Troian Avery Bellisario (born October 28, 1985) is an American actress and filmmaker. The daughter of producer Donald P. Bellisario and actress Deborah Pratt, she gained international attention for her portrayal of Spencer Hastings in the Freeform drama series Pretty Little Liars (20102017), for which she received various accolades.
In film, Bellisario has received recognition for her performances in C.O.G. (2013), Feed (2017)which she also wrote and producedClara (2018), and Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019). On television, Bellisario appeared in the television drama film Sister Cities (2016), the web series Lauren (20122013), and the police procedural series On Call (2025). In 2016 she married actor Patrick J. Adams, with whom she has three daughters. The couple have appeared together in three TV series, Pretty Little Liars, Plan B and Suits and in the movie, Clara.
Early life Troian Avery Bellisario was born on October 28, 1985, in Los Angeles and raised there. Her parents are producers Deborah Pratt and Donald P. Bellisario; her father created Magnum, P.I., Quantum Leap, 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 descent.
Bellisario attended Campbell Hall School in Studio City, California, from kindergarten through twelfth grade, and was top of her class. After high school, she enrolled at Vassar College for several months before taking a break for her mental health, feeling that the institution aggravated her perfectionist tendencies. She later graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California in 2009.Troian Bellisario biography, ABC Family.com
Career Early work Bellisario made her acting debut in the 1988 film Last Rites at the age of three, By Fred Topel Published June 10, 2010 – Canmag.com 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 Quantum Leap. In 1998, she co-starred with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in the film Billboard Dad. 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 Spencer Hastings in the TV series Pretty Little Liars based on the book series of the same name by Sara Shepard. 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.
In 2014, she starred in the music video for The Head and the Heart'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 (Peter Hastings). In 2015, she was cast in a leading role in the American remake of the French-Canadian film Martyrs. In 2015, Bellisario and fiancée Patrick J. Adams filmed the 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, 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 in the television drama film Sister Cities (2016), and opposite Bradley Whitford in the Me Too drama Lauren (20122013). In film, Bellisario has received recognition for her performances in C.O.G. (2013), Feed (2017), Clara (2018) and Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019).
2020s In March 2020, Bellisario played the lead role of Claire in the CBS political drama pilot Ways & Means, written by Mike Murphy and Ed Redlich. 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 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 began dating Suits star Patrick J. Adams after they met on the set of the play Equivocation in 2009. The couple briefly separated before Adams' guest appearance as Hardy in Pretty Little Liars but reunited in 2010. They later worked together on the 2012 short film The Come Up, Suits, and on the short film We Are Here. Bellisario and Adams were married on December 10, 2016, in Santa Barbara, California. They have three daughters.
In an episode of actress Katie Lowes' podcast, Katie's Crib, Bellisario and Adams said their second child was born in the backseat of their car in the hospital parking lot due to an accelerated labor, with Adams delivering the baby. Hospital staff assisted within minutes, 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, delivering the commencement speech.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1988 Last Rites Nuzo's daughter 1998 Billboard Dad Kristen Bulut 2006 Unspoken JaniShort film 2007 Archer House Tatum2009 Intersect Victoria Before the Cabin Burned Down Meg2010 Consent Amanda Peep World Film set P.A.2011 A November Girlfriend Short film Pleased to Meet You Carson2012 The Come Up JessicaShort film Joyful Girl Belle2013 C.O.G. Jennifer Exiles Juliet Short film; also writer and executive producer 2014 Immediately Afterlife BennettShort film2015 Surf Noir Lacey Martyrs Lucie Jurin Still a Rose JulietShort film Amy Amy 2016 In the Shadows of the Rainbow2017 Chuck Hank and the San Diego Twins Claire Feed Olivia Grey Also writer and producer2018 We Are Here Woman Short film; also producer and writer Clara Clara2019 Where'd You Go Bernadette Becky Like Turtles Molly Short film; also producer 2020 Life on Mars Stella Short film; also writer 2021 Poppet Maeve Short film; also producer and writer 2022 Doula Deb
Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 Quantum Leap Teresa Bruckner Episode: "Another Mother" 1992 Tequila and Bonetti Teresa Garcia 2 episodes 1998 JAG Erin Terry Episode: "Tiger, Tiger" 2002 First Monday Kimberly Baron2 episodes 2005–2006 NCIS Sarah McGee2010–2017Pretty Little Liars Spencer Hastings Main role Alex Drake Recurring role 2015 Suits Claire Bowden 2 episodes 2016 Sister Cities Baltimore Baxter Television film 2020 Stumptown Jenna Marshall Episode: "Til Dex Do Us Part" 2022 Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself Contestant 2023 Plan B Miranda Delano Miniseries 2025 On Call Officer Traci Harmon Main role
Radio Year Title Role Notes 2020 The Adventures of Superman Girl DC FanDome
Web Year Title Role Notes 2012–2013 Lauren Sergeant Lauren Weil Main role 2014 Pa-gents with Chris Pine Cathryn Crest 2015 Instagram Intervention with Troian Bellisario Herself
Music videos Year Title Role Artist 2014 "Another Story" Girl The Head and the Heart 2018 "Fading Light" Woman Nights & Weekends
Director Year Title Episode(s) Notes 2017 Pretty Little Liars "In the Eye Abides the Heart" Directorial debut 2018 Famous in Love "Guess Who's (Not) Coming to Sundance?" 2019–2023Good Trouble 6 episodes 2020 Life on Mars Short film 2026 The Rookie "The Thinker"
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2010 Vision Fest Best Acting – Female LeadConsent rowspan=3 Philadelphia First Glance Film Festival Best Actress 2011 Young Hollywood Awards Cast to Watch (shared with Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale and Shay Mitchell)Pretty Little Liars Teen Choice AwardsChoice Summer TV Star: Female 2012 Teen Choice Awards rowspan=2 2013 New York Festivals Best Performance by an ActressLauren Streamy Awards Best Female Performance – Drama Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress: Drama Pretty Little Liars 2014 IAWTV Awards Best Female Performance – Drama Lauren rowspan=6 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: DramaPretty Little Liars 2015 Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer TV Star: Female 2016 Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress: Drama 2017 Teen Choice Awards 2018 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award Best Actress in a Canadian Film Clara 2020 Northeast Film Festival Best Actress in a Short Film Like Turtles
References
External links