reckoned with — when he showed up in a little drama called “Sling Blade.” The Alabama native shines in the 1996 film, radiating authenticity and tugging at our heartstrings in an endearing yet nuanced way. Black was in his early teens at the time, playing Frank Wheatley, an Arkansas boy who befriends Karl Childers, an intellectually challenged man recently released from a psychiatric hospital. “Sling Blade” is a tour de force for its director and star, Billy Bob Thornton, but Black’s compelling performance sticks in your memory. Frank’s relationship with Karl is the pure heart of the storyline, balancing darker moments that are fraught with dramatic tension.

Watch a scene from “Sling Blade” in the video below.

Black — born in Decatur and raised in Speake — earned a Saturn Award, a Young Artist Award and a YoungStar Award for his work in “Sling Blade.” The movie, written by Thornton, became a sleeper hit and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. (It was based on a one-man show by Thornton that later became a short film.)

READ: Why we love Billy Bob Thornton’s Southern masterpiece ‘Sling Blade’