| Jesse Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jesse Gordon Spencer 12 February 1979 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | 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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Spencer 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]
| 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 |