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These are my last words, Miss Fiona: I have always loved you.
~ Spalding before slicing his tongue off.

Otis Spalding Van Wirt is a supporting antagonist in American Horror Story: Coven and a minor character in Season 2 of the horror anthology series American Horror Stories. He is a mute butler at Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies.

He was primarily portrayed by Denis O'Hare, who also played other American Horror Story villains, such as Stanley in Freak Show and Mr. Van Wirt in the American Horror Stories episode "Dollhouse", and Harold Morrissey in Law & Order. His younger self was portrayed by Houston Jax Towe.

History[]

Otis Spalding Van Wirt was the son of a crazed dollmaker named Van Wirt. His mother, Mrs. Van Wirt, was an adulterer who was murdered by his father. Mr. Van Wirt subsequently kidnapped several women and "auditioned" them to become Otis's new mother, killing several of them when they failed. Otis formed a friendship with the final woman, a witch named Coby. The two were eventually rescued by witches from Miss Robichaux's Academy, who killed Mr. Van Wirt and his assistant Eustace and allowed the two to join them at the academy, with Otis going by his middle name of Spalding.

By the start of Coven, Spalding has been working as a butler for the Academy at least ever since Fiona Goode and Myrtle were students there. He witnessed Fiona murder the current Supreme at that time, (Anna Leigh Leighton) and it was implied by Myrtle that he assisted Fiona in getting rid of the evidence. Fiona pleads innocence to the Council and lies that Anna Leigh was certain she was the next Supreme, and Myrtle who had the ability to detect lies, bluntly tells Fiona and her friend that she suspects Fiona of murder when Fiona is crowned Supreme Elect by the Council. Myrtle enchants Spalding's tongue so that he can't lie, and then summons the Council to question him about the death of Anna Leigh. While confiding this to her friend during dinner, Spalding overhears everything while cleaning the table. That night, he slips a note to Fiona asking her to meet him in a bathroom. She arrives, and he tells her that she will hear his last words before slitting his own tongue with a razor blade. He lives but his screams attract the students to the bathroom. Myrtle notices that Fiona was in the bathroom before their headmistress did, and suspects that it was Fiona who slit Spalding's tongue to prevent him from speaking the truth. Spalding has remained butler of the Academy until the present day. Most of the witches in the Academy treat him well, Fiona treats him like a normal servant and occasionally insults his muteness mixed with compliments about his silence while Madison is more cruel to him and asks him taunting questions. He had kept to himself for a lot of the years, mostly staying within the Academy and doing chores. While not working he had tea parties with his collection of dolls. One night, while playing with his dolls, he overhears Madison and Fiona coming home from the bar, and witnesses their conversation go awry when Fiona, murders Madison, the events mirroring what happened when Fiona killed Anna Leigh. This time, he hands Fiona a handkerchief to wipe the blood off her hands and pours her a drink. He rolls Madison's body in a bloody rug and complies with Fiona's order to get rid of the body. Unknown to anyone, he kept Madison's corpse and added her to his collections of tea party dolls. During Fiona's inquisition, Myrtle knows that he knows who is responsible for the death of Anna Leigh and Madison, and the one responsible for cutting his tongue out. Had he written Fiona's name, she would have been sentenced to die by fire. However, technically speaking, if Myrtle did not enchant his tongue, he would not need to have cut it decades ago, and writes "Myrtle Snow" on the paper, infuriating Myrtle. Zoe discovers that Spalding has been keeping Madison's corpse in a trunk in the attic after communicating with the spirit of The Axeman. Zoe, Queenie, and Nan interrogate Spalding, who pleads that he was responsible for killing Madison because he was enchanted with her beauty, but Zoe is unconvinced. Later, Zoe recites an incantation, enchanting Spalding's tongue and returning it to his mouth. Spalding admits that Fiona was responsible for murdering Madison due to his tongue being enchanted to tell the truth, and Zoe stabs Spalding in the chest after this revelation, killing him. However his death in the house does not stop his involvement but rather empowers it; when Fiona is tricked into killing herself to support the rise of the new Supreme - Misty Day, rather than Madison as she was led to believe - Spalding returned, once again capable of speaking, and convinces her not to give in. Spalding is seen with Delphine and James with his guts hanging out and tells Delphine to get him an expensive doll and in return he gives her Benadryl as she thinks it will render the Voodoo Queen Marie mortal. Delphine stabs her and runs after she finds out that Marie was still immortal and runs down the stairs. Spalding knocks Marie out with a doll and says "I wanted her out of my hair." He takes her stolen baby and calls it his first "living doll"

