Michelle Trachtenberg

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Michelle Trachtenberg
Trachtenberg (crop).jpg
Michelle Trachtenberg in June 2008
Born Michelle Christine Trachtenberg
(1985-10-11) October 11, 1985 (age 27)
New York City, New York, U.S.[1]
Occupation Actress
Years active 1988–present

Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (born October 11, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Nona F. Mecklenberg in The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000–03) and Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl (2008–2012). She also appeared in the films Harriet the Spy (1996), EuroTrip (2004), Ice Princess (2005), Black Christmas (2006), and 17 Again (2009).

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Early life [edit]

Trachtenberg was born in New York City,[1] the younger of two daughters of Lana, a bank manager, and Michael Trachtenberg, a fiber-optics engineer.[2] Her father is from Germany and her mother was born in Russia; Trachtenberg can speak Russian fluently.[3][4][5] Trachtenberg is of Jewish heritage, and celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah;[6][7][8] her grandparents live in Israel.[9] Trachtenberg was raised, along with older sister Irene, in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn,[10] where she attended P.S. 99 Elementary School and The Bay Academy for the Arts and Sciences. She later moved to Los Angeles and attended Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, California).[11]

Career [edit]

Michelle Trachtenberg at the Buffy the Vampire Slayer wrap party in 2003

Early career [edit]

Trachtenberg made her first television appearance at the age of three, in a commercial for Wisk Detergent.[12] She went on to feature in over 100 more commercials.[12] She appeared in her first credited role as Nona F. Mecklenberg on the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1994 until 1996. During the same period she played Lily Montgomery on the soap opera All My Children,[13] in which she first worked with future Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar.[8]

Breakthrough career [edit]

Trachtenberg's film career began in 1996 with the title role in Harriet the Spy. During this time, she also began a recurring role in season two of the television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, of which she later became a regular. She then starred in the short-lived television series Meego, which garnered her a Young Artist Award.[14] She returned to film in 1999 for Inspector Gadget, as the inspector's niece, Penny. She also starred in the film Can't Be Heaven. In the summer of 2000, Trachtenberg took on the role of Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she remained in the role until the show ended in 2003. Trachtenberg also hosted the Discovery Kids series Truth or Scare, from 2001 to 2003. After Buffy and Truth or Scare, she appeared in the comedy film EuroTrip, directed by Jeff Schaffer and co-starring Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, and Travis Wester. She also had a recurring role in the HBO series Six Feet Under as Celeste, a spoiled pop star for whom Keith Charles served as a bodyguard.

In March 2005, Trachtenberg played the title character in Walt Disney Pictures' family comedy-drama Ice Princess, with Kim Cattrall, Joan Cusack, and Hayden Panettiere. In the film, Trachtenberg played a science whiz named Casey Carlyle who is torn between a future in academia and her newfound dream of being a professional figure skater.

Guest appearances [edit]

Michelle Trachtenberg in June 2008

In April 2006 Trachtenberg guest-starred in the episode of House, M.D., "Safe". She revealed on the December 22, 2006, episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien that House was her favorite show, she was friends with one of the producers and she asked to be a guest star.[15]

In November 2006, Trachtenberg guest-starred in the sixth season of the Emmy-nominated crime drama Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In the episode "Weeping Willow", she played the role of Willow, a kidnapped video blogger based on lonelygirl15.[citation needed] Trachtenberg also made a cameo in the Fall Out Boy music video for "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" (with fellow Buffy cast member Seth Green), Joaquin Phoenix-directed video "Tired of Being Sorry" for Balthazar Getty's band Ringside, and Trapt's video Echo. In December 2006, Trachtenberg starred in Black Christmas, the remake of the 1974 slasher of the same name. In 2007, she was cast as the female lead in an ABC comedy pilot called The Hill, set in Washington, D.C.[16] Trachtenberg provided the voice of Tika Waylan for Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, a direct-to-video animated movie based on the novel of the same name.[17]

Trachtenberg appeared on The CW hit show Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks, who recently left rehab and brings back the dark past Serena van der Woodsen desperately wants to leave behind.[18] She returned to the show for a multi-episode story arc towards the end of the second season.[19] Trachtenberg appeared in the season 3 finale and the season 4 premiere.[20] In 2009, Trachtenberg was a cast member on the NBC drama Mercy. The series was not renewed for a second season.

