See the ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ cast, then and now

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers)

As the titular Buffy, Gellar ably led her gang of monster-slayers (and heartsick teenagers) through seven seasons.

“I’m so incredibly proud of what we all created,” she told EW during our cast reunion. “Sometimes you need distance to really understand the gravitas of that. I appreciate everything about that job. As an actor, all you ever want to do is leave your mark — you want to do something that affects people.”

Gellar has been acting since age 6. After winning a Daytime Emmy in 1995, she landed pre-Buffy roles in enduring slashers like I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Scream 2 (1997). She starred in several films throughout the 2000s, including the eerie feature The Grudge (2004), the bizarro Southland Tales (2006), and two Scooby-Doo movies (2002–2004) with her husband, actor Freddie Prinze Jr.

Since then, Gellar has focused more on television, starring in The CW’s Ringer (2011–2012), CBS’s The Crazy Ones (2013–2014), and Paramount+’s Wolf Pack (2023). Currently, she’s in talks for a potential Buffy revival helmed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals).

Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris)

Brendon appeared as the wise-cracking Xander, Buffy’s best pal and the series’ most reliable source of comic relief.

Aside from Buffy, Brendon is likely best known for his stint on Criminal Minds (2007–2014), though he guested on several series (Without a Trace, Private Practice, Faking It) and appeared in the excellent cult sci-fi film Coherence (2013).

Over the years, Brendon’s made headlines for his struggles with substance abuse, as well as several arrests for incidents involving alleged domestic abuse, prescription fraud, and vandalism. In 2022, he was hospitalized for a “cardiac incident.” A statement released at the time noted the actor is struggling with cauda equina syndrome.

In 2025, Brendon released a video mourning Michelle Trachtenberg, his former costar. “I didn’t see her much after Buffy, a couple of events together, but when we were working together she was just like a beam of light,” he said in a clip posted to Facebook. “I think it was just the last thing I expected, not that I was expecting anyone to die. But I really am sorry to her family.”

Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg)

Hannigan played Willow, Buffy’s shy friend who, after learning the ways of witchcraft, develops more confidence (and a major dark side).

“It was the role of a lifetime,” she told us during EW’s 20th-anniversary cast reunion. “I met the love of my life [costar Alexis Denisof, who played timid Watcher Wesley].”

After appearing as band geek Michelle in American Pie (1999), Hannigan reprised the role in its three sequels. From 2005 to 2014, she starred alongside Cobie Smulders, Jason Segel, and Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother, which ran for nine seasons.

Since then, she’s focused primarily on voice work and hosting, though she did appear as a contestant on season 32 of Dancing With the Stars, landing in fifth place. One spooky dance found her paying tribute to Buffy.

Hannigan and Denisof have two children together.

Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase)

Though she was introduced as a mean girl, Charisma Carpenter’s cheerleading Cordelia would become one of Buffy’s strongest allies. Her ability to see visions of those in need also helped her develop a deep well of empathy.

After three seasons on Buffy, Carpenter brought Cordelia to the spinoff Angel (1999–2004) for four seasons. Her other notable roles include runs on Charmed (2004) and Veronica Mars (2005–2006), plus guest appearances on Blue Bloods (2013), Sons of Anarchy (2014), and the Dynasty reboot (2022). She also appeared alongside Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham in The Expendables (2010) and its 2012 sequel.

Carpenter made headlines in 2021 when she accused Buffy and Angel showrunner Joss Whedon of fostering a “hostile and toxic” work environment on both sets. “Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel,” she said. “While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me and alienate me from my peers. The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively.” 

The Buffy and Angel casts rallied behind Carpenter, and her statement made space for other stars, including Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher, to share their own horror stories about Whedon.

In 2023, she reprised Cordelia for the Audible audio drama Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, which also featured James Marsters and Amber Benson, among other alums.

Carpenter was previously married to Damian Hardy from 2002 to 2008. The couple has one son, who was born in 2003.

Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles)

As the posh Rupert Giles, Anthony Stewart Head was like a surrogate father figure to Buffy, Xander, and Willow. His extensive knowledge of all things supernatural also proved helpful throughout the series.

A stage and screen actor before joining Buffy, Head bounced between the U.K. and L.A., acting in several films (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) and series (Little Britain, Merlin). Recently, he appeared in Netflix’s hit Bridgerton and all three seasons of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.

In 2007, there were talks of Head reprising Giles in a BBC special called Ripper, but it never came to pass.

The actor lives in Bath, Somerset. He shares two daughters with his partner, Sarah Fisher.

David Boreanaz (Angel)

Boreanaz’s Angel is one of the series’ most enduring characters, eventually getting his own spinoff series. A vampire cursed with a soul, Angel is constantly reckoning with his dichotomous personality (and feelings for Buffy).

“It was all timing, really. [Angel] initially had an arc of six out of the 12 episodes. He was somebody who could be recurring and a love interest to Buffy,” the actor told EW in 2017 about his casting. “It happened so quickly, but in order for things to happen quickly when you recognize them, you have to be ready; when it hits, it’s quick. When Buffy hit, I was in the right spot at the right time, but I had been struggling for years just to get in the door.”

Boreanaz walked right into another hit franchise after leaving the Buffyverse. Alongside Emily Deschanel, he led 12 seasons of the police procedural Bones (2005–2017) on Fox. In 2017, he suited up for SEAL Team, a CBS military drama that wrapped in 2024.

The actor has two children, Jaden and Bella, with his wife, Playboy model Jaime Bergman.

