Amber Nicole Benson (born January 8, 1977) is an American actress, singer, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as
Tara Maclay
Tara Maclay is a fictional character created for the action-horror/fantasy television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed by Amber Benson. Tara is a shy young woman with magical talen ...
on the TV series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
'' (1999–2002), and has also directed, produced and starred in her own films ''
Chance
Chance may refer to:
Mathematics and Science
* In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the Likelihood function and/or Probability density function).
* ''Chance'' (statistics magazine)
Places
* Chance, Kentucky, US
* Chance, Mary ...
'' (2002) and '' Lovers, Liars & Lunatics'' (2006). She also starred in the movie '' Kiss the Bride'' (2007). She co-directed the film '' Drones'' (2010) with fellow ''Buffy'' cast member Adam Busch. Benson also starred as a waitress in the horror movie ''
The Killing Jar
"The Killing Jar" is a song written, produced and recorded by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in 1988 as the second single from the band's ninth studio album, ''Peepshow''.
Music and reception
The song is an uptem ...
'' (2010).
Early life
Benson was born January 8, 1977, in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, the daughter of Diane and Edward Benson, a psychiatrist. She has a younger sister, Danielle, who is an artist. Her father is
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and her mother was raised Southern Baptist; Benson grew up attending a
Reform
Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...
synagogue in Alabama.
As a child, Benson studied music and dance, and performed in the Birmingham Children's Ballet, as well as in local theater. She attended high school (one of her classmates being
Joey Fatone
Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. (born January 28, 1977) is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband NSYNC, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reali ...
) in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
, after her family moved there, in part to help Amber pursue acting opportunities, the most prominent of which was an unsold television series called ''Kids' News'', in which Amber was to have been one of two main anchors. The Bensons then relocated to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, and Amber very quickly began to land roles in films and on television.
Career
Benson was 14 when she made her feature film debut in the
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker.
Soderbergh's direc ...
film ''
King of the Hill
''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
''.
Benson is best known for her recurring role as
Tara Maclay
Tara Maclay is a fictional character created for the action-horror/fantasy television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed by Amber Benson. Tara is a shy young woman with magical talen ...
on the television series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
''. The character first appeared in the
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
...
episode "
Hush
Hush may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young
* ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi
* ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...
" and soon became the girlfriend of
Willow Rosenberg
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan.
Willow plays an integr ...
(
Alyson Hannigan
Alyson Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974) is an American actress. After starting her career at age four with appearances in commercials, she moved to Hollywood at age 11 and soon got an agent.
Hannigan began her film career with supporting ro ...
). Benson remained with the series until
season 6
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
when her character was killed off. In her final episode, Benson was credited for the only time as a regular cast member.
Benson sang in the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' musical episode " Once More, with Feeling". She provided vocals for the songs "I've Got a Theory/ Bunnies/If We're Together", "Under Your Spell" (her solo), "Walk Through the Fire", "Standing/Under Your Spell (Reprise)", and "Where Do We Go from Here?" In 2002, she performed two songs on Buffy colleague Anthony Stewart Head's album '' Music for Elevators''. She also sang "Toucha Toucha Touch Me" (aka "Creature of the Night") at
VH-1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communi ...
's celebrity
karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...
tribute to ''
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...
''.
While still working on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Benson co-wrote the movie ''The Theory of the Leisure Class'' with director Gabriel Bologna, released in 2001, and directed, produced, edited, and acted in a digital video feature called ''
Chance
Chance may refer to:
Mathematics and Science
* In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the Likelihood function and/or Probability density function).
* ''Chance'' (statistics magazine)
Places
* Chance, Kentucky, US
* Chance, Mary ...
'' (2002) which also featured her ''Buffy'' co-star James Marsters. She also collaborated with director
James Kerwin
James Kerwin, (born October 13, 1973) is an American film director, theatre director, and screenwriter.
Education and academics
Kerwin, who was born in St. Louis, Missouri, attended Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield.
Kerwin graduate ...
in 2003 to produce her play ''Albert Hall'' in Hollywood.
In 2001, Benson worked with Golden, Terry Moore, and Eric Powell of
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
to create the '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Tara'' comic book titled "WannaBlessedBe". The following year (2002), she worked with Christopher Golden and AJ (Ajit Jothikaumar) of Dark Horse Comics to create the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Tara'' comic books titled ''Wilderness #1'' and ''Wilderness #2''.
Benson and Christopher Golden produced and began a series of animated fantasy films for the BBC with the animation studio
Cosgrove Hall
Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of childre ...
