Danielle Spencer (Australian singer)

Danielle Spencer

Spencer in 2013
Born 16 May 1969
Sydney, Australia
Occupation Singer-songwriter
Spouse(s) Russell Crowe
(2003–present; separated)
Children 2
Parent(s) Don Spencer
Julie Horsfall

Danielle Spencer (born 16 May 1969) is an Australian actress[1][2] and a singer/songwriter.

Early life

Spencer is the daughter of Australian songwriter, singer and television entertainer Don Spencer and his wife Julie (née Horsfall),[3] an English caterer from Yorkshire.[4][5][6] She has an older brother, Dean. At age four, she began piano lessons.[7] During her teens she began acting and composing her own tunes.[8][9] Until the age of twelve, she spent her childhood and youth alternately in Australia and in Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire, England, as her father worked in both countries for the BBC Play School.[6][6][10]

Career

Spencer grew up in close contact with the world of show business. Occasionally she accompanied her father on his performances on stage. She took singing and acting lessons and dance classes in classical ballet and modern dance and jazz.[11] From 1989 to 2000 she worked as an actress, especially for Australian television, primarily as an actress in TV series. Subsequently, the focus of her artistic activity shifted to the area singer / songwriter.

In 2001 she released her debut musical album White Monkey and, after a family break, in February 2010 she released her second album Calling All Magicians. Under the direction of her husband, the music videos were made to the title songs and "Tickle Me" and "Wish I'd Been Here".

In August 2011 Spencer for the first time gave two live concerts alongside her husband. The pair joined with the musicians and actors Alan Doyle, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes and the group Size2Shoes to present the Crowe / Doyle Songbook Vol III at St. John´s, Newfoundland, Canada. Songs from this album relate are among others to the novel Dirt Music by the Australian novelist Tim Winton. Danielle Spencer gives live concerts on a regular basis. For her live concert tour in October 2011, titled "Alone and Together", she joined with Australian bass player Steve Balbi.

In March 2012, Spencer was announced as a contestant for Dancing with the Stars on Seven Network in which she placed second. Her professional partner was Damian Whitewood.

Charities

Spencer is a supporter of The Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF),[12] an educational program for underprivileged and indigenous children in Australia. She´s supporter of women’s cancer programs as the Pink Ribbon Breakfast for breast cancer and The Girls Night.[13] In 1987 Danielle Spencer starred in Rasputin as one of the Tsars daughters and dated Terry Serio who was also starred in the same musical as Prince Felix.

Personal life

Prior to dating Russell Crowe, Danielle Spencer was dating actor/singer Terry Serio (1987) whilst performing with Terry in the Musical "Rasputin" at the State Theatre Sydney. Spencer began an on-again, off-again relationship with New Zealand-born Australian actor Russell Crowe in 1989, when they co-starred in the movie The Crossing. The film appeared in Australian cinemas in 1990.[14][15] Crowe and Spencer married on 7 April 2003 at Crowe's cattle ranch in Nana Glen, New South Wales.[15][16] They have two sons: Charles Spencer Crowe (born 21 December 2003)[17] and Tennyson Spencer Crowe (born 7 July 2006).[18] In October 2012, it was reported that Crowe and Spencer had separated.[19]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ Q.: "Are there any plans in the future to do any more acting stuff or are you just focusing on music?" A.: "I’m definitely focused on the music but at the same time I’m not shutting out acting and I would like to do some acting again. It’s just a case of finding the right vehicle and the right timing." in: www.thebeast.com article date 26 October 2011 retrieved 31 October 2011
  2. ↑ on adelaidenow.com.au, 10 December 2011: "(...) I feel like probably next year would be the right timing to re-engage with acting if the right thing came along.", Retrieved 10 December 2011
  3. ↑ Dailymail
  4. ↑ Ewbank, Tim; Hildred, Stafford (2001). Russell Crowe : the biography. London: Carlton Books. p. 48. ISBN 1-84222-423-9.
  5. ↑ "Homepage Don Spencer". Donspencer.com. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Maureen Paton (27 March 2010). "‘I hope people won’t judge me harshly because I’m married to Russell,’ says singer Danielle Spencer, the lady who tamed Mr Crowe". Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "Danielle Spencer - 'Calling All Magicians' + Tony Visconti video interview". Band Weblogs. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  8. ↑ "Danielle Spencer - 'Calling All Magicians' + Tony Visconti video interview". Band Weblogs. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  9. ↑ McCarthy, Kerry (17 July 2011). "Danielle Spencer 'Music felt natural'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Chrissy Iley (4 July 2010). "My name is Danielle, Commander of the house of Crowe". Murphsplace.com. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  11. ↑ Ewbank, Tim; Hildred, Stafford (2001). Russell Crowe : the biography. London: Carlton Books. p. 47. ISBN 1-84222-423-9.
  12. ↑ Australian Children´s Music Foundation
  13. ↑ Interview thebeast.com.au. dated 26 October 2011 retrieved 30 October 2011
  14. ↑ Silverman, Stephen (7 April 2003). "Russell Crowe Joins the Married Ranks". People.com. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Miller, Samantha (21 April 2003). "A Beautiful Time: A Teary Russell Crowe Weds Danielle Spencer Amid a Down Under Weekend of Camaraderie, Cricket and ABBA". People Magazine 59 (15). Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  16. ↑ Quaintance, Lauren (20 April 2010). "What Danielle Spencer knows about men" (INTERVIEW). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  17. ↑ "Russell Crowe and wife have baby boy". Associated Press. 22 December 2003. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  18. ↑ "Russell Crowe, Wife Have a Boy". People. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  19. ↑ Sams, Christine. "Crowe, Spencer split amid actor's hectic filming schedule". Smh.com. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
Preceded by
Haley Bracken & Aric Yegudkin		 Dancing with the Stars (Australia) runner up
Season 12 (2012 with Damian Whitewood) 		Succeeded by
Rhiannon Fish & Aric Yegudkin

External links