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Troian Bellisario

American actress (born 1985)

Troian Bellisario

Summary

American actress (born 1985)

FieldValue
nameTroian Bellisario
imageTroian Bellisario in Manila.jpg
captionBellisario in 2013
birth_nameTroian Avery Bellisario
birth_date
birth_placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
alma_materUniversity of Southern California (BFA)
occupation
years_active1988–present
spouse
children2
parentsDonald P. Bellisario
Deborah Pratt
relativesMichael Bellisario (half-brother)
Sean Murray (stepbrother)

Deborah Pratt Sean Murray (stepbrother)

Troian Avery Bellisario (born October 28, 1985) is an American actress and filmmaker. The daughter of producer Donald P. Bellisario and actress Deborah Pratt, she gained international attention for her portrayal of Spencer Hastings in the Freeform drama series Pretty Little Liars (20102017), for which she received various accolades.

In film, Bellisario has received recognition for her performances in C.O.G. (2013), Feed (2017)which she also wrote and producedClara (2018), and Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019). On television, Bellisario appeared in the television drama film Sister Cities (2016), the web series Lauren (20122013), and the police procedural series On Call (2025). Since 2016, she has been married to actor Patrick J. Adams, with whom she has two daughters. The birth of couple’s third child was announced on January 28, 2026. The couple appear together in Pretty Little Liars, Suits and Clara.

Early life

Troian Avery Bellisario was born and raised in Los Angeles. Her parents are producers Deborah Pratt and Donald P. Bellisario; her father created Magnum, P.I., Quantum Leap, and NCIS, among other TV series. She has a younger brother, three half-sisters, two half-brothers, and two stepbrothers, actor Sean Murray and producer Chad W. Murray. Her father is of Italian and Serbian descent, and her mother is of African American descent.

Attending Campbell Hall School in Studio City, California, from kindergarten through twelfth grade, Bellisario was top of her class. After high school, she attended Vassar College for several months before taking a break for the sake of her mental health, feeling that the institution aggravated her perfectionist tendencies. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California in 2009.

Career

Early work

Bellisario made her acting debut in the 1988 film Last Rites at the age of three, which was directed, written and produced by her father, Donald P. Bellisario. In 1990, she guest-starred in an episode of her father's series Quantum Leap. In 1998, she co-starred with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in the film Billboard Dad. Beginning in 2006, Bellisario began appearing in a number of independent short films namely, Unspoken, Archer House and Intersect.

2010s

In November 2009, Bellisario was cast as Spencer Hastings in the TV series Pretty Little Liars based on the book series of the same name by Sara Shepard. In October 2011, Bellisario announced she was in the process of writing and creating her own film, which was successfully funded through Kickstarter on November 16, 2011. Filming ended in December 2011 and the film was officially completed by August 2012.

Bellisario (far left) with the cast of ''Pretty Little Liars'' in 2014

In 2014, she starred in the music video for The Head and the Heart's song "Another Story". In 2015, she was cast in a leading role in the American remake of the French-Canadian film Martyrs. In 2015, Bellisario and fiancée Patrick J. Adams filmed the short film We Are Here in Haida Gwaii, which Bellisario wrote and starred in. In 2017, Bellisario starred in her feature film, Feed, which she also wrote and produced. The film was written based on Bellisario's own experiences with an eating disorder.

thumb|left|[[Ashley Benson]] and Troian Bellisario at 2019 [[German Comic Con]] On April 7, 2016, it was announced that Bellisario would be directing season 7, episode 15 of Pretty Little Liars. This made her one of the first in the cast, alongside Chad Lowe, to direct an episode on the series. In 2020, Bellisario appeared as the bride character Jenna Marshall from the episode "Til Dex Do Us Part" in Stumptown.

Further in television, she costarred with Australian actress Jacki Weaver in the television drama film Sister Cities (2016), and opposite Bradley Whitford in the Me Too drama Lauren (20122013). In film, Bellisario has received recognition for her performances in C.O.G. (2013), Feed (2017), Clara (2018) and Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019).

2020s

In March 2020, Bellisario played the lead role of Claire in the CBS political drama pilot Ways & Means, written by Mike Murphy and Ed Redlich. The pilot, which also starred Patrick Dempsey, focused on a secret alliance between a disillusioned career politician and an idealist up-and-comer in the gridlocked American system. The show was not picked up.

In 2022, she appeared in the comedy Doula alongside Arron Shiver (who also wrote the film) and Will Greenberg. The film, produced by Chris Pine and directed by Cheryl Nichols, deals with Bellisario's character hiring her midwife's son as the latter's replacement when she passes away.

