# Abigail Spencer
**Abigail Spencer** (Abigail Leigh Spencer, born 1981) is an American actress and producer from Gulf Breeze, Florida, known for television roles including Amantha Holden on *Rectify*, Lucy Preston on *Timeless*, and Scottie on *Suits*, and since 2026 for the lead role of Louisa Gavin on Fox's *Best Medicine*.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/) • [2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981, Gulf Breeze, Florida[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/abigail_spencer) |
| First TV role | Rebecca Tyree on the ABC soap opera *All My Children* (1999–2000)[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/) |
| Breakthrough roles | Amantha Holden on *Rectify* (SundanceTV, 2013–2016); Lucy Preston on *Timeless* (NBC, 2016–2018)[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/) |
| Current series | Louisa Gavin on Fox's *Best Medicine*, opposite Josh Charles; renewed for a second season[2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer) |
| Producing | Runs Innerlight Films with Oscar-nominated director Duke Johnson; lead producer on *The Actor* (2025)[2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer) |
| Other work | Founder of the floral brand County Line Florals[4](https://lamag.com/tv/why-actress-and-producer-abigail-spencer-founded-county-line-florals/) |
## Early life and career beginnings
Spencer grew up in a Gulf Coast surfing family in Florida; her father, Yancy Spencer III, was a renowned local surfer.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/abigail-spencer/umc.cpc.vjt3oe7wfsgdwo1xq7a8bkez) Her first television role was a recurring part from 1999 to 2000 as Rebecca Tyree on the ABC soap opera *All My Children*, which she began while still in her teens.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/abigail-spencer/umc.cpc.vjt3oe7wfsgdwo1xq7a8bkez) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/abigail_spencer) Guest spots on *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation* and *Gilmore Girls* followed, and in 2006 she won the lead role on the Lifetime crime series *Angela's Eyes*, playing FBI agent Angela Henson; the show was not renewed past its initial 13-episode run.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/abigail-spencer/umc.cpc.vjt3oe7wfsgdwo1xq7a8bkez)
## Television career
**Mad Men and recurring roles.** In 2009 Spencer landed a high-profile recurring part as Suzanne Farrell, a schoolteacher who becomes [Don Draper](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-draper)'s love interest, on AMC's *Mad Men*.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/abigail_spencer) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817844/) She went on to recurring roles on *Hawthorne* (2009–2011), *Suits* (2011–2019), *Grey's Anatomy* (2017–2022), and *Extended Family* (2023–2024).[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/) On *[Suits](https://www.edgepedia.org/suits-american-tv-series)* she plays Scottie, an attorney and [Harvey Specter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvey-specter)'s on-again, off-again girlfriend; in 2023 the series drew over 60 billion minutes viewed.[2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer)
**Rectify.** From 2013 to 2016 Spencer starred as Amantha Holden on *Rectify*, the SundanceTV drama about Daniel Holden, a man released from Georgia's Death Row after 19 years when DNA evidence calls his conviction into question. She received a nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award for the role.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817844/)
**Timeless.** After *Rectify* ended, Spencer took her first starring role on a network series as history professor Lucy Preston in NBC's time-travel drama *Timeless* (2016–2018).[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/) • [5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/abigail-spencer/umc.cpc.vjt3oe7wfsgdwo1xq7a8bkez) The show was canceled and then, within days, renewed after a fan campaign; Spencer described the reversal as unheard of and noted that the network moved production to Los Angeles, which mattered to her as a single mother.[7](https://telltaletv.com/2018/04/abigail-spencer-on-timeless-and-the-importance-of-exploring-the-past-exclusive-interview/)
**Recent work.** She starred in NBC's sitcom *Extended Family*, created by [Mike O'Malley](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-omalley) alongside [Jon Cryer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-cryer) and [Donald Faison](https://www.edgepedia.org/donald-faison), and in *Shatter Belt*, an independent series that premiered at SXSW 2023.[2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer) Since 2026 she has played small-town teacher Louisa Gavin opposite Josh Charles in Fox's *Best Medicine*, a small-town Maine medical-mystery rom-com; the show premiered to 12.6 million multi-platform viewers, ranked first on Hulu upon debut, and was renewed for a second season.[2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2026-09-18/la-sunday-funday-abigail-spencer-things-to-do-los-angeles)
## Film work
Spencer's film credits include the sci-fi Western *Cowboys & Aliens* (2011), the comedy *This Means War* (2012), the surfing film *Chasing Mavericks* (2012), in which she played the wife of surfer Frosty Hesson ([Gerard Butler](https://www.edgepedia.org/gerard-butler)), *Oz the Great and Powerful* (2013), her first feature lead as Lisa Wyrick in *The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia* (2013), and *This Is Where I Leave You* (2014).[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/abigail_spencer) • [5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/abigail-spencer/umc.cpc.vjt3oe7wfsgdwo1xq7a8bkez) She wrapped the indie feature *Clean Hands*, opposite [Zach Braff](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-braff) and [Esther McGregor](https://www.edgepedia.org/esther-mcgregor), which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival and is scheduled for digital and theatrical release on October 16.[2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer)
## Producing and business ventures
Spencer runs Innerlight Films in partnership with [Duke Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/duke-johnson), the Oscar-nominated director of *Anomalisa*. Together they have produced *Here and Now*, the Oscar short-listed *Winter Light*, and *The Actor* (2025), starring [André Holland](https://www.edgepedia.org/andre-holland) and [Gemma Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/gemma-chan) and adapted from Donald Westlake's novel *Memory*; Spencer was lead producer on *The Actor*.[2](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer)
She is also the founder of County Line Florals, a floral brand she built from a long-running practice of arranging flowers and holding workshops. Her last job before the pandemic was the 2019 Hulu drama *Reprisal*, and her gift to the crew was a local flower truck that delivered up to 200 bouquets for on-set "flower showers." After two decades in Los Angeles she relocated to Ojai, and she has explored extending the brand into candles and wallpaper.[4](https://lamag.com/tv/why-actress-and-producer-abigail-spencer-founded-county-line-florals/)
## References
1. [Abigail Spencer – Broadway & Theatre Credits, Bio, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Abigail-Spencer/)
2. [Abigail Spencer – Artist & Brand](https://www.artistandbrand.com/clients/abigail-spencer)
3. [Abigail Spencer Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/abigail_spencer)
4. [Why Actress and Producer Abigail Spencer Founded County Line Florals, Los Angeles Magazine](https://lamag.com/tv/why-actress-and-producer-abigail-spencer-founded-county-line-florals/)
5. [Abigail Spencer Movies and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/abigail-spencer/umc.cpc.vjt3oe7wfsgdwo1xq7a8bkez)
6. [Abigail Spencer, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817844/)
7. [Abigail Spencer on 'Timeless' and the Importance of Exploring the Past, Tell-Tale TV](https://telltaletv.com/2018/04/abigail-spencer-on-timeless-and-the-importance-of-exploring-the-past-exclusive-interview/)
8. [How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Abigail Spencer, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2026-09-18/la-sunday-funday-abigail-spencer-things-to-do-los-angeles)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Sp to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license