Background
Spencer was born and raised in Gulf Breeze, Florida, the daughter of Lydia Ann (Brown) and surfer Yancy Spencer III.
Spencer was born and raised in Gulf Breeze, Florida, the daughter of Lydia Ann (Brown) and surfer Yancy Spencer III.
She is best known for her performances in the films Cowboys & Aliens, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, Oz the Great and Powerful, and This Is Where I Leave You, and for roles in television series Angela"s Eyes, Mad Men, Hawthorne, and Suits. Since 2013 she stars as Amantha Holden in the Sundance Channel drama series Rectify. She has two brothers, Yancy Spencer IV (born c 1973) and Sterling Spencer (born c 1986).
Spencer"s first major acting role was playing Rebecca "Becca" Tyree on American Broadcasting Company soap opera All My Children from June 3, 1999 to April 10, 2001.
She later starred in Lifetime original series Angela"s Eyes, which was cancelled on December 1, 2006. Spencer played the role of a blogging enthusiast in Twix advertisements, and portrayed Mission Farrell, a love interest of Don Draper"s, on Administrative Management College"s Mad Men in 2009.
In early 2011, she landed the lead role on American Broadcasting Company drama pilot Grace by Krista Vernoff. Spencer had previously played the title character in another Krista Vernoff drama pilot, Introducing Lennie Rose, in 2005.
Spencer has appeared in several films, including In My Sleep (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), This Means War (2012), and Chasing Mavericks (2012), and she played the lead role in The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013).
She appeared in fantasy adventure film Oz the Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi, in 2013. As of 2013, Spencer has starred as Amantha Holden in the Sundance Channel original drama series Rectify. Spencer played the lead role in the indie drama Beautiful Now, written by Daniela Amavia, about a passionate dancer who finds herself considering an extreme act when she reaches a crossroads in her life.
She was nominated for a Madrid International Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in film.
In 2014, Spencer appeared opposite Jason Bateman in This Is Where I Leave You, an ensemble comedy directed by Shawn Levy, and starred with John Travolta and Christopher Plummer in The Forger. In October 2014, Spencer joined the cast of the second season of Home Box Office crime drama series, True Detective.