Born December 19, 1969, Kristy Swanson is best known for her work in the original 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. She was brought up in Mission Viejo, California and always dreamed of becoming an actress. She got her chance at the age of nine, appearing on a TV commercial for a dollhouse. By the time she reached 13, Kristy had participated in over 30 commercials. After realizing that acting was her future, Kristy dropped out of school and began concentrating on acting.

Around the same time that she made this decision, the Swansons relocated to LA, a move which turned out to be beneficial for her career. Kristy landed small roles in television series like 'Call to Glory' in 1985 and 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' in 1986. Also in 1986, she appeared in small roles for two popular shows, 'Pretty in Pink' and 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'. As she continued to work in made-for-TV movies and commercials, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award presented by Young Artist Foundation for her work in 'Mr. Boogedy' in 1986. The first movie Swanson appeared in was Wes Craven's 'Deadly Friend' in 1986. After two nominations, Kristy finally won the Young Artist Award for her work in 'Flowers in the Attic' in 1987. After going back and forth from TV shows and the big screen, Swanson made it big in 1992 when she played Buffy Summer in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Despite all the hype from her role in Buffy, Kristy received her best reviews for her role in 'Higher Learning' in 1995. Kristy starred along side veterans Joe Pesci and David Spade in comedies 'Lover Girl' and '8 Heads in a Duffel Bag'. She also features in hits such as 'Big Daddy' and 'Dude Where's My Car'.

At 36 years old, Swanson has already been in show business for two and a half decades, and her popularity seems as high as ever. This was clearly evident when she appeared in the November 2002 issue of Playboy magazine.