Spencer Daniels

Actor Spencer Daniels worked steadily on television and in occasional features in the mid-2000s, most notably in broad comic turns on "The Office" (NBC, 2005-2013) and "Mom" (CBS, 2013-). Born in Tarzana, California, Daniels began acting at the age of ten, making his first television appearances as a background extra before working his way up to guest starring roles on "Judging Amy" (CBS, 1999-2005) and "MadTV" (Fox, 1995-2009). In 2006, he made the first of three appearances on "The Office" as Jake Palmer, the rebellious son of Meredith (Kate Flannery); Daniels would later reprise the character, whose anti-authoritarian streak manifested itself with a facial tattoo and career as a male stripper at Angela's (Angela Kinsley) uncomfortable bachelorette party. The role confirmed Daniels' talent for comic performances, but he would work largely in dramatic fare over the next half decade, playing Benjamin Button at the age of 12 in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008), George Samuel Kirk, the older brother of Chris Pine's James T. Kirk, in scenes deleted from writer-director J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of the "Star Trek" franchise, and a bit part in Judd Apatow's "This is 40" (2012). Television remained his most consistent showcase, and Daniels enjoyed a recurring role as a high school baseball star on "Crash" (Starz, 2008-2009), as well as guest turns on "Big Love" (HBO, 2006-2011) and other series before joining the cast of Chuck Lorre's sitcom "Mom." For the first two seasons of the series, Daniels played Luke, a seemingly addled high school student who falls in love with Violet (Sadie Calvano), daughter and granddaughter, respectively, of the series' main characters, Christy (Anna Faris) and Bonnie (Allison Janney). More than just another buffoonish character, Luke gave Daniels ample opportunities to display his gifts for comedy and drama through his faithful and patient nature, especially in a story arc that involved a baby he fathered with Sadie. Following the conclusion of the baby storyline, which ended with Violet and Luke giving up the child for adoption, Daniels' character was phased out of the series, and was no longer listed as a series regular for its third season. Daniels went on to appear in several independent features, and made his debut as producer with the short film "Audience of One" (2014), through his own company, South County Productions.