Amber Benson
About
Biography
Filmography
Bibliography
Biography
Pretty blonde performer Amber Benson racked up numerous film and television credits before rising to fame on the popular supernatural series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Benson moved with her family to Los Angeles at age fourteen in 1991. By 1993 she had made the first of three "Jack Reed" TV-movies, "Jack Reed: Badge of Honor," appearing as the daughter of the titular Chicago cop in this NBC entry as well as its 1994 and 1996 follow-ups. 1993 also saw the actress make her big-screen debut with featured roles in the teen thriller "The Crush" and Steven Soderbergh's coming-of-age drama "King of the Hill." Her relatively small but memorable parts in these very different features helped to launch the young performer's career. The following year she was featured in Anthony Drazan's period drama "Imaginary Crimes" and had a pivotal supporting role in the social satire "S.F.W.." Playing determined, pure-hearted and somewhat wise characters seemed to come easy to Benson, who brought a palpable intelligence to her powerful performances. She essayed the charmingly innocent daughter of divorced dad Randy Quaid in "Bye Bye, Love" (1995) and guest starred on an episode of the Fox series "Partners" the following year.
Though her role as 'Stoned Girl' in the teen comedy "Can't Hardly Wait" was drastically cut to earn a PG-13 rating, Benson soon became a familiar presence to the film's target audience when she began appearing on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (The WB) the following year. Her 1999-2001 recurring role as the good witch who becomes more than just a friend to fellow enchantress Willow (Alyson Hannigan) saw the actress taking on controversial topics and earning the esteem of the notoriously hard-to-please "Buffy" fan base. When the series moved to UPN in 2001, Benson's role was upgraded to that of a regular. In connection with "Buffy," the actress sought to broaden the scope of her talents, co-writing with novelist Christopher Golden the comic book WannaBlessedBe, based on her character on the supernatural series.
Back on the big screen, Benson was featured in the festival-screened, controversy-plagued "Don's Plum" (2001; filmed 1995-96) which was barred from domestic release as per a legal agreement mandated by the film's stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, who allege the project was misrepresented. Taking over her own project, Benson proved a multitalented filmmaker and avid do-it-yourselfer as writer, producer, director and prime financer of "Chance" (lensed 2001), a dark comedy in which she also starred.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1991
Family relocated to Los Angeles when Benson was fourteen
1993
Featured in the thriller "The Crush"
1993
Acted in Steven Soderbergh's "King of the Hill"
1993
Appeared in NBC TV-movie "Jack Reed: Badge of Honor", playing Nicole, daughter of Brian Dennehey's titular Chicago cop
1994
Featured in Anthony Drazan's period drama "Imaginary Crimes" and the modern satire "S.F.W."
1994
Reprised role of Nicole Reed in the NBC TV-movie "Jack Reed: A Search For Justice"
1995
Played the daughter of Randy Quaid in "Bye Bye, Love"
1996
Revisited the character of Nicole Reed in "Jack Reed: A Killer Amongst Us"
1998
Her role as 'Stoned Girl' drastically cut when "Can't Hardly Wait" was re-edited, removing most drug-related content for a PG-13 rating
1999
Had a recurring role on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (The WB) as Tara, the good witch girlfriend of Willow (Alyson Hannigan)
2000
Acted in the black comedy "The Prime Gig"; after festival screenings, released direct-to-video in 2002
2001
"Don's Plum", a feature filmed in 1995-1996, screened at film festivals after a long legal battle between producers and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire
2001
Made a regular on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (UPN)
2001
Released the comic book <i>WannaBlessedBe</i>, co-written with novelist Christopher Golden and based upon her character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
