Bio
Tara Spencer-Nairn is a Canadian actress best known for her starring role as police officer Karen Pelly on the television sitcom Corner Gas, from 2004-2009.
Born in Montreal, Spencer-Nairn was raised in Vancouver and currently uses Toronto as her home base. The youngest of three siblings, the actress spent 12 years as a competitive gymnast.
She is a graduate of the prestigious Shawnigan Lake School, on Vancouver Island, which she attended after her rebellious nature resulted in her getting kicked out of another private school.
A graduate of the Vancouver Film School, Spencer-Nairn's big breakthrough came in 1999, when she was cast in the highly acclaimed film New Waterford Girl. The film played at Sundance and the Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for seven Genie awards, including best picture.
Tara garnered rave reviews for her portrayal of the disaffected Lou, a Bronx-raised teenager who moves to a small Nova Scotia town and quickly turns it on its ear.
The actress subsequently starred alongside Don McKellar in the independent film Rub and Tug. Set in a seedy massage parlour, the 2002 film was Tara's first foray into comedy. The experiment was a success and resulted in a Canadian Comedy Award for 'Pretty Funny Female Performance' for Spencer-Nairn for her portrayal of the street-smart Betty.
In addition to her film work, and her success on Corner Gas, Spencer-Nairn has appeared in numerous television productions including ReGenesis, Puppets Who Kill, Blue Murder, Wes Craven Presents: Don't Look Down, Cold Squad, The Outer Limits, Tom Stone, Relic Hunter and The Listener.