Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Michelle Trachtenberg, 2008 | |
| Born | Michelle Christine Trachtenberg October 11, 1985 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1991 – present |
Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (born October 11, 1985) is an American television and film actress. She is known for playing Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the show's final three seasons, Penny in the 1999 film adaptation of Inspector Gadget, Wendy in Mysterious Skin, Jenny in EuroTrip, and Harriet M. Welsch in Harriet the Spy. Trachtenberg also appeared in the television series Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks, Mercy and more recently has had roles in the films 17 Again and Cop Out.
Early life
Trachtenberg was born in New York City,[1] the youngest 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] Her family is Jewish and Trachtenberg celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah;[5][6][7] her grandparents live in Israel.[8] Trachtenberg was raised, along with older sister Irene, in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, where she attended P.S. 99 Elementary School and The Bay Academy for the Arts And Sciences Junior High School.[9] She later attended Notre Dame High School with Katharine McPhee, Rachel Bilson, and Kirsten Dunst. Michelle has Dark Brown Hair and Blue Eyes.
Career
Trachtenberg made her first television appearance at the age of three, in a commercial for Wisk Detergent.[10] She went on to feature in over 100 more commercials.[10] She appeared in her first credited role as Nona F. Mecklenberg in The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1994 until 1996. During the same period she played Lily Montgomery in All My Children,[11] in which she first worked with future Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar.[7]
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. She also hosted the Discovery Kids series Truth or Scare from 2001 to 2003. After Buffy and Truth or Scare, she returned to film in the comedy film EuroTrip, co-starring Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts 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 served as a bodyguard.
In March 2005, Trachtenberg played the title character in Walt Disney Pictures' family comedy–drama Ice Princess with Kim Cattrall. In the film, Trachtenberg played a science whiz named Casey Carlyle who gives up her future academic life in order to pursue her newfound dream of being a professional figure skater.
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 is her favorite show, she is friends with one of the producers and she asked to be a guest star.
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. 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 2007, she was cast as the female lead in an ABC comedy pilot called The Hill, set in Washington, D.C.[12] 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.[13]
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.[14] She returned to the show for a multi-episode story arc towards the end of the second season.[15] Trachtenberg appeared in the season 3 finale.[16] In 2009, Trachtenberg was a cast member on the NBC drama Mercy, the series however was not renewed for a second season.
Trachtenberg appeared in the 2009 film 17 Again alongside Zac Efron, Sterling Knight and Matthew Perry. She had a small role in the comedy film Cop Out.[17]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Other 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 | |
| Can't Be Heaven | Julie | ||
| 2004 | EuroTrip | Jenny | |
| Mysterious Skin | Wendy | ||
| 2005 | Ice Princess | Casey Carlyle | Leading role |
| The Dive From Clausen's Pier | Carrie Bell | ||
| 2006 | Beautiful Ohio | Sandra | |
| Black Christmas | Melissa | ||
| 2007 | The Hill | Maggie Rogers | |
| 2008 | Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight | Tika | voice-only |
| The Circuit | Kylie Shines | ||
| 2009 | 17 Again | Maggie O'Donnell | |
| Against the Current | Suzanne | ||
| 2010 | Cop Out | Ava Monroe | |
| Kids in America | Kitchelle Storms | ||
| DC Showcase: Jonah Hex | Bar Girl | voice-only |
Television
| Year | Series | 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 role, season 2; regular role, season 3 |
| 1996 | Dave's World | Angela | |
| Space Cases | Prankster #1 | ||
| 1997 | Meego | Maggie Parker | |
| 1998 | Guys Like Us | Katie | |
| 2000–2003 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Dawn Summers | Regular role; 66 episodes |
| 2001–2003 | Truth or Scare | Herself | |
| 2004 | Best Week Ever | ||
| Six Feet Under | Celeste | 4 episodes | |
| 2006 | House M.D. | Melinda Bardach | Episode "Safe" |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Lisa Willow Tyler | Episode "Weeping Willow" | |
| 2006–2007 | Robot Chicken | Dina Lohan, Woman, Wife, Cleaning Woman, Woman, Mugging Victim, Gummi-Bear | voice-only |
| 2008–present | Gossip Girl | Georgina Sparks | Recurring role; 13 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Mercy | Chloe Payne | Regular role; 22 episodes |
| 2009–present | The Super Hero Squad Show | Valkyrie | voice only |
References
- ^ a b Tatiana Morales (March 18, 2005). "Find And Fight For Your Dream". cbsnews.com. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ "Michelle Trachtenberg Biography (1985–)". Film Reference.
- ^ Neumaier, Joe (25 February 2004). "'Buffy's' sis on trach". Daily News.
- ^ Lee, Michael J. (24 May 2005). "Exclusive Interview with Michelle Trachtenberg". Radio Free Entertainment. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
- ^ "May 7, 2009 episode". Chelsea Lately.
- ^ Chesterton, Lucy (22 June 2008). "Spotlight – Michelle Trachtenberg". The Sunday Telegraph.
- ^ a b White, Kelly (2000). "Under Michelle's spell". Girls' Life. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "James Marsters and Michelle Trachtenberg interview". contactmusic.com. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
- ^ Butler, Karen (19 March 2005). "ON 'ICE': Sheepshead Bay native talks of tough workouts for lead in 'Ice Princess'". The Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved 16 November 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.
- ^ a b Koltow, Barry (11 July 1996). "Defining where 'Harriet' ends, Michelle Trachtenberg begins". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
- ^ Morales, Tatiana (18 March 2005). "Find And Fight For Your Dream". CBS News. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
- ^ "Trachtenberg goes to Washington in ABC comedy". Reuters. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
- ^ "Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight". Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (19 March 2008). "Gossip Girl casts Buffy alumna Michelle Trachtenberg". Ausiello Report, TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008.
- ^ "Michelle Trachtenberg to Return to Gossip Girl". People. 5 January 2009.
- ^ Godwin, Jennifer (18 May 2009). "This Just In: Is Georgina Joining Gossip Girl?". E! Online.
- ^ McNary, Dave (27 December 2009). "Kevin Smith's 'Dicks' becomes 'Cop Out'". Variety. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
External links
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- 1985 births
- Actors from New York City
- American child actors
- American film actors
- American soap opera actors
- American television actors
- American actors of German descent
- American actors of Russian descent
- American people of Russian descent
- Jewish actors
- German American Jews
- Living people
- People from New York City
- Russian American Jews
- Young Artist Awards winners