The voice of “Summer Smith” from the animated sitcom “Rick and Morty” is the most well-known role of American actor Spencer Grammer. Spencer, the daughter of actor Kelsey Grammer, was born and reared in Los Angeles, California. In his day, her father was a renowned director and performer. Spencer was also raised as an artist. Spencer studied art history at “Marymount Manhattan College” after graduating from high school. She began performing in theater after graduating, just like her father. She had previously made her acting debut in the 1992 television series “Cheers,” playing a minor role. As she grew older, the 2004 television series “Clubhouse” marked her acting debut. Her first feature film was “Beautiful Ohio,” released in 2006. She mostly starred in independent, low-budget movies before landing better TV parts. She was the lead in the 2007 television series Greek, and she later played a leading role in the 2013 series Ironside. Nonetheless, her voice acting as “Summer Smith” in the animated sitcom “Rick and Morty” on Adult Swim is regarded as the pinnacle of her career to date.
Early Life & Childhood
Spencer Born on October 9, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, Karen Grammer came from a wealthy household. She was called in honor of Karen, one of her aunts, who was brutally raped and killed eight years prior to Spencer’s birth. Kelsey Grammer, her father, is a well-known American filmmaker and actor. Doreen Alderman, her mother, was a dance instructor.
To date, Kelsey has been married four times. Spencer’s first wife was his biological mother, Doreen. Doreen and Kelsey began fighting shortly after Spencer was born. When she was two years old, they split up. After six years of separation, her parents finally got divorced in 1990. Her father then got married again. Her mental state was greatly affected by this.
She has three half-sisters and three half-brothers from her father’s previous marriages. Madison was Spencer’s half-sister from her mother’s previous marriage.
Spencer was an introverted child growing up. In addition to being artistic, she acted somewhat differently from other schoolchildren her age. Her childhood dream was to work as a zoologist. But when she began to show an interest in performing in middle school, her plans took a different turn.
As a teenager, she had acquired a taste for movies. One of the movies she saw as a teenager, “Annie Hall,” had a big impact on her. To develop her artistic abilities, she went to the “Los Angeles County High School for Arts.”
After graduating from high school, she decided to pursue art studies further and enrolled in “Marymount Manhattan College” to study art history. She began practicing theater shortly after graduating because of her love for the performing arts.
Career of Spencer Grammer
Spencer Grammer has previously been on screen as a young girl. She played an anonymous young kid in the 1992 episode of “One Hugs, the Other Doesn’t” of the television series “Cheers.” After this, she avoided on-screen acting and concentrated on honing her theater abilities.
She performed the part of “Sheila” in the pilot episode of the 2004 television series “Clubhouse,” marking her adult comeback. She also made appearances in two additional episodes, “Road Trip” and “Chin Music,” but the series was a failure and never took off.
She was chosen to play a crucial role in the television series “Jonny Zero” in 2005. The outcome was essentially the same as that of her first series. Eight episodes later, it was canceled. Spencer had made an appearance in the show’s pilot.
She had an appearance in the crime thriller “Third Watch” that same year, portraying “Kimmie Haynes” in the episode “Kingpin Rising.” She wanted to make an impression because she was unknown in the field at the time. She quickly started making short films. She portrayed Prudence in the short film “The Path of Most Resistance” in 2006.
She received an offer for a small part in the comedy-drama coming-of-age movie “Beautiful Ohio” in 2006. The low-budget movie didn’t make much of an impression at the box office and stayed mostly nameless. She made one-episode appearances in the television shows Six Degrees and The Bedford Diaries that same year.
A significant role in the soap opera “As the World Turns” was also offered to her. It was among the longest-running soap operas in American television history. Beginning in May 2006, she portrayed “Dr. Lucy Montgomery” in the soap opera. Spencer’s character was written out and she was permitted to quit the program after six months. In December 2006, she made her final appearance on the show.
She had a minor part in the 2007 thriller “Descent.” When the indie film was released in the US, it did not excite critics or spectators, despite having a screening at the “Tribeca Film Festival.”
Spencer had a fantastic year in 2007 after receiving an offer for the lead in the television series “Greek.” In the comedy-drama series, Spencer played “Casey Cartwright,” which debuted in July 2007. She played the part of a college student caught in a romantic triangle with no idea what the future held.
The majority of fans enjoyed the show, however critics gave it mixed reviews. Additionally, it received nominations for the 2008 “GLAAD Award” for “Outstanding Drama Series” and the 2009 and 2010 “Outstanding Comedy Series” categories. The show brought Spencer’s struggling career back to life and continued for four profitable seasons.
She portrayed the important character of “Jill” in the independent movie “Missing William” in 2011. She had indie film appearances in the following years, including “In the Lieu of Flowers,” “Roommate Wanted,” “Beyond Paradise,” and “Boone the Bounty Hunter.”
Additionally, she appeared in cameos on “CSI: NY” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” She portrayed a pivotal role in the 2013 television series Ironside, which was a reimagining of a previous series of the same name. The show was a disaster, though, and neither audiences nor critics were impressed. The series was canceled after only four episodes were shown.
She has been providing the voice of Summer Smith in the animated science-fiction comedy series “Rick and Morty” on Adult Swim since 2013. Because of its black comedy and lighthearted depiction of intricate scientific concepts, the series gained enormous popularity. Later on, it diffused throughout popular culture.
She played a significant supporting part in the sitcom “Mr. Robinson” in 2015. But like a lot of her other shows, this one was also terminated before the first season had even finished airing.
Spencer kept appearing as a guest on television shows like “Scorpion,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Tell Me a Story.”
Individual Life of Spencer Grammer
Spencer has a deep affection for animals. She has a dog, two cats, and other pets. She also had an alpaca once.
In February 2011, she married James Hesketh. In October of that year, she gave birth to Emmett Emmanual Hesketh, her son. In 2017, James filed for divorce.
In terms of political beliefs, Spencer is liberal and has publicly criticized Donald Trump. She also advocates online for “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals” (PETA) and supports the LGBTQ community.
Net worth of Spencer Grammer
The net worth of Spencer Grammer is about $2 million.