Michelle Trachtenberg
American actress (1985-2025) · United States · On the map · Actors · Died at 39
She was the kid sister who showed up in Sunnydale's fifth season and became part of the Slayer's world, then the gossip-stirring antagonist on the Upper East Side - two roles that kept her in the conversation long after the shows ended.
Michelle Trachtenberg is read about 6,339 times a day, in 57 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 12 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
SpyralFilm, Michelle Cody White (voice)2023
Unicorn BoyFilm, Violet (voice)2021
Celebrity Wheel of FortuneSeries2015
The Christmas GiftFilm, Megan2014
Last Week Tonight with John OliverSeries, Voice Over (voice)
The ScribblerFilm, 2014Alice2011
Take Me Home TonightFilm, Ashley2010
Cop OutFilm, Ava2009
Late Night with Jimmy FallonSeries
17 AgainFilm, 2009Maggie O'Donnell2007
Gossip GirlSeries, Georgina Sparks
May All Your Christmases Be BlackFilm, 20072006
Beautiful OhioFilm, Sandra2005
Ice PrincessFilm, Casey Carlyle2004
HouseSeries, Melinda Bardach2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!Series2000
A Father's ChoiceFilm, Kelly McClain1999
Can't Be HeavenFilm, Julie1997Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature FilmAward
Buffy the Vampire SlayerSeries, 1997Dawn Summers1996
Blue's CluesSeries
A Holiday for LoveFilm, 1996Noelle Murphy1995
MelissaFilm, Lena1990
Law & OrderSeries, Dinah Driscoll (uncredited)1985Born11 October 1985People around Michelle
Close ties
Katie Cassidy Also in Gossip Girl and The Scribbler
Richard Riehle Also in Mysterious Skin (2005)
Steve Binder Directed Secret Sins (1995)
Doug Petrie Produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Jerry London Directed Christmas in My Hometown (1996)
Joss Whedon Directed Family (2000)
Lucy Lawless Also in EuroTrip (2004)
Rupert Everett Also in Inspector Gadget (1999)
Kevin Smith Directed Cop Out (2010)
Bob Odenkirk Also in Weeds and Take Me Home Tonight
Emma Caulfield Also in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Family
James Marsters Also in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Family
Billy Campbell Also in The Scribbler and The Circuit
Joely Fisher Also in Inspector Gadget (1999)
James Wong Produced Black Christmas (2006)
Chad Lowe Directed Beautiful Ohio (2006)
Marc Platt Produced Cop Out (2010)
Glen Morgan Directed Black Christmas (2006)
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Also in Harriet the Spy and Ice Princess
David Fury Produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rich Correll Directed Meego
Roger Birnbaum Produced Inspector Gadget (1999)
Chris Makepeace Also in Christmas in My Hometown (1996)
Daniel Goldberg Produced EuroTrip (2004)
Known for
View all 33 titles
Mysterious Skin 2005
DC Showcase: Jonah Hex 2010
EuroTrip 2004
Ice Princess 2005
17 Again 2009
Filmography 33
77 credits on file
Television 24
Media & music
Awards
About this person
Michelle Trachtenberg started acting in commercials at three and landed her first credited television role on The Adventures of Pete & Pete in 1994, followed by her film debut in Harriet the Spy in 1996. After a Young Artist Award win for the sitcom Meego in 1997 and a turn in Inspector Gadget in 1999, she joined Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2000 as Dawn Summers, Buffy's younger sister, a role that earned her another Young Artist Award and three Saturn nominations across three seasons. In 2004 she appeared in EuroTrip and Mysterious Skin, then starred in Ice Princess in 2005 before landing the recurring role of Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl from 2008 to 2012, playing the scheming wild card who kept circling back into the main cast's lives. She worked steadily through the 2010s in television films like Killing Kennedy and Sister Cities, voiced the lead in the animated series Human Kind Of in 2018, and executive produced the web series Guidance and the true crime series Meet, Marry, Murder before her death in February 2025 at 39.
