Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (born October 11, 1985) is an American television and film actress.Biography
Early life
Trachtenberg was born in New York City. Her father, Michael, is an ATT field engineer, and her Russian-born mother,Lana, is a former actress turned puppeteer. Trachtenberg can speak Russian fluently.She is of Jewish heritage and celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah;her grandparents live in Israel.Trachtenberg was raised, along with older sister Irene, in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and attended P.S. 254 Elementary School and Bay Academy Junior High School.
Career
She made her first television appearance in 1988 in a commercial for Wisk Detergent. She went on to feature in over 100 more commercials. She appeared in her first credited role as Nona F. Mecklenberg in The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1994 until 1996. During the same period she played Lily Montgomery in All My Children. It was on All My Children that Trachtenberg first worked with future Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Trachtenberg's film career began in 1996 with the lead role in Harriet the Spy. She then returned to television for Meego, for which she won a Young Artist Award. She returned to film in 1999 for Inspector Gadget, as the gadget-master's niece, Penny. She also starred in the film Can't Be Heaven.
In the summer of 2000, Trachtenberg took up the role of Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She remained in the role until the show ended in 2003. After Buffy, she returned to film in EuroTrip, co-starring Scott Mechlowicz and Travis Wester and directed by Jeff Schaffer. She also had a recurring role in the HBO series Six Feet Under as Celeste, a spoiled pop star for whom Keith Charles serves as a bodyguard.
In March 2005, she played the title character in Walt Disney Pictures' family comedy/drama Ice Princess with Kim Cattrall. In this film, Trachtenberg plays a science whiz named Casey Carlyle who gives up her future academic life in order to chase her newfound dream of being a professional figure skater.
In November 2006, Trachtenberg guest starred in the sixth season of the Emmy-nominated crime drama Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In the episode "Weeping Willow", she played the role of Willow, a kidnapped video blogger based on lonelygirl15. Trachtenberg also made a cameo in the Fall Out Boy music video for "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" and the Joaquin Phoenix-directed video "Tired of Being Sorry" for Balthazar Getty's band Ringside. She was recently cast as the female lead in an ABC comedy pilot called The