Abigail Spencer

Early life

Spencer was born and raised in Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, Florida, She has two brothers. Spencer has said that she is part Cherokee.

Career

Spencer's first major acting role was playing Rebecca "Becca" Tyree on ABC soap opera All My Children from June 3, 1999, to April 10, 2001. She later starred in Lifetime Television original series Angela's Eyes, which was cancelled on December 1, 2006. In the following years, she began playing guest roles on several television series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, How I Met Your Mother, Private Practice and Castle.

Spencer played the role of a blogging enthusiast in Twix advertisements, and portrayed Miss Farrell, a love interest of Don Draper, on AMC's Mad Men in 2009. In early 2011, she landed the lead role on ABC drama pilot Grace by Krista Vernoff. Spencer had previously played the title character in another Krista Vernoff drama pilot, Introducing Lennie Rose, in 2005. Spencer appeared in a recurring role as Dr. Erin Jameson on the TNT series Hawthorne in 2010, and from 2011 to 2019 had a recurring role as Dana "Scottie" Scott, Gabriel Macht's character's old rival, on the USA Network legal drama Suits.

Spencer has appeared in several films, including In My Sleep (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), This Means War (2012), and Chasing Mavericks (2012), and she played the lead role in The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013). She appeared in fantasy adventure film Oz the Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi, in 2013.

Spencer received critical acclaim for starring as Amantha Holden in the Sundance Channel original drama series Rectify (2013–2017). She was nominated for Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her performance in the series.

Spencer played the lead role in the indie drama A Beautiful Now, written by Daniela Amavia, about a passionate dancer who finds herself considering an extreme act when she reaches a crossroads in her life. She was nominated for a Madrid International Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in film. In 2014, Spencer appeared opposite Jason Bateman in the comedy-drama film This Is Where I Leave You, an ensemble comedy directed by Shawn Levy, and starred with John Travolta and Christopher Plummer in the crime thriller film The Forger.

In October 2014, Spencer joined the cast of the second season of HBO crime drama series, True Detective.

In 2016, Spencer was cast as lead character Lucy Preston in the NBC series Timeless, where she plays a history professor sent on time travel missions to different eras in an effort to prevent others from disrupting the U.S.-related timestream. A review by Deadline Hollywood said that the show was a waste of Spencer's talents. The New York Times wrote that "Abigail Spencer is good as Lucy, the spunky historian who is the show's central character." *Timeless'' was renewed by NBC on May 12, 2017. The network had canceled the series days earlier, but reversed the decision. The series ended after two seasons.

Spencer and Duke Johnson's production company, Innerlight Films, has produced award-winning short films such as Here and Now, and the 2015 Oscar short-listed Winter Light. The company has also produced the film The Actor, based on Donald E. Westlake's novel Memory, starring André Holland and Gemma Chan.

Personal life

Spencer married Andrew Pruett in 2004 and gave birth to their son in 2008. They filed for divorce in February 2012, divorcing in 2013.

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

References

References

1. (May 21, 2018). "WHO'S WHO IN THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE: A MAGICALLY MODERN WEDDING". Daily Mail.
2. Lloyd, Robert. (January 4, 2026). "Review: 'Best Medicine' has more whimsy, but it's less real than 'Doc Martin'".
3. "Yancy Spencer III Obituary: View Yancy Spencer's Obituary by the Pensacola News Journal".
4. Friedman, Jennifer D'Angelo. (August 24, 2010). "Hawthorne Actress Reveals Her Beauty Secrets".
5. "About AMC: About the Actors | Abigail Spencer | All My Children @".
6. "Abigail Spencer". TVGuide.com.
7. "Abigail Spencer Biography".
8. Andreeva, Nellie. (March 2, 2011). "Abigail Spencer To Star In ABC's 'Grace', Several Other Actors Join Pilots".
9. "Breaking News - Development Update: February 17".
10. Matt Webb Mitovich. (2011-06-14). "Mad Men Alum Abigail Spencer Lawyers Up for USA Network's Suits".
11. Barrett, Annie. (2013-09-17). "'Suits' summer finale preview: Who's a bastard?".
12. (1 February 2013). "The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia".
13. Borys Kit. (July 5, 2011). "'Mad Men' Actress Abigail Spencer Heads to 'Oz' (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
14. (April 25, 2012). "Quintet Of Actors Cast In Sundance Channel's Drama Series 'Rectify'".
15. (2017-06-03). "Abigail Spencer's 'Timeless' Advice to Actors: 'Just Make Stuff'".
16. Sandra Gonzalez. (May 22, 2013). "'American Horror Story' and 'The Big Bang Theory' lead Critics Choice nominees".
17. (May 22, 2013). "Big Bang, Horror Story, Parks & Rec, Good Wife, The Americans Lead Critics Choice Nominations".
18. "2013 Nominations | Categories".
19. Borys Kit. (1 March 2013). "'Oz' Actress Abigail Spencer to Star in 'Beautiful Now' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
20. Borys Kit. (April 3, 2013). "Abigail Spencer Joins Jason Bateman in 'This Is Where I Leave You' (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
21. (2011-11-17). "Jennifer Ehle, Abigail Spencer Join 'Forger'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
22. (2013-10-08). "Jennifer Ehle, Anson Mount, Abigail Spencer Join 'The Forger'". Variety.
23. (October 30, 2014). "'True Detective' Adds Kelly Reilly, Abigail Spencer, Michael Irby and Leven Rambin". TheWrap.
24. (October 30, 2014). "'True Detective': Kelly Reilly, Michael Irby, Abigail Spencer, Leven Rambin Eye Roles".
25. Michael Ausiello. "''Rectify'''s Abigail Spencer to Star in NBC's Time Travel Drama Pilot From Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan". TVLine.
26. Saraiya, Sonia. (20 September 2016). "TV Review: 'Timeless'". Variety.
27. Patten, Dominic. (3 October 2016). "'Timeless' & 'Frequency' Review: NBC & CW Time Travel Series Go Nowhere Fast".
28. (3 October 2016). "Review: In 'Timeless,' a Time-Traveling Trio and a High-Stakes Chase". The New York Times.
29. Otterson, Joe. (May 13, 2017). "'Timeless' Scores Season 2 Order at NBC After Cancellation". Variety.
30. Petski, Denise. (February 25, 2021). "Abigail Spencer Joins ABC Drama Series 'Rebel' As Recurring".
31. Scharf, Lindzi. (October 18, 2022). "Abigail Spencer".
32. (February 26, 2012). "'HawthoRNe' Star Abigail Spencer Files for Divorce".