Personal life

Bellisario began dating Suits star Patrick J. Adams after they met on the set of the play Equivocation in 2009. The couple briefly separated before Adams' guest appearance as Hardy in Pretty Little Liars but reunited in 2010. Since working on Equivocation and Pretty Little Liars, the couple also worked together on the 2012 short film The Come Up, Suits, and the short film We Are Here. Bellisario and Adams were married on December 10, 2016, in Santa Barbara, California. They have two daughters, Aurora and Elliot. On November 4, 2025, Adams announced the third pregnancy of Bellisario on his Instagram page.

In an episode of actress Katie Lowes' podcast, Katie's Crib, Bellisario and Adams said their second child was born in the backseat of their car at the hospital parking lot due to an accelerated labour, with Adams delivering the baby. Hospital staff assisted within minutes of the delivery, and Bellisario and the baby were found healthy.

Bellisario said in January 2014 that she endured personal problems during high school, resulting in self-harm and an eating disorder. "I was the youngest daughter, the perfect little girl. My school was a very intense college prep school. So it was about wanting to please my father and mother and wanting to be perfect to everybody."

In 2014, Bellisario returned to her alma mater, USC School of Dramatic Arts, delivering the commencement speech.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988Last RitesNuzo's daughter
1998Billboard DadKristen Bulut
2006UnspokenJaniShort film
2007Archer HouseTatum
2009IntersectVictoria
Before the Cabin Burned DownMeg
2010ConsentAmanda
Peep WorldFilm set P.A.
2011A NovemberGirlfriendShort film
Pleased to Meet YouCarson
2012The Come UpJessicaShort film
Joyful GirlBelle
2013C.O.G.Jennifer
ExilesJulietShort film; also writer and executive producer
2014Immediately AfterlifeBennettShort film
2015Surf NoirLacey
MartyrsLucie Jurin
Still a RoseJulietShort film
AmyAmy
2016In the Shadows of the Rainbow
2017Chuck Hank and the San Diego TwinsClaire
FeedOlivia GreyAlso writer and producer
2018We Are HereWomanShort film; also producer and writer
ClaraClara
2019Where'd You Go BernadetteBecky
Like TurtlesMollyShort film; also producer
2020Life on MarsStellaShort film; also writer
2021PoppetMaeveShort film; also producer and writer
2022DoulaDeb

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1990Quantum LeapTeresa BrucknerEpisode: "Another Mother"
1992Tequila and BonettiTeresa Garcia2 episodes
1998JAGErin TerryEpisode: "Tiger, Tiger"
2002First MondayKimberly Baron2 episodes
2005–2006NCISSarah McGee
2010–2017Pretty Little LiarsSpencer HastingsMain role
Alex DrakeRecurring role
2015SuitsClaire Bowden2 episodes
2016Sister CitiesBaltimore BaxterTelevision film
2020StumptownJenna MarshallEpisode: "Til Dex Do Us Part"
2022Celebrity Jeopardy!HerselfContestant
2023Plan BMiranda DelanoMiniseries
2025On CallOfficer Traci HarmonMain role

Radio

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2020The Adventures of SupermanGirlDC FanDome

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012–2013LaurenSergeant Lauren WeilMain role
2014Pa-gents with Chris PineCathryn Crest
2015Instagram Intervention with Troian BellisarioHerself

Music videos

YearTitleRoleArtistRef.
2014"Another Story"GirlThe Head and the Hearturl=http://www.wetpaint.com/pretty-little-liars-stars-head-803658/title=Pretty Little Liars' Troian Bellisario Stars in The Head and the Heart's Beautiful "Another Story" Videopublisher=Wetpaintdate=February 21, 2014access-date=May 24, 2019archive-date=May 25, 2019archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525093819/http://www.wetpaint.com/pretty-little-liars-stars-head-803658/url-status=dead}}
2018"Fading Light"WomanNights & Weekends

Director

YearTitleEpisode(s)Notes
2017Pretty Little Liars"In the Eye Abides the Heart"Directorial debut
2018Famous in Love"Guess Who's (Not) Coming to Sundance?"
2019–2023Good Trouble6 episodes
2020Life on MarsShort film

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2010Vision FestBest Acting – Female LeadConsentrowspan=3
Philadelphia First Glance Film FestivalBest Actress
2011Young Hollywood AwardsCast to Watch (shared with Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale and Shay Mitchell)Pretty Little Liars
Teen Choice AwardsChoice Summer TV Star: Female
2012Teen Choice Awardsrowspan=2
2013New York FestivalsBest Performance by an ActressLauren
Streamy AwardsBest Female Performance – Drama
Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress: DramaPretty Little Liars
2014IAWTV AwardsBest Female Performance – DramaLaurenrowspan=6
Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress: DramaPretty Little Liars
2015Teen Choice AwardsChoice Summer TV Star: Female
2016Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress: Drama
2017Teen Choice Awards
2018Vancouver Film Critics Circle AwardBest Actress in a Canadian FilmClara
2020Northeast Film FestivalBest Actress in a Short FilmLike Turtles

