It is 28 years since Buffy The Vampire Slayer first aired, so to mark the milestone we are having a look at what some of the show’s main cast members are up to now
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is celebrating its birthday, with today (March 10) marking 28 years since the series started.
The hit drama about teen vampire slayer Buffy was a sensation in the 90s, airing for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003, making Sarah Michelle Gellar a star and becoming bigger than the 1992 movie it was based on. In recent weeks there has also been talk of a reboot, with Sarah tipped to return.
However, while it’s a big day in the Buffyverse, it’s also a poignant one, with fans of the series still reeling from the death of cast member Michelle Trachtenberg. The actress, who played Buffy’s sister Dawn, died in February at the age of 39, with reports in the US saying that she died of “natural causes”.
We have a look at what Michelle did after Buffy, and what the rest of the cast have been up to.
Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar)
Sarah Michelle became a massive deal in Hollywood thanks to her portrayal of cheerleader turned vampire slayer Buffy, who had to see off endless threats while also juggling normal teenage drama.
She played Buffy for the show’s full run and reprised the role in spin-off Angel, and also had success on the big screen in films such as Cruel Intentions, Scooby Doo and She’s All That.
In 1997, the actress met Freddie Prinze Jr when they were shooting teen horror movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. Three years later they got together and they tied the knot in 2002. The pair have daughter Charlotte Grace, who was born in 2009, and son Rocky James, who arrived in 2012, and they live in Los Angeles.
Now 47, the star continues to act, with recent parts including a guest role US crime drama mystery series, Dexter: Original Sin.
In 2015, she co-founded a cooking business called Foodstirs, and she later released a book – Stirring Up Fun With Food.
Willow (Alyson Hannigan)
Alyson starred as Buffy’s friend Willow throughout the series and also appeared in Angel. But she did an even longer stint in the series How I Met Your Mother, playing Lily Aldrin from 2005 to 2014.
The actress also made a splash in the American Pie film series as Michelle, the one who told endless tales from band camp.
In 2023, Alyson took part in Dancing With The Stars, finishing fifth, and she has continued to balance acting with reality show appearances. She also hosted the series Penn & Teller: Fool Us from 2016 to 2023.
The actress, 50, met her husband Alexis Denisof thanks to Buffy, after he joined the cast as watcher Wesley Wyndham-Price. The pair got married in 2003 and have two daughters.
These days her home in California is a bit of a celeb in its own right too, as it was used as a location for Mandy Moore series This Is Us. It also popped up in the series Marvel: Agents of Shield.
Alyson previously told People she had lots of requests to shoot at her home. “The people we bought our house from, I don’t know if they ever lived here,” she said. “I think they just rented it out for film shoots. I think my house’s resume is longer than mine.”
Xander (Nicholas Brendon)
Actor Nicholas had originally wanted to be a baseball player and dabbled with other career ideas after getting fed up of acting – he was once quoted as saying he “couldn’t stand the politics in Hollywood”.
But he became a favourite with Buffy fans as Xander, who was in almost every episode of the series. He went on to do a long stint as Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds from 2007 to 2014 and has also appeared in films such as Wanton Want and King of Crime.
However, Nicholas also had some scrapes with the law in his post-Buffy years and struggled with depression and alcohol problems. Seeking treatment in 2004, he said in a statement: “After realising that I had a disease that was taking control of my life, I decided that the best way for me to regain my health was to enter a treatment facility.”
He also battled health issues, and it was reported that he suffered from Cauda equina syndrome (which happens when nerves in the spine are compressed or damaged). In 2022 it was reported that he suffered a heart attack.
Angel (David Boreanaz)
David’s turn as a vampire-turned-private investigator in Buffy gave him heartthrob status and saw him getting his own spin-off, Angel, which aired from 1999 until 2004.
From there he went into another long-running role, playing FBI Agent Seeley Booth in Bones from 2005 to 2017. Then he signed up for SEAL Team, staying in the show for seven years until it wrapped in late 2024.
Offscreen the actor is now 55 and has his two children with his second wife, Jaime Bergman.
Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn)
Michelle joined the series in 2000 as Buffy’s little sister Dawn. She was only 15 at the time but had a lot of high profile parts under her belt already, including a recurring role in The Adventures of Pete & Pete and playing Lily Benton Montgomery in All My Children.
She also had a huge following thanks to coming-of-age comedy film Harriet the Spy, which she starred in alongside Rosie O’Donnell when she was only 11.
Her next big show was Gossip Girl, where she rubbed shoulders with the likes of Blake Lively and Chace Crawford. She played scheming Georgina Sparks, who popped in and out from 2008 to 2014, stirring up trouble with every appearance.
Michelle continued to work in recent years, reprising the role of Georgina in the Gossip Girl reboot for a couple of episodes and hosting web series Meet, Marry, Murder, and was active on social media.
However, fans had recently voiced concerns over her frail appearance and in February it was announced that she had died, with police in Manhattan saying she was found “unconscious and unresponsive” after they responded to an emergency call.
No cause of death has been given, but it has been reported that Michelle underwent a liver transplant not long ago.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
