Danielle Spencer (Australian actress)
Danielle Spencer (born 16 May 1969)[1] is an Australian actress, singer and songwriter.[2][3]
Danielle Spencer | |
|---|---|
Spencer in 2013 | |
| Born | 16 May 1969 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress, songwriter |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Labels |
|
Early life
Spencer is the daughter of Australian songwriter, singer and television entertainer Don Spencer and his wife Julie (née Horsfall), a caterer from Yorkshire.[4][5] She has an older brother, Dean. At age four, she began piano lessons.[6] During her teens she began acting and composing her own tunes.[7][8] 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.[9]
Career
Spencer grew up in close contact with the world of showbusiness. 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.[10] 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 of singer / songwriter.
In 2001 she released her debut musical album, White Monkey. 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 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, among others, to the novel Dirt Music by the Australian novelist Tim Winton. Spencer gives live concerts on a regular basis. For her live concert tour in October 2011, titled "Alone and Together", she joined Australian bass player Steve Balbi.
In March 2012, Spencer was announced as a contestant for season 12 of Dancing with the Stars on the Seven Network in which she placed second. Her professional partner was Damian Whitewood.
Spencer is a supporter of the Australian Children's Music Foundation (ACMF),[11] 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.[12] In 1987 Danielle Spencer starred in Rasputin as one of the Tsar's daughters and dated Terry Serio who also starred in the same musical as Prince Felix.
Personal life
Spencer began an on-again, off-again relationship with actor Russell Crowe in 1989, when they co-starred in the movie The Crossing. The film appeared in Australian cinemas in 1990.[13][14] Crowe and Spencer married on 7 April 2003 at Crowe's farm in Nana Glen, New South Wales.[14][15] They have two sons: one born in 2003[16] and another in 2006.[1] In October 2012, it was reported that Crowe and Spencer had separated.[17] The divorce was finalized in April 2018.[18]
Discography
Albums
- White Monkey (EMI, 1 May 2002)
- Calling All Magicians (15 February 2010)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [19] | |||
| "Jonathon White" | 2001 | — | White Monkey |
| "Blast Off" | 95 | ||
| "Forgive Me" | — | ||
| "White Monkey" | 2002 | — | |
| "Tickle Me" | — | ||
| "On Your Side" | 2010 | — | Calling All Magicians |
| "Wish I'd Been Here" | — | ||
| "Be My Baby" | 2016 | — | Non-album single |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Crossing | Meg | |
| 1990 | What the Moon Saw | Emma | |
| 1999 | Game Room | Alena |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Rafferty's Rules | Toni Moller | Episode: "On the Barricades" |
| 1989 | Mission: Impossible | Diane Martin | Episode: "Bayou" |
| 1989–1990 | The Flying Doctors | Fiona Jacobs / Sally McCarthy | 3 episodes |
| 1991 | Hampton Court | Lisa Barrett | 13 episodes |
| 1992 | Mission Top Secret | Pamela | Television film |
| 1993 | Minder | Robyn | Episode: "For a Few Dollars More" |
| 1994 | Law of the Land | Barb Brewer | Episode: "Games People Play" |
| 1995 | Home and Away | Quinn Jackson | 11 episodes |
| 1996 | Pacific Drive | Callie Macrae | |
| 1999 | Murder Call | Ingrid Nergun | Episode: "Dying Day" |
| 2000 | All Saints | Kate Taylor | Episode: "Food for Thought" |
| 2000 | Beastmaster | Destine | Episode: "White Tiger" |
References
- ^ a b "Russell Crowe, Wife Have a Boy". People. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
Spencer, 35...
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ Ewbank, Tim; Hildred, Stafford (2001). Russell Crowe : the biography. London: Carlton Books. p. 48. ISBN 1-84222-423-9.
- ^ . Donspencer.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ . Band Weblogs. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ . Band Weblogs. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ McCarthy, Kerry (17 July 2011). "Danielle Spencer 'Music felt natural'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ Iley, Chrissy (4 July 2010). . Murphsplace.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ Ewbank, Tim; Hildred, Stafford (2001). Russell Crowe : the biography. London: Carlton Books. p. 47. ISBN 1-84222-423-9.
- ^ Australian Children´s Music Foundation
- ^ Interview thebeast.com.au. dated 26 October 2011 retrieved 30 October 2011
- ^ Silverman, Stephen (7 April 2003). "Russell Crowe Joins the Married Ranks". People. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b Miller, Samantha (21 April 2003). "A Beautiful Time: A Teary Russell Crowe Weds Danielle Spencer Amid a Down Under Weekend of Camaraderie with Rhion Cricket and ABBA". People. 59 (15). Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ Quaintance, Lauren (20 April 2010). "What Danielle Spencer knows about men" (Interview). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ . Associated Press. 22 December 2003. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ Sams, Christine. "Crowe, Spencer split amid actor's hectic filming schedule". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ Burns, Lindsey (10 April 2018). "Russell Crowe Has Finalized His Divorce After Five-Year Separation From Wife Danielle Spencer". Closer Weekly. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 263.
External links
- Danielle Spencer at IMDb
- Danielle Spencer discography at Discogs
- . Retrieved 26 December 2011
- Photo portrait Danielle Spencer dated October 2011 on dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 6 November 2011
- Official Myspace
- , November 2009
- Interview with Spencer on her work as a musician, December 2011, undercover interviews, retrievable on youtube.com retrieved 15 December 2011