Sarah Michelle Gellar | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

American actress Sarah Michelle Gellar found lasting fame that went well beyond her role as the titular character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (UPN/The WB, 1997-2003). A native of Long Island, New York, she began her acting career when she was 4, appearing with a role opposite Valerie Harper in the television movie "An Invasion of Privacy" (CBS, 1983). She began working on a regular basis, appearing in commercials for Burger King and working on the miniseries "A Woman Named Jackie" (NBC, 1990) with Roma Downey. Her career began to take off in earnest during her teen years when she was cast in the syndicated teen drama "Swans Crossing" (1992). She was then cast as Kendall Hart, the long lost daughter of Susan Lucci's Erica Kane, on the daytime soap opera "All My Children" (ABC, 1970-2011). She left the soap in 1995, but her rise to stardom would start in earnest in 1997. She was cast in a pair of teen horror movies, playing one of the guilty teens alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt and future husband Freddie Prinze Jr. in "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997). She also joined Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox for the sequel "Scream 2" (1997). That same year, Joss Whedon cast her as the lead in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," loosely based on the 1992 film of the same name. The show quickly developed a loyal following that would continue returning to the series well after it's seven season run ended. Outside of the show, she continued working in film, starring with Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon in the "Dangerous Liaisons" modernization, "Cruel Intentions" (1999). She also joined Sean Patrick Flanery for the romantic comedy "Simply Irresistible" (1999). Along with Prinze, she starred in the live action adaptation of "Scooby Doo" (2002), playing Daphne, a role that she would recreate for the sequel, "Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" (2004). She returned to horror as well, starring in "The Grudge" (2004) and "The Grudge 2" (2006). Her film career included starring turns in "Suburban Girl" (2007), "Possession" (2008), and "Veronika Decides to Die" (2009). She returned to series television with the lead role in the drama "Ringer" (The CW, 2011-12) and opposite Robin Williams in the sitcom "The Crazy Ones" (CBS, 2013-14). Gellar slipped back into her manipulative "Cruel Intentions" character, Kathryn Merteuil, for the television movie "Cruel Intentions" (NBC, 2016). The project was meant as a pilot for a proposed series, but never made it to that stage. Still revered for her role as Buffy, the actress made a cameo appearance in the final episode of the long-running hit comedy "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS, 2007-19).