Jesse Spencer

Actor

Birth Name: Jesse Gordon Spencer

Birth Date: February 12, 1979

Age: 45 years old

Birth Place: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Awards

Though not on par with Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson or Russell Crowe, Australian actor Jesse Spencer managed to successfully transition to stardom in the United States. After spending six years on the long-running Aussie soap opera, "Neighbours" (1985- ), which turned him into a popular teen idol, Spencer journeyed to England, where he appeared in a variety of film and television projects like "Lorna Doone" (BBC, 2000) and "Winning London" (2001). He soon transitioned to Hollywood with the comedy "Uptown Girls" (2003) and found stardom as Dr. Robert Chase on the long-running hit, "House" (Fox, 2004-2012).

While the a vast majority of the attention naturally went to the show's Emmy-winning star, Hugh Laurie, Spencer more than held his own as a well-off and self-centered diagnostic doctor who routinely butted heads with everyone around him. Though his character's presence was reduced to recurring status following season three, he returned as a regular in season six and finished out the show in 2012. Spencer went on to become the lead on "Chicago Fire" (NBC, 2012- ), which provided him the opportunity to carry his own series.

Born Feb. 12, 1979 in Melbourne, Australia, Spencer was raised by his father, Robert, a medical doctor who founded the controversial conservative political party Australians Against Further Immigration, and his mother, Robyn. Spencer was first exposed to performing with the Australian Boys Choir and later had roles in local theater productions which led to his first professional acting job playing Christopher Robin in a musical production of "Winnie the Pooh." After making his screen debut in a 1994 episode of the syndicated science fiction series "Time Trax" (1993-94), Spencer landed the role of William "Billy" Kennedy on the popular Aussie soap "Neighbours" (1985- ), which turned him into something of a teen idol during his six-year run on the show.

But eventually, he found the attention unappealing and departed for the United Kingdom to seek less restrictive roles. Once there, Spencer found work in a variety of projects, ranging from a BBC production of "Lorna Doone" (2000) to a more heartthrob-type part in a lightweight Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen film, "Winning London" (2001).

Spencer returned to his native country to star opposite Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis in the film "Swimming Upstream" (2003), starring as real-life Australian sports hero Anthony Fingleton, who endured a troubled childhood to become a champion swimmer in the 1950s and 1960s. That same year, he appeared as Brittany Murphy's love interest in the American comedy "Uptown Girls" (2003), while also providing him the opportunity to show off his pipes by singing two songs in the film.

In 2004, Spencer finally hit paydirt when he was tapped to play Dr. Chase on "House M.D." (Fox, 2004-2012), a medical drama about a drug-addicted, misanthropic but genius doctor (Hugh Laurie) who heads a diagnostic team to solve problems stemming from infectious diseases. Spencer's character was a child of privilege who had his own self-centered streak, but nothing as compared to the cantankerous House. He played the role for three seasons before the cast changed for season four, though he appeared in recurring fashion until finally returning to the regular cast for season six.

Over the course of the eight years "House" was on air, Spencer's primary focus was on the show, though he was top-billed in the indie feature, "Flourish" (2006), which co-starred series compatriot Jennifer Morrison. In fact, Spencer and Morrison were rumored to have been something of an item in the early days of "House" and were caught in public together on numerous occasions. While initially reluctant to talk about their relationship, the couple eventually did become public after Spencer proposed atop the Eiffel Tower in 2006.

But the engagement was fleeting and the couple split the following year. Following small parts in a pair of indie thrillers, "Tell-Tale" (2009) and "The Girl is in Trouble" (2012), Spencer's time on "House" came to an end when the show took its final bow in 2012. He quickly returned to regular series television with a leading role on the mildly successful "Chicago Fire" (NBC, 2012- ), where he played the leader of an elite squad of firefighters struggling to rebuild his relationship with his fiancée while tackling the dangers faced by the various members of his house's rescue squad.

By Shawn Dwyer