Michelle Trachtenberg
Encyclopedia : M : MI : MIC : Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (born October 11, 1985) is an American television and film actress best known for her role as Dawn Summers in the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Biography
Early life
Trachtenberg was born in New York City. Her father, Michael Trachtenberg, is a fiberoptics engineer, and her Russian-born mother, Lana, is a former actress turned puppeteer. Trachtenberg is of Jewish heritage and speaks Russian. She was raised, along with older sister Irene, in Sheepshead Bay.Career
Trachtenberg had her first television appearance in 1988 in a commercial for Wisk Detergent. She went on to feature in over 100 more commercials. Her first credited role came in 1993. She played Nona F. Mecklenberg in The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1994 until 1996. During the same period she played the second Lily Montgomery in All My Children. It was on All My Children that Trachtenberg first worked with future Buffy co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar.Trachtenberg's film career began in 1996 with the lead role in Harriet the Spy. She then returned to television for Meego, for which she won a Young Artist Award. She returned to film in 1999 for Inspector Gadget, as the gadget-master's niece, Penny. She also starred in the film Can't Be Heaven.
In the summer of 2000, Trachtenberg took up the role of Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She remained in the role until the show ended in 2003. Since Buffy, she has returned to film, with the recent Eurotrip, co-starring Scott Mechlowicz and Travis Wester and directed by Jeff Schaffer. She also had a recurring role in the HBO series Six Feet Under as Celeste, a spoiled pop star for whom Keith Charles serves as a bodyguard.
Her latest role in a feature film came March of 2005, where she played the title character in Walt Disney Pictures' family comedy/drama Ice Princess with Kim Cattrall. In this film, Trachtenberg plays a science whiz named Casey Carlyle who gives up her future academic life in order to chase her lifelong dream of being a professional figure skater.
Personal Life
Trachtenberg is currently dating Canadian actor Shawn Ashmore. Despite their relationship, Ashmore was selected as one of People magazine's "Hot Bachelors" of 2006.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Black Christmas | ||
| Four Women | Cindy | ||
| Beautiful Ohio | Sandra | ||
| 2005 | Mysterious Skin | Wendy | limited release |
| Ice Princess | Casey Carlyle | ||
| 2004 | EuroTrip | Jenny | |
| 1999 | Inspector Gadget | Penny Gadget | |
| 1998 | Richie Rich's Christmas Wish | Gloria | direct-to-video |
| 1996 | Harriet the Spy | Harriet M. Welsch |
Television roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | House | Melinda | television series |
| 2004 | The Dive From Clausen's Pier | Carrie Beal | made-for-television |
| Child Stars II - Growing Up Hollywood | herself | A&E Biography | |
| The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards | presenter | ||
| 2003 | A&E Biography: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | television special | |
| Echo by Trapt | music video | ||
| 2002 | The Teen Choice Awards 2002 | presenter | television special |
| Can't Be Heaven | Julie | television series | |
| Echo by Trapt | music video | ||
| 2001 | Truth or Scare | Host/narrator | television series |
| The Teen Choice Awards 2001 | presenter | television special | |
| 2000 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Dawn Summers | television series (from 2000 to 2003) |
| A Father's Choice | Kelly McClain | made-for-television | |
| 1997 | Meego | Maggie Parker | television series |
| Figure It Out | Panelist | television series | |
| 1995 | Melissa | Lena | television series |
| Christmas in My Hometown | Noelle Murphy | made-for-television | |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Nona Mecklenberg | television series |
| 1993 | All My Children | Lilly Benton Montgomery #1 | television series |
| Clarissa Explains It All | Elsie Soaperstein | television series | |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Dinah Driscoll | television series |
References
Footnotes
Web sites
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.