- Jesse Spencer
-
Jesse Spencer 
Born Jesse Gordon Spencer
12 February 1979
Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaOccupation Actor, musician Years active 1991–present Jesse Gordon Spencer (born 12 February 1979) is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the medical drama House and for playing Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours.
Contents
Biography
Early life and education
Spencer was born in Melbourne, Australia. His parents Robyn and Rodney Spencer are the founders of the Australians Against Further Immigration political party and have run several times as candidates in federal and state elections for that party and for One Nation.[1] He is one of four children with two older brothers, Tarney, who is an oculo-plastic surgeon, Luke, who is an orthopaedic registrar, and a younger sister, Polly, who is an anaesthetic registrar.
Spencer attended Canterbury Primary School, Malvern Central School and the private Scotch College. Whilst at Scotch he auditioned for the long-running soap opera, Neighbours. He continued to work toward his VCE qualification while working on the show and graduated in 1997.[citation needed]
Career
Spencer at the 2009 SAG Awards
Acting
As an actor, Spencer is well known in Australia and the UK as Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, a role he played for six years from 1994 to 2000. He has since appeared in the drama Death in Holy Orders, as well as the films Winning London, Uptown Girls and Swimming Upstream.
Since 2004, he has been based in the United States playing the role of intensivist Dr. Robert Chase in House, alongside Hugh Laurie in the title role. He also co-starred with his ex-fiancée Jennifer Morrison in House and in the film Flourish.
Music
As of 2008, he plays violin in Band From TV, a music group which was formed by Greg Grunberg, and includes his House co-star Hugh Laurie. They play various events, putting the proceeds into the different charities that each member supports. The band also played on American Idol Gives Back alongside Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher.
Spencer has played the violin since the age of 10 and also plays the guitar and piano.
Awards
He was nominated for Logie Awards in 1998 and 1999 for "Most Popular Actor" for Neighbours. In 2005, he was nominated for "Choice TV Breakout Performance – Male" for House M.D. at Teen Choice Awards and nominated in 2009 at Screen Actors Guild Awards for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series".
Spencer received a "Golden Boomerang" Award by Australians in Film at the 2nd Australians in Film Breakthrough Awards on 11 May 2006, for his work on House, alongside Jacinda Barrett, James Wan and Leigh Whannell.[2] In 2007, he was included in People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People issue.
Personal life
Spencer and MorrisonSpencer met his former House co-star Jennifer Morrison in March 2004 at Vancouver International Airport where they were on their way to film the pilot of House before they began dating in July 2004. They were engaged on 23 December 2006 in Paris. Spencer and Morrison also revealed that they were to marry on a private estate in Los Angeles later in 2007. However, in August 2007, the couple announced that they had called off their engagement.[3]
Credits
Film Year Film Role Notes 2000 Lorna Doone Marwood de Whichehalse Made-for-TV movie 2001 Curse of the Talisman Jeremy Campbell Made-for-TV movie Winning London Lord James Browning Jr. 2002 Stranded Fritz Robinson Made-for-television movie 2003 Swimming Upstream Tony Fingleton Based on an autobiography Uptown Girls Neil Fox Death in Holy Orders Raphael Arbuthnot Made-for-television movie 2006 Flourish Eddie Gator 2010 Tell-Tale Lover 2011 The Girl Is in Trouble Nicholas filming Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Time Trax Young Bill Episode: "A Close Encounter" 1994–2000 Neighbours Billy Kennedy Regular role (1994–2000; 2005) 1998 Hercules: The Animated Series Triten Jr. Episode: "Hercules and the Son of Poseidon"; voice 2002 Always Greener Kyle Episode: "A Death in the Family" 2004–present House Dr. Robert Chase Regular role (Seasons 1-present) 2005 Blue Heelers Lee Cruickshank Episode: "Dangerous Animals" Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1991 The King and I Louis State Theatre, Melbourne, Australia. 1992 Winnie the Pooh Christopher Robin The Alexander Theatre (Monash), Australia. 1993 Scrooge Older brother of Tiny Tim The Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Australia. 1998–1999 Peter Pan Peter Pan Hammond Productions (London), White Rocks Theatre, Hastings, UK. 1999–2000 Jack and the Beanstalk Jack Artist Management Group production – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, UK. 2003 The Modernists Terrance The Crucible Theatre, Los Angeles, California Music videos Year Song Title Role Artist 2009 "Still Have My Heart" Dentist Caitlin Crosby 2010 "Say Goodbye" Boyfriend Katharine McPhee References
- ^ "Jesse Spencer Biography – Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1804144821/bio. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
- ^ [1] Australians in Film
- ^ Jordan, Julie (15 August 2007). "House Costars Call Off Engagement". http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20051905,00.html.
External links
Categories:- 1979 births
- Actors from Melbourne
- Australian child actors
- Australian expatriate actors in the United States
- Australian film actors
- Australian television actors
- Living people
- People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