References

References

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  2. (October 28, 2020). "UPI Almanac for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020". [[United Press International]].
  3. "Troian Bellisario Biography".
  4. Kombert, Alissa. (January 18, 2013). "Guess Which Little Liar's Cute Younger Brother This Is (PHOTOS)". [[Wetpaint]].
  5. Markovic, Kristina. (2023-07-13). "Glumice za koje niste imali pojma da su srpskog porekla".
  6. (September 18, 2013). "15 Celebrities Most People Don't Know Are Black | Page 8". MadameNoire.com.
  7. (November 21, 2009). "Right Out of the Gate". Backstage.com.
  8. (May 6, 2013). "Exclusive Q&A with Pretty Little Liars' Troian Bellisario". J-14.
  9. Bell, Crystal. (January 19, 2016). "Troian Bellisario Is Ready For Life After 'Pretty Little Liars'". [[MTV News]].
  10. [http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/pretty-little-liars/cast-details/troian-bellisario/436560 Troian Bellisario biography], [[Freeform (TV channel). ABC Family]].com
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  12. Andreeva, Nellie. (November 11, 2009). "ABC Family fills comedy, ''Liars'' roles". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. Best Inventions of 2010. "Exiles by Troian Bellisario". Kickstarter.com.
  14. Burt, Kayti. (February 6, 2013). "What Is Immediately Afterlife?: 5 Things to Know About Shay Mitchell and Troian Bellisario's New Film!".
  15. (March 2, 2015). "Bailey Noble, who played Adilyn Bellefleur on "True Blood," toplining with "Pretty Little Liars" star Troian Bellisario. Kate Burton (Stay, Big Trouble in Little China) and Blake Robbins (Rubber) round out the cast of Martyrs".
  16. Barton, Steve. (April 3, 2014). "The 'Martyrs' Remake Already Has Already Been Filmed". DC.
  17. Adams, Patrick J.. (March 26, 2018). "We Are Here".
  18. Wagmeister, Elizabeth. (July 17, 2017). "'Pretty Little Liars' Star Troian Bellisario on How Writing, Producing 'Feed' Helped Her Overcome an Eating Disorder". Variety.
  19. "Troian Bellisario Will Make Her Directorial Debut in 'Pretty Little Liars' Season 7 (EXCLUSIVE)".
  20. Schwartz, Ryan. (February 5, 2020). "Stumptown Casts Pretty Little Liars Vet Troian Bellisario as a Potentially Troublemaking Bride — First Look". [[TVLine]].
  21. Andreeva, Nellie. (March 4, 2020). "Troian Bellisario To Star In CBS Drama Pilot 'Ways & Means' 'Alongside Patrick Dempsey".
  22. Andreeva, Nellie. (14 May 2021). "CBS Pilots Update: 'Ways & Means', Sarah Cooper/Cindy Chupack & 'Welcome To Georgia' Not Moving Forward".
  23. Ng, Philiana. (11 May 2022). "Troian Bellisario Searches for a 'Doula' in Chris Pine-Produced Comedy: Watch the Trailer (Exclusive)".
  24. Pamela Tan. (March 4, 2013). "Patrick J Adams in Sg: Talks Suits and girlfriend Troian Bellisario".
  25. Marinel R. Cruz. (February 28, 2013). "'Pretty Little Liars' star likens love, fame to 'thrilling roller-coaster ride'". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
  26. (December 11, 2016). "Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario Get Married in Bohemian California Wedding — See the Pics". PEOPLE.com.
  27. "Inside Troian Bellisario & Patrick J. Adams' Wedding". E! Online.
  28. Yasharoff, Hannah. (October 8, 2018). "Troian Bellisario and Patrick J. Adams Welcome Baby Girl". USA Today.
  29. Seemayer Zach. (June 10, 2021). "Troian Bellisario Details Giving Birth to Her Baby in a Car With Husband Patrick J. Adams". Entertainment Tonight.
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  31. "Katie's Crib: Labor in a Parking Garage: Troian Bellisario & Patrick J. Adams' Shocking Baby Delivery! on Apple Podcasts".
  32. (June 10, 2021). "Troian Bellisario Details Giving Birth to Her Baby in a Car With Husband Patrick J. Adams {{!}} Entertainment Tonight".
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