Michelle Trachtenberg, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Gossip Girl' actor, dies at 39

Michelle Trachtenberg, a onetime kid histrion who starred successful “Harriet the Spy” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and aboriginal appeared successful “Gossip Girl,” has died. She was 39.

Trachtenberg was recovered dormant Wednesday greeting successful her New York apartment, constabulary told The Times successful a statement.

The histrion was recovered dormant by her parent astir 8 a.m. astatine One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury flat analyzable connected Central Park South, constabulary said.

“Upon arrival, officers observed a 39-year-old pistillate unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the determination and pronounced the unfortunate deceased. Criminality is not suspected,” the connection said. The aesculapian examiner volition behaviour an autopsy.

ABC News reported that she died of earthy causes aft precocious undergoing a liver transplant and whitethorn person been experiencing complications.

“The household requests privateness for their loss,” Trachtenberg’s representative, Gary Mantoosh, said successful a connection to the Associated Press.

Trachtenberg was calved Oct. 11, 1985, successful New York City. Her begetter was a fiber-optics technician from Germany and her parent was a slope manager from Russia, according to the Daily News. She grew up successful a Russian-speaking household successful Brooklyn and began acting astatine 3, appearing successful TV commercials and past successful impermanent roles connected “Law & Order” and Nickelodeon’s “Clarissa Explains It All” successful the aboriginal 1990s.

She appeared successful a fewer episodes of “All My Children,” succeeding “The O.C.” prima Mischa Barton arsenic Lily Benton Montgomery, and crossed paths with soon-to-be “Buffy” prima Sarah Michelle Gellar, who would aboriginal assistance her onshore a relation connected their cult-classic prime-time drama, which ran from 1997 to 2003.

Trachtenberg roseate to prominence arsenic Nona Mecklenberg successful the Nickelodeon bid “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” earlier making her diagnostic movie debut and getting her large interruption successful the 1996 movie “Harriet the Spy,” which she starred successful alongside Rosie O’Donnell, Gregory Smith and J. Smith-Cameron.

In the aboriginal 2000s, she played Gellar’s younger sister Dawn Summers successful Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” appearing successful 66 episodes of the WB TV bid implicit 3 years. Her character, a subordinate of the sci-fi universe’s alleged Scooby Gang, was aboriginal revealed to beryllium an vigor embodiment known arsenic the Key. It is unclear if Trachtenberg was acceptable to look successful the upcoming sequel that Gellar confirmed was happening past month.

“I deliberation wherefore ‘Buffy’ caught connected was due to the fact that determination was truly nary different amusement astatine the clip of its debut ... that glorified a pistillate arsenic a main quality as, oregon rather, nary amusement that had a pistillate main quality that was pugnacious since ‘Charlie’s Angels,’” Trachtenberg told ContactMusic.com. “Even the ‘Charlie’s’ Angels’ girls were a small spot much astir showing disconnected and past the fighting. Buffy’s much of a take-charge benignant of deal.”

“I americium profoundly saddened by the quality of Michelle’s passing. She brought a loving vigor to the acceptable of Buffy. My thoughts are with Michelle’s household and friends,” Alyson Hannigan, who played teen-turned-witch Willow successful “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” wrote Wednesday connected Instagram.

David Boreanaz, who played Buffy’s on-and-off emotion involvement Angel successful the bid and starred successful its spinoff, “Angel,” reacted to Trachtenberg’s decease connected Instagram stories, writing: “So precise bittersweet ... horrible news. RIP and prayers to her and her family.”

In 2021, Trachtenberg spoke up astir her experience connected the deed bid successful the aftermath of misconduct allegations made against “Buffy” creator Whedon by Gellar, her co-star Charisma Carpenter and DC Extended Universe prima Ray Fisher.

Trachtenberg accused the writer and manager of inappropriate, “very bad” behavior, though she did not spell into specifics. “This must. Be known,” Trachtenberg wrote connected Instagram, alleging that determination was a regularisation connected acceptable that Whedon was “not allowed successful a country alone” with her.

“What [Whedon] did was precise bad. But we win. By surviving!” she wrote. Whedon aboriginal denied the allegations.

From left, Kristine Sutherland arsenic Joyce, Sarah Michelle Gellar arsenic Buffy and Michelle Trachtenberg arsenic Dawn successful an occurrence of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

(The WB / Richard Cartwirght / TLP )

Trachtenberg besides starred successful the 2005 figure-skating movie “Ice Princess,” co-written by Meg Cabot, that co-starred Kim Cattrall. Her different credits see the films “Inspector Gadget,” “Eurotrip” and “17 Again” and a starring relation arsenic Marina Oswald successful 2013’s “Killing Kennedy.” She besides did stints connected the TV bid “Mercy” and “Weeds” and had a salient relation arsenic bad-girl socialite Georgina Sparks connected the CW’s melodrama “Gossip Girl,” which besides starred Penn Badgley, Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. Trachtenberg reprised the relation successful HBO’s 2021 reboot and the portion is listed connected IMDb arsenic her last acting credit.

As Georgina, she earned a Teen Choice Award information successful 2012. She told Seventeen that it was “definitely a batch much amusive than playing the bully girl.”

“I emotion the absorption you get. I ne'er understood wherefore immoderate actors don’t privation to play villains oregon evil characters,” she said.

In a 2021 interrogation with “Access Hollywood,” Trachtenberg said the pot-stirring Georgina was her “most favourite character” and that she had not yet heard astir a “Buffy” reboot, but hoped — arsenic with “Harriet the Spy” readers and viewers — that “it honors what the fans love.”

Trachtenberg besides hosted the Tubi existent transgression bid “Meet, Marry, Murder” successful 2021.