. '' Ghosts of Albion: Legacy'' (2003) and its sequels are available on the BBC Cult website. Benson and Golden have also collaborated on two supernatural thrillers: ''Ghosts of Albion: Accursed'' and ''Ghosts of Albion: Witchery''. These books follow the fortunes of Tamara and William Swift, who first appeared in the BBC
computer animated
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...
web movie '' Ghosts of Albion: Legacy''.
In 2003, she had a supporting role in ''
Latter Days
''Latter Days'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox and stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary ...
'' as Traci Levine, alongside
Steve Sandvoss
Stephen "Max" James Sandvoss (born Stephen James Sandvoss) is an American businessman, farmer, and former actor.
Early life and education
Sandvoss was born in New York City, New York. His mother, Joyce, is American-born, and his father, Rolf Herm ...
and
Wes Ramsey
Wesley Albert Ramsey (born October 6, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his performance in the romantic drama film '' Latter Days'', and for playing Sam Spencer on the CBS daytime soap opera ''Guiding Light'' and for his recurring r ...
.
In 2005, Benson collaborated with artist
Jamie McKelvie
Jamie McKelvie is a cartoonist and illustrator, known for his both work on books such as '' Phonogram'', '' Young Avengers'' and ''The Wicked + The Divine'', and his approach to comic character design.
Career
Since 2003, McKelvie has collaborat ...
on a short story within the
Image Comics
Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
collection ''
Four Letter Worlds
''Four Letter Worlds'' is a comics anthology published by American company Image Comics in 2005; it tells 16 stories revolving around four lettered words: Love, Hate, Fear, and Fate.
Organized by Image Comics' Executive Director Eric Stephenson ...
''. In 2006, Benson collaborated with artist Ben Templesmith on ''Demon Father John's Pinwheel Blues'' published by IDW as a four-part split-book, ''
Shadowplay Shadow play refers to shadow puppetry or shadow theatre.
Shadowplay, Shadow Play or The Shadow Play may refer to:
Literature
* ''Shadowplay'' (novel), 2007 novel by Tad Williams
*''Shadowplay'', 1990 novel by Jo Clayton
*''Shadowplay'', 1993 nove ...
'' (with work by
Ashley Wood
Ashley Wood (born 1971) is Australian comic book artist and award-winning illustrator"2002 ...
and Christina Z.
In 2006, Benson released her second independent feature film '' Lovers, Liars & Lunatics'' through her own production company, Benson Entertainment. The film was shot on film and was partly financed by the sale of limited edition "
Triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, an ...
" Tara
Buffyverse
The Buffyverse or Slayerverse is a Multimedia franchise, media franchise created by Joss Whedon. The term also refers to the shared fictional universe in which the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel'' are ...
action figure
An action figure is a poseable character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are usually mark ...
. The project, initially called "The Dirty Script," was ultimately titled ''Lovers, Liars and Lunatics'' by producer Diane Benson, Amber's mother.
In 2006, Benson also portrayed the "vegetarian" vampiress Lenore on the TV series ''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
''.
In December 2006, Benson and Golden released yet another collaboration, the short novel ''The Seven Whistlers'' which is distributed through Subterranean Press in a limited number of signed copies. In September 2007, Benson signed a three-book deal with
Ginjer Buchanan
Ginjer Buchanan (born in Pittsburgh, December 12, 1944) was Editor-in-Chief at Ace Books and Roc Books, the two science-fiction and fantasy imprints of Penguin Group (USA).
Background
Buchanan worked at Ace since 1984, was nominated for both ...
of
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Ace Books on February 24, 2009; ''Cat's Claw'', on February 23, 2010; and ''Serpent's Storm'', in February 2011. On February 28, 2012, the fourth book in the series, ''How to Be Death'' was released.
Benson is the co-director with Adam Busch of the 2010 comedy film '' Drones''.
In 2012, Benson played a young Judith Collins in the ''Dark Shadows'' audio drama "Dress Me in Dark Dreams". She guest starred in the second season of the
Jane Espenson
Jane Espenson (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer.
Espenson has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and shared a ...
scripted romantic comedy web series, ''
Husbands
A husband is a male in a marital relationship, who may also be referred to as a spouse. The rights and obligations of a husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between societies and cultures, ...
''.
In June 2013, it was announced that Benson has been attached to star in the web TV series adaptation of ''
The Morganville Vampires
''The Morganville Vampires'' is a series of young adult literature, young adult urban fantasy/vampire literature, vampire novels written by Rachel Caine. The novels feature Claire Danvers, a student at Texas Prairie University, and her housemates ...