On June 9, 2011, Trachtenberg guest-starred on Love Bites as Jodie, who, after being unceremoniously dumped, decides - with a vengeance - to accept her ex's offer to 'be friends'. She reprised the role on June 16, 2011, where Jodie augments her friend Annie's bust with so-called chicken cutlets - which later embarrassingly slip out. She finally reprised the role on July 21, 2011, in the series finale, where Jodie and her on-again boyfriend are tormented - to the point of homelessness - by bedbugs. On June 28, 2011, it was announced Trachtenberg would guest star on Weeds during its seventh season.[21] Her character Emma is a rival pot dealer who causes problems for Silas Botwin. In June, 2012, Trachtenberg starred against Katie Cassidy, Gina Gershon, and Eliza Dushku in The Scribbler directed by John Suits and produced by Gabriel Cowan.[22] On January 16, 2013 Trachtenberg made a guest appearance on the CBS drama Criminal Minds as Spencer Reid's girlfriend's stalker.

Other work [edit]

Trachtenberg returned to film with the 2009 picture 17 Again alongside Zac Efron, Sterling Knight and Matthew Perry. She also had a small role in the comedy film Cop Out.[23] In March 2011, she was the featured cover girl in Maxim.[24]

Filmography [edit]

Films [edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Melissa Lena uncredited
1996 Harriet the Spy Harriet M. Welsch
1996 Christmas in My Hometown Noelle Murphy a.k.a. A Holiday for Love
1998 Richie Rich's Christmas Wish Gloria
1999 Inspector Gadget Penny
2000 A Father's Choice Kelly McClain
2000 Can't Be Heaven Julie
2004 EuroTrip Jenny
2004 Mysterious Skin Wendy
2005 Ice Princess Casey Carlyle
2005 The Dive From Clausen's Pier Carrie Beal
2006 Beautiful Ohio Sandra
2006 Black Christmas Melissa
2007 The Hill Maggie Rogers
2008 Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight Tika voice-only
2008 The Circuit Kylie Shines
2009 17 Again Margaret "Maggie" Sarah O'Donnell
2009 Against the Current Suzanne
2010 Cop Out Ava Monroe
2010 DC Showcase: Jonah Hex Bar Girl voice-only
2011 Take Me Home Tonight Ashley
2012 My Bloody Christmas Allison Monroe
2013 Sexy Evil Genius Miranda Prague[25]
2013 The Scribbler Alice

Television [edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Law & Order Dinah Driscoll Episode "God Bless the Child"; Uncredited
1993 Clarissa Explains It All Elsie Soaperstein
1993–1996 All My Children Lily Benton Montgomery #1
1994–1996 The Adventures of Pete & Pete Nona F. Mecklenberg Recurring; Season 2
Regular; Season 3
1996 Dave's World Angela
1996 Space Cases Prankster #1
1997 Meego Maggie Parker Regular role
1998 Guys Like Us Katie
1998 Blues Clues Herself Episode: "Blues Birthday"
1998 Figure it Out Panelist Season 2-3
2000–2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Dawn Summers Seasons 5-7; 66 episodes
2001–2003 Truth or Scare Herself Host/Narrator, 20 episodes
2004 Best Week Ever
2004 Six Feet Under Celeste 4 episodes
2006 House M.D. Melinda Bardach Episode "Safe"
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Lisa Willow Tyler Episode "Weeping Willow"
2006–present Robot Chicken Various Roles Voice only
2008–2012 Gossip Girl Georgina Sparks 28 episodes
2009–2010 Mercy Chloe Payne Main Role
2009–present The Super Hero Squad Show Valkyrie Voice only
2011 Love Bites Jodie Episodes: "How To...": "Banana Bread"
"Keep on Truckin'": "Cutlets"
"Modern Plagues": "Bad in Bedbugs"
2011 Weeds Emma Karlin 5 episodes
2013 Criminal Minds Diane Turner Episode: Zugzwang