Appearance/Personality[]

His traditional butler attire is a fine black tuxedo. He also has a troubled, stressed weathered face framed by long, thin scraggly hair and a scruffy beard. His fingernails are yellow, unclean and sharp. Spalding is a rather sensitive, nervous man who is shrouded in mystery for a lot of the season. He is very devoted to Fiona Goode and even convinced her not to commit suicide.

Navigation[]

           Ecran Titre d'American Horror Story Villains

Murder House
Langdon Family (Tate Langdon | Constance Langdon | Michael Langdon) | Larry Harvey | Hayden McClaine | Moira O'Hara | Charles Montgomery | Infantata | Bianca Forest | R. Franklin | Fiona | The Devil

Asylum
Sister Jude | Bloody Face (Dr. Oliver Thredson | Johnny Morgan | Imposters) | The Devil | Dr. Arthur Arden | Timothy Howard | Leigh Emerson | Jenny Reynolds | Aliens

Coven
Fiona Goode | Marie Laveau | Madison Montgomery | Delphine LaLaurie | The Axeman | Hank Foxx | Spalding | Papa Legba | Minotaur | Joan Ramsey | Archie Brener | Alicia Spencer

Freak Show
Elsa Mars | Bette and Dot Tattler | Dandy Mott | Stanley | Maggie Esmerelda | Dell Toledo | Twisty the Clown | Chester Creb | Edward Mordrake | Rita Gayheart | Larry Gayheart | Hans Gruper | Penny's Father

Hotel
The Countess | James Patrick March | Ten Commandments Killer | Sally McKenna | Hazel Evers | Ramona Royale | Addiction Demon | Richard Ramirez | Jeffrey Dahmer | Aileen Wuornos | John Wayne Gacy | Charles Montgomery

Roanoke
Shelby Miller | The Butcher | Polk Family | Agnes Mary Winstead | Scáthach

Cult
Ally Mayfair-Richards | FIT (Kai Anderson | Ivy Mayfair-Richards | Beverly Hope | Harrison Wilton | Meadow Wilton | Gary Longstreet | Jack Samuels) | Winter Anderson | Babe Babbitt | Twisty the Clown

Apocalypse
Cooperative (Michael Langdon | Miriam Mead | Dinah Stevens | Wilhemina Venable | Jeff Pfister | Mutt Nutter | The Devil) | Langdon Family (Tate Langdon | Constance Langdon) | Madison Montgomery | Ariel Augustus | James Patrick March | Moira O'Hara | Papa Legba | Delphine LaLaurie | Marie Laveau

1984
Mr. Jingles | Margaret Booth | Richard Ramirez | Montana Duke | Donna Chambers | Bruce | Lavinia Richter | The Devil

Double Feature
Part 1: Red Tide
The Chemist | Ursula Khan | Belle Noir | Austin Sommers | Alma Gardener | Lark Feldman | Flesh Phantom

Part 2: Death Valley
Aliens (Theta | Valiant Thor)

NYC
Big Daddy | Mr. Whitely | Sam


American Horror Stories
Season 1
Rubber (Wo)man: Scarlett Winslow | Ruby McDaniel | Maya | Adam | Tony Peterson | Infantata
Drive In: Verna | Larry Bitterman
The Naughty List: Santa
Ba'al: Ba'al| Matt Webb| Bernadette
Feral: Ferals
Game Over: Scarlett Winslow | Ruby McDaniel
Season 2
Dollhouse: Mr. Van Wirt | Spalding
Aura: Bryce Taylor
Drive: Marci | Chaz
Milkmaids: Pastor Walter | Thomas Browne
Bloody Mary: Bloody Mary | Elise | Mami Wata
Facelift: Dr. Enid Perle | Cassie Brooks
Necro: Sam | Charlie
Lake: Jeffrey Prescott | Wrede Prescott

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