'' as Amelie, the founder of Morganville.
Benson narrated the 2014 audiobook ''
Lock In
''Lock In'' is a science fiction police procedural novel by American writer John Scalzi. The book was published by Tor Books on August 26, 2014. The audiobook of the novel was released in two versions, one narrated by Wil Wheaton and the other b ...
'' by
John Scalzi
John Michael Scalzi II (born May 10, 1969) is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his ''Old Man's War'' series, three novels of which have been nom ...
. In October 2014, she published her fantasy book ''The Witches of Echo Park''.
Activism
During the 2008 campaign season, Benson was featured in a
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
advertisement sponsored by
MoveOn.org
MoveOn (formerly known as MoveOn.org) is a progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee. Formed in 1998 around one of the first massively viral email petitions, MoveOn has since grown into one of the largest grassroot ...
.
In February 2021, Benson spoke out in support of ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer'' co-star
Charisma Carpenter
Charisma Carpenter (born July 23, 1970) is an American actress. She played Cordelia Chase in the supernatural drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–1999) and its spin-off series ''Angel'' (1999–2004). She also starred as Kyra in ...
's accusation of unprofessional and abusive behavior on the part of ''Buffy'' creator
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: ...
, corroborating Carpenter's account by relating that the set of that series was a "toxic environment" whose traumatic effects upon those who worked there were long-lasting.
Personal life
As of 2007, Benson resided in Los Angeles. She described herself as a "lapsed vegetarian".
From 2002 to 2009, she dated Adam Busch, who played
Warren Mears
Warren Mears is a fictional character that is portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The character also appears in canonical comic book series continuation of that series. He is the main antagonist ...
on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'' The two have remained close friends.
Filmography
Film
Television
Bibliography
Books
Ghosts of Albion
with Christopher Golden
Calliope Reaper-Jones
#''Death's Daughter'' (February 24, 2009)
#''Cat's Claw'' (February 23, 2010)
#''Serpent's Storm'' (February 22, 2011)
#''How to be Death'' (February 28, 2012)
#''The Golden Age of Death'' (Feb 2013)
The Witches of Echo Park
#''The Last Dream Keeper'' (Jan 2016)
#''The End of Magic'' (May 2017)
* ''WannaBlessedBe'' ( Willow & Tara with Christopher Golden. 2003)
* ''Wilderness'' (with Christopher Golden)
* "The Innocent" in ''
Tales of the Slayers
''Tales of the Slayers'' is a Dark Horse Comics ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' graphic novel that consists of multiple stories written by Joss Whedon, Amber Benson, and others which tell of different members of the Slayer line.
The stories are p ...
''
Other comics
* ''Shadowplay'' #1–4 (with Ben Templesmith. 2005)
* ''Among the Ghosts'' (with Sina Grace, illustrator. August 2010)
* ''Clueless: Senior Year'' (with Sarah Kuhn)
* ''Clueless: One Last Summer'' (with Sarah Kuhn)
Other media
* ''Illusions'' (with Christopher Golden. Animated feature, directed by Benson, available on the BBC website)
* The '' Ghosts of Albion Roleplaying Game'' (with Timothy S. Brannan and Christopher Golden.
Eden Studios
Eden Studios was a commercial recording studio, recording facility in west London. It opened in 1967, originally at 11 Eden Street in Kingston upon Thames (now under the Eden Walk shopping centre), before moving to 20-24 Beaumont Road in Chiswic ...
, 2007)
*''Middlegame'' by
Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire (pronounced SHAWN-in; born January 5, 1978 in Martinez, California) is an American author and filker. McGuire is known for her urban fantasy novels. She uses the pseudonym Mira Grant to write science fiction/ horror and the pseudon ...
, narrated by Benson
*''Walkaway'' by
Cory Doctorow
Cory Efram Doctorow (; born July 17, 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog ''Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of ...
, narrated by Benson
* ''Lock In'' by
John Scalzi
John Michael Scalzi II (born May 10, 1969) is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his ''Old Man's War'' series, three novels of which have been nom ...
, narrated by Benson
* ''Head'' On by John Scalzi, narrated by Benson
* ''Swarm'' by
Scott Westerfeld
Scott David Westerfeld (born May 5, 1963) is an American writer of young adult fiction, best known as the author of the ''Uglies'' and the '' Leviathan'' series.
Early life
Westerfeld was born in Dallas, Texas. As a child he moved to Connectic ...
, narrated by Benson
* ''Zeroes'' by Scott Westerfeld, narrated by Benson