Awards [edit]

Year Result Award Category Recipients
1997 Won Young Artist Awards Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film Harriet the Spy
1998 Won Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Supporting Young Actress Meego
2000 Nominated YoungStar Awards Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion Picture Comedy Inspector Gadget
2000 Nominated Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress Inspector Gadget
2001 Nominated Teen Choice Awards TV - Choice Sidekick Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2001 Nominated Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress on Television Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2001 Won Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Supporting Young Actress Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2002 Nominated Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Guest Starring Young Actress Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2002 Nominated Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actress Truth or Scare
2002 Nominated Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress on Television Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2003 Nominated Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress on Television Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2004 Nominated Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series Truth or Scare
2007 Won Sarasota Film Festival Breakthrough Performer Beautiful Ohio
2012 Nominated Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Villain Gossip Girl

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Tatiana Morales (March 18, 2005). "Find And Fight For Your Dream". cbsnews.com. Retrieved July 21, 2010. 
  2. ^ "Michelle Trachtenberg Biography (1985–)". Film Reference. 
  3. ^ 7 Things: Michelle Trachtenberg
  4. ^ Neumaier, Joe (February 25, 2004). "'Buffy's' sis on trach". Daily News. 
  5. ^ Lee, Michael J. (May 24, 2005). "Exclusive Interview with Michelle Trachtenberg". Radio Free Entertainment. Retrieved November 23, 2007. 
  6. ^ "May 7, 2009 episode". Chelsea Lately.
  7. ^ Chesterton, Lucy (June 22, 2008). "Spotlight – Michelle Trachtenberg". The Sunday Telegraph. 
  8. ^ a b White, Kelly (December 2000). "Under Michelle's spell". Girls' Life. Retrieved November 23, 2007. 
  9. ^ "James Marsters and Michelle Trachtenberg interview". contactmusic.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007. 
  10. ^ Butler, Karen (March 19, 2005). "ON 'ICE': Sheepshead Bay native talks of tough workouts for lead in 'Ice Princess'". The Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved November 16, 2009. "When Michelle Trachtenberg was a young girl growing up in Sheepshead Bay, she dreamed of being a championship ice skater like her childhood idols, Michelle Kwan and Oksana Baiul." 
  11. ^ "Gossip Girl Transformations - Michelle Trachtenberg". InStyle. Retrieved February 11, 2013. 
  12. ^ a b Koltow, Barry (July 11, 1996). "Defining where 'Harriet' ends, Michelle Trachtenberg begins". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 9, 2008. 
  13. ^ Morales, Tatiana (March 18, 2005). "Find And Fight For Your Dream". CBS News. Retrieved March 9, 2008. 
  14. ^ "19th Annual Awards". www.youngartistawards.org. Retrieved March 9, 2011. 
  15. ^ Michelle Trachtenberg about her Guest Appearance on House @ Conan O'Brien 22/12/2006
  16. ^ "Trachtenberg goes to Washington in ABC comedy". Reuters. March 8, 2007. Retrieved March 14, 2007. 
  17. ^ "Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight". Internet Movie Database. 
  18. ^ Ausiello, Michael (March 19, 2008). "Gossip Girl casts Buffy alumna Michelle Trachtenberg". Ausiello Report, TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. 
  19. ^ "Michelle Trachtenberg to Return to Gossip Girl". People. January 5, 2009. 
  20. ^ Godwin, Jennifer (May 18, 2009). "This Just In: Is Georgina Joining Gossip Girl?". E! Online. 
  21. ^ "Michelle Trachtenberg cast as pot dealer on Weeds". 
  22. ^ http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/the-scribbler-starts-production-with-katie-cassidy-starring/
  23. ^ McNary, Dave (December 27, 2009). "Kevin Smith's 'Dicks' becomes 'Cop Out'". Variety. Retrieved January 9, 2010. 
  24. ^ "Michelle Trachtenberg". Maxim.com. 
  25. ^ "Seth Green, Michelle Trachtenberg Join Indie 'Sexy Evil Genius'" June 1, 2011, Hollywood reporter

External links [edit]

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