Charisma Carpenter Biography / Pictures

Charisma Carpenter (born July 23, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.

Biography

Charisma Carpenter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, the youngest child of Chris, a bird sanctuary employee, and Don Carpenter, a salesman. She is of Cherokee and Mexican ancestry. Carpenter attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and her family moved around often while she was growing up. When she was 15, her family moved to Rosarito city, Mexico and then to San Diego where she attended Bonita Vista High School and Chula Vista School of the Creative and Performing Arts. After graduation, Carpenter traveled throughout Europe. Once she returned to San Diego again she worked as a video store clerk, an aerobics instructor, and in property management. In 1991, she was a San Diego Charger cheerleader, before beginning her Hollywood career. In 1992 she moved to Los Angeles.

Charisma Carpenter was discovered by a commercial agent while waitressing in Los Angeles to save money for her college education. This led to her role on theatrical productions and more than twenty commercials. She made her first television role in 1994 by appearing in an episode of Baywatch. Shortly after that, she landed a starring role on Aaron Spelling's short-lived soap opera Malibu Shores.

In 1997, Carpenter auditioned for the title role in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer but instead was cast as Cordelia Chase, a snobby and popular high school student. After three seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Carpenter was offered an even larger role as the same character on the spin-off series Angel along with David Boreanaz. She played for Cordelia Chase for three seasons on Buffy from 1997 to 1999 and four seasons on Angel from 1999 to 2003. Although her character leaves the series during Angel's fourth season, Carpenter returned for the 100th episode in the fifth and final season because she felt that Cordelia's fans deserved closure after the controversy of her unexplained removal from the show.

In 2004 Charisma Carpenter had a three episode guest appearance on the TV show Charmed as a psychic demon called The Seer and played a recurring role on NBC's Miss Match, appearing in four episodes. She also had a recurring role as Kendall Casablancas in the TV series Veronica Mars for the 2005-2006 season, appearing in 11 episodes. Carpenter guest-starred in the season finale of ABC Family's television show Greek and according to TV Guide will reprise her role in the Season 2 premiere. According to TV Guide in September 2007, she was set to join the cast of The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition, but instead chose to do a guest appearance on the show Back to You as well as a recurring role on Big Shots.

Charisma Carpenter has starred in an assortment of movies including the s-- comedy What Boys Like, the horror film Voodoo Moon, the romantic comedy See Jane Date, and Relative Chaos on ABC Family, co-starring with Nicholas Brendon, who was also one of her co-stars from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In 2008, it was announced that Paley Fest would be having a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion. Carpenter attended the event, which was held on March 20th, 2008, alongside Buffy creator Joss Whedon, producer Marti Noxon and other Buffy alumni including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, Seth Green, and Michelle Trachtenberg.

Charisma Carpenter lives in Los Angeles. She married her French boyfriend Damien Hardy on October 5, 2002, separated from him in late 2007, and filed for divorce. They have a son named Donavan Charles Hardy who was born on March 24, 2003.

As a fitness enthusiast her outdoor hobbies are biking, rollerblading, horseback riding, hiking, rock climbing, and ski-diving.