Amber Benson

Amber Benson

Active - 1993 - 2019  |   Born - Jan 8, 1977 in Birmingham, Alabama, United States  |   Genres - Fantasy, Action, Adventure

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Biography by AllMovie

Born in 1977, actress Amber Benson entered the hallowed halls of show business as a child star, with multifaceted, audience-commanding portrayals in such respected arthouse fare as King of the Hill (1993) and Imaginary Crimes (1994). Benson netted far greater exposure, however, as Tara Maclay, the lesbian sorceress and first girlfriend of fellow witch Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) on the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That assignment lasted for two and a half years; near the end of Benson's participation in it, she assumed quadruple-threat status as the writer, director, producer, and star of the offbeat comedy drama Chance (which, unfortunately, bypassed wide release and received extremely limited ancillary exposure). She then returned to acting in films including Intermedio (2005), Tripping Forward (2006), and the medieval monster-themed telemovie Attack of the Gryphon (2007) before re-assuming directorial duties with the 2007 feature Lovers, Liars and Lunatics.

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Factsheet

  • Made her film debut at age 14 in 1993's King of the Hill.
  • Big TV break came with playing Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000 to '02.
  • Worked on writing a Buffy comic book in 2001.
  • Was writer, director and producer of films Chance (2002) and Lovers, Liars and Lunatics (2006).
  • Has written fantasy books for children and animated films.
  • Had her first solo novel, Death's Daughter, published in 2009.