Troian Avery Bellisario (born October 28, 1985) is an American actress. A graduate of the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, in 2010, she received her breakthrough role as

Spencer Hastings Spencer Jill Hastings is a fictional character, one of the five main characters who appear in the ''Pretty Little Liars'' novel series and its Freeform television adaptation. Created by American author Sara Shepard, she is a member of the gro ...

in the Freeform drama series ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

'' (20102017), for which she received worldwide recognition and multiple

awards and nominations An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

Early life

Bellisario was born and raised in Los Angeles. Her parents are producers

Deborah Pratt Deborah M. Pratt is an American actress, writer, and television producer. Early life Pratt was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Geraldine (''née'' Bryant) and Col. Bertram Roberson Pratt, a vice president of Pullman Heritag ...

and Donald P. Bellisario, her father having created '' Magnum, P.I.'', ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

'', 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 and Creole descent. Attending

Campbell Hall School , motto_translation = Do Not Forget , streetaddress = 4533 Laurel Canyon Boulevard , city = Studio City, Los Angeles , state = California , zipcode = 91607 , country = US , type = Private, day school , religion = Episcopal , ...

Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 192 ...

, from kindergarten through twelfth grade, Bellisario was the valedictorian 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 only enhanced her perfectionist tendencies. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the

in 2009.

Career

Early work

Bellisario made her acting debut in the 1988 film ''

Last Rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

'' 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 ''

''. In 1998, she co-starred with

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television s ...

in the film ''

Billboard Dad ''Billboard Dad'' is a 1998 American direct-to-video comedy film directed by Alan Metter starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It was produced by Warner Bros. in collaboration with Dualstar Productions and Tapestry Films (now Screendoor). Plot S ...

''. 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

in the TV series ''

'' based on the book series of the same name by

Sara Shepard Sara Shepard (born April 8, 1977) is an American author. She is known for the bestselling ''Pretty Little Liars'' and '' The Lying Game'' book series, both of which have been turned into television shows on Freeform. Early and personal lif ...

. 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. Cast of Pretty Little Liars at Paley Fest2014

Cast of Pretty Little Liars at Paley Fest2014

In 2014, she starred in the music video for

The Head and the Heart The Head and the Heart is an American indie folk band. They were formed in the summer of 2009 by Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion). The band also includes Charity Rose Thielen (violin, ...

's song "Another Story". Bellisario also starred in ''Immediately Afterlife'', a short film about two cult members who are the only survivors of their group's mass suicide, playing Bennett, alongside her ''Pretty Little Liars'' co-stars Shay Mitchell (Emily), Ian Harding (Ezra Fitz) and

Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...

(Peter Hastings). In 2015, she was cast in a leading role in the American remake of the French-Canadian film ''

Martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

''. In 2015, Bellisario and fiancée Patrick J. Adams filmed 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. 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 Charles Davis Lowe II (born January 15, 1968) is an American actor. He is the younger brother of actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his supporting role in '' Life Goes On'' as a young man living with HIV. He has had recurring roles on '' ...

, 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 Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...

in the television drama film '' Sister Cities'' (2016), and opposite

Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...

in the Me Too drama '' Lauren'' (20122013). In film, Bellisario has received recognition for her performances in ''

C.O.G. ''C.O.G.'' is an American comedy-drama film directed and written by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and starring Jonathan Groff. The film is based on a David Sedaris short story from his book of collected essays, ''Naked (book), Naked''. It marks the first ...

'' (2013), '' Feed'' (2017), ''

Clara Clara may refer to: Organizations * CLARA, Latin American academic computer network organization * Clara.Net, a European ISP * Consolidated Land and Rail Australia, a property development consortium People * Clara (given name), a feminine gi ...

'' (2018) and '' Where'd You Go, Bernadette'' (2019).

2020s

In March 2020, Bellisario played the lead role of Claire in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

political drama pilot ''Ways & Means'', written by

Ed Redlich Ed Redlich is an American television producer and writer. He was the executive producer for ''Without a Trace'', for which he wrote 5 episodes, as well as the executive producer for ''Shark'' starring James Woods. He created the television serie ...

. 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 Chris Pine (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' reboot film series (2009–present), Steve Trevor in the DC Extended Universe films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017) and '' Wo ...

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 started dating '' Suits'' star Patrick J. Adams after they met on the set of the play ''Equivocation'' in 2009. The couple briefly split, but after Adams' guest appearance as Hardy in ''Pretty Little Liars'', 2010, the two got back together. 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 Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

. In May of 2018, they attended the royal wedding of

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

and Meghan Markle. The couple has two daughters, born in 2018 and 2021. In an episode of actress Katie Lowes's 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 The USC School of Dramatic Arts (commonly referred to as SDA)—formerly the USC School of Theatre, is a private drama school at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is ranked one of the top 10 dramatic arts schools ...

, delivering the

commencement speech A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions and in similar institutions around the world. The commencement ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

Web

Music videos

Director

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellisario, Troian 1985 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American child actresses American film actresses American people of Italian descent American people of Serbian descent American people of French descent American people of English descent American people of Creole descent African-American actresses American television actresses USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni Bellisario family