Seth Green (Oz)

As Oz, former child actor Seth Green got to flex his claws (and his guitar skills) as a rock-and-roll werewolf with a thing for Willow.

Green, no stranger to Hollywood, appeared in a handful of films (Without a Paddle, Be Cool) and series (Entourage, Dads) following Buffy, but his focus has primarily been on voice work. Since 1999, he’s voiced Chris Griffin on Family Guy (1999–present) and its spinoffs. He’s also the voice of Marvel’s Howard the Duck in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy (2014–2023) and the animated series What If…? (2021–2024).

Green is also one of the architects behind Adult Swim’s subversive Robot Chicken and its spinoffs (2005–present), scoring him three Primetime Emmys.

In 2025, he competed against Rachel Brosnahan and Margaret Cho on Celebrity Jeopardy.

James Marsters (Spike)

James Marsters’ blood-sucking Spike is among the most beloved Buffy characters, if only because he’s served so many roles, from villain to anti-hero to lover and back again.

After a few guest appearances, Marsters officially joined the cast of Angel in its fifth season. He went on to play different kinds of villains as Smallville‘s Brainiac (2005–2010) and Runaways‘ Victor Stein (2017–2019). He also appeared in Torchwood as Captain John Hart (2008). Along with Carpenter, he recently returned to the Buffyverse for the podcast Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. Currently, he voices Larry on the Apple TV+ series Curses.

He has a son, Sullivan, with his ex-wife Liane Davidson, with whom he split from in 1997. He was later married to Patricia Rahman from 2011 to 2021.

Marc Blucas (Riley Finn)

Riley Finn, the sensitive do-gooder who romanced Buffy in seasons 4 and 5, was no one’s favorite character. That, however, wasn’t necessarily Marc Blucas’ fault.

After all, the actor has worked steadily since leaving the series, guesting on shows like House (2007) and Castle (2009) before landing recurring roles on USA’s Necessary Roughness (2011–2013) and WGN’s Underground (2016–2017). He’s also appeared in several films, including First Daughter (2004), Red State (2011), and Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017).

He’s married to journalist Ryan Haddon, with whom he has two daughters.

Emma Caulfield (Anya Jenkins)

Emma Caulfield Ford’s Anya Jenkins was only supposed to appear in two episodes of Buffy. But the writers liked her character — a vengeance demon who grants the wishes of women wronged by men — so much that they kept her around through the show’s final season.

Following Anya’s death, Caulfield Ford shared a eulogy for the character with EW. “Throughout her incarnations, ANYA experimented with dozens of hair statements,” it reads. “Never at any time did she ask for the opinions of others (nor permission from the producers). She was a renegade with her own philosophy, everyday people like you and me, come on. She was a glitter-filled rainbow, who sprinkled forever-honest fairy dust on friends and foes alike. Though she died without much fanfare (like, ‘Oh well, Anya’s dead, later!’), her courage, her legacy, her selflessness lives on. And that gives me something to sing about.”

Caulfield Ford went on to appear on The CW’s Life Unexpected (2010–2011) and ABC’s Once Upon a Time (2012–2016), as well as Marvel’s WandaVision (2021) and its spinoff Agatha All Along (2024).

In 2022, she revealed to Vanity Fair that she was struggling with multiple sclerosis after keeping it a secret for more than a decade. It was an incident she experienced on the set of WandaVision that caused her to open up about it.

Speaking with PEOPLE in 2024, she said she had yet to experience any of the more severe symptoms of MS. “I’m very, very fortunate,” she said. “But I’m also aware that, with MS, this could all change tomorrow. I’m stable — and I’ve made it a huge priority to do things so I stay that way.”

She married Mark Leslie Ford in 2017 and welcomed a daughter that same year. She was previously married to Cornelius Grobbelaar from 2006 to 2010.

Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers)

The late Trachtenberg played Dawn Summers, Buffy’s younger sister, beginning in season 5. Though her frequent brushes with peril eventually got on fans’ nerves, her story certainly had its bright points.

Trachtenberg, who starred in Harriet the Spy (1996) and The Adventures of Pete and Pete (1994–1996) before joining Buffy, went on to appear in films like EuroTrip (2004), Mysterious Skin (2004), and Ice Princess (2005) before scoring the role of party girl Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl (2008–2012), a role she’d reprise for the show’s 2021 reboot.

In February, Trachtenberg was found “unconscious and unresponsive” in her New York apartment. Emergency services later pronounced her dead at the scene. She was 39. Since her family objected to an autopsy, the cause and manner of her death will remain “undetermined.”

Her death prompted several tributes from her former Buffy costars. “My heart is heavy today. We have lost a beautiful soul,” Marsters wrote on his Instagram. “Michelle was fiercely intelligent, howlingly funny, and a very talented person. She died much too young, and leaves behind scores of people who knew and loved her.”

Amber Benson (Tara Maclay)

Benson’s Tara joined Buffy in its fourth season as a love interest for Hannigan’s Willow. Her death in season 6 results in Willow’s dark spiral.

After catching that stray bullet, Benson directed, produced, and starred in the films Chance (2002) and Lovers, Liars & Lunatics (2006). She guested on several TV shows, including Supernatural (2006, 2011), Private Practice (2009), and Grey’s Anatomy (2010). She also co-wrote, directed, and lent her voice to Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, which featured Marsters and Carpenter. In 2024, she appeared in Jane Schoenbrun’s haunting film I Saw the TV Glow.