For anyone growing up in the 1990s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a true revelation. A show that could easily mix horror, adventure, martial arts, and healthy doses of comedy in every episode? That’s Buffy for you. Of course, we can’t talk Buffy without mentioning Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was the heart and soul of the iconic series, and continues to be an icon in her own way.
Long before Gellar landed in Sunnydale, she was making a career starring in soap operas like All My Children. Her Daytime Emmy Award at just 18 years old cemented her place as a TV powerhouse, helping Gellar secure some of the most coveted roles for any female teenage icon at the turn of the millennium.
For seven seasons, Gellar starred as Buffy Summers, a teenage vampire slayer who had to balance monster hunting with high school drama. It would be safe to say that Buffy defined an entire generation: it came at the right time to capture the hearts of millions of Gen Xers who saw themselves represented in the show’s uniquely cool nature.
Buffy launched Gellar’s career to new heights. The same year the series made its debut also saw the release of I Know What You Did Last Summer, with Gellar in a starring role. It was there that Gellar would meet her longtime partner, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Soon after the first film, Gellar and Prinze co-starred in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and fans simply couldn’t get enough of their on-screen chemistry. The couple went public in 2000, and they’ve been together since then. Their genuine bond shines through their shared performances, as it did in 2002’s Scooby-Doo.
Gellar and Prinze Jr. have two children: Charlotte, born in 2009, and Rocky, their youngest, born in 2012. Both actors have also been heavily involved in every “first step” and milestone for their children, especially after an unexpected tragedy shook Gellar’s personal life and her acting career.
In 2014, the world wept at the sudden loss of comedian Robin Williams. At the time, Gellar and Williams had just worked together on The Crazy Ones, a short-lived sitcom that aired from 2013 to 2014. Williams’s passing gave Gellar some perspective, and that’s when she decided she would step back from acting for years.
Gellar still embraces her legacy as Buffy, and for good reason. The character redefined female protagonists who could be emotional and still kick butt. Recently, Gellar has made her long-awaited return to acting, appearing in movies like the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot and the upcoming Ready or Not sequel—not to mention the show fans have been waiting for years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale.
Beyond acting, Gellar retains her title as the world’s coolest mom, a devoted wife, and a celebrity who constantly defies aging, looking as fresh today as she did almost three decades ago.
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