Sarah Michelle Gellar is internationally recognized
Sarah Michelle Gellar is internationally recognized for the role of Buffy Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). Gellar’s films have grossed over $570 million worldwide.
In this slideshow, we rewind the clock and explore Gellar’s early years and rise to fame.
Gellar was raised by her mother
Born in New York City in 1977, Gellar was raised by her mother on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and became estranged from her father. At age four, Sarah Michelle Gellar was discovered by an agent in a restaurant, leading to her audition for the television film An Invasion of Privacy, which aired in 1983.
Gellar was also a competitive figure skater
Gellar was also a competitive figure skater and holds a black belt in taekwondo. She faced many absences in school as a child due to her acting career.
Gellar appeared in television commercials
Gellar appeared in various television commercials during her childhood, including a notable Burger King ad that led to a lawsuit from McDonald’s.
She had minor roles in films
In the 1980s, she had minor roles in films like Over the Brooklyn Bridge (1984) and Funny Farm (1988), and played a daughter of a prostitute in High Stakes (1989).
Gellar acted in the off Broadway
Gellar acted in the off-Broadway production The Widow Claire at age nine. Gellar gained her first leading role in the teen serial Swans Crossing (1992).
She debuted on the ABC
She debuted on the ABC soap opera All My Children in 1993 as Kendall Hart, winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 1995.
Gellar starred in Disney television
Gellar starred in the Disney television film Beverly Hills Family Robinson (1997) after leaving All My Children.
She was cast as Buffy Summers
She was cast as Buffy Summers in Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which premiered in 1997.
Gellar made her film breakthrough
Gellar made her film breakthrough in the slasher films I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Scream 2 (1997).
She hosted Saturday Night Live
She hosted Saturday Night Live multiple times starting in 1998.
Gellar starred in Cruel Intentions
Gellar starred in Cruel Intentions (1999) as well as Daphne in Scooby-Doo (2002).
Gellar starred in The Grudge
Gellar starred in The Grudge (2004), Southland Tales (2006), Suburban Girl and The Air I Breathe (both 2007).
Gellar published a cookbook
Beyond acting, Gellar co-founded the e-commerce baking company Foodstirs in 2015. Gellar published a cookbook, Stirring Up Fun with Food, in 2017.