Michelle Trachtenberg
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| Michelle Trachtenberg | |
 Michelle Trachtenberg |
|
| Birth name | Michelle Christine Trachtenberg |
| Born | October 11, 1985 (age 21) New York City, New York, USA |
| Years active | 1991 - present |
| Notable roles | Harriet - Harriet the Spy Dawn Summers - Buffy the Vampire Slayer Jenny - Eurotrip |
Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (born October 11, 1985) is an American television and film actress who is perhaps best known for her roles as Dawn Summers from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nona F. Mecklenberg in The Adventures of Pete & Pete, and Jenny in Eurotrip.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Trachtenberg was born in New York City. Her father, Michael Trachtenberg, is a fiberoptics engineer, and her Russian-born mother,[1] Lana, is a former actress turned puppeteer. Trachtenberg can speak Russian fluently.[1] She is of Jewish heritage[2] and celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah;[3] her grandparents live in Israel.[4] Trachtenberg was raised, along with older sister Irene, in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and attended Bay Academy Junior High School.
[edit] 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 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. After Buffy, she returned to film in 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.
A recent role in a feature film was in March 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.
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". She was recently cast as the female lead in an untitled ABC comedy pilot set in Washington, DC.[5]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Harriet the Spy | Harriet M. Welsch | |
| 1998 | Richie Rich's Christmas Wish | Gloria | direct-to-video |
| 1999 | Inspector Gadget | Penny | |
| 2004 | EuroTrip | Jenny | co-star |
| 2005 | Mysterious Skin | Wendy | limited release |
| Ice Princess | Casey Carlyle | ||
| 2006 | Black Christmas | Melissa Kitt | co-star |
| 2007 | Kicking It Old Skool | Kim | |
| Beautiful Ohio | Sandra |
[edit] Television roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Law & Order | Dinah Driscoll | television series |
| 1993 | All My Children | Lilly Benton Montgomery #1 | television series |
| Clarissa Explains It All | Elsie Soaperstein | television series | |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Nona Mecklenberg | television series |
| 1995 | Melissa | Lena | television series |
| Christmas in My Hometown | Noelle Murphy | made-for-television | |
| 1997 | Meego | Maggie Parker | television series |
| Figure It Out | Panelist | television series | |
| 2000 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Dawn Summers | television series (2000-2003) |
| A Father's Choice | Kelly McClain | made-for-television | |
| 2001 | Truth or Scare | Host/narrator | television series |
| The Teen Choice Awards 2001 | presenter | television special | |
| 2002 | The Teen Choice Awards 2002 | presenter | television special |
| Can't Be Heaven | Julie | television series | |
| Echo by Trapt | music video | ||
| 2003 | A&E Biography: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | television special | |
| Echo by Trapt | music video | ||
| 2004 | The Dive From Clausen's Pier | Carrie Beal | made-for-television |
| Six Feet Under | Celeste | television series | |
| Child Stars II - Growing Up Hollywood | herself | A&E Biography | |
| The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards | presenter | ||
| 2005 | House | Melinda (in Safe) | television series |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Lisa Willow Tyler | television series |
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b Radio Free Entertainment. MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG. Retrieved on June 19, 2006.
- ^ Jewish Celebrities: Michelle Trachtenberg. Chicago Jewish Community Online. Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
- ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IBX/is_3_7/ai_67718265/pg_2
- ^ Interview with James Marsters and Michelle Trachtenberg. contactmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
- ^ Trachtenberg goes to Washington in ABC comedy. Reuters (2007-03-08). Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Trachtenberg, Michelle |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 11, 1985 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City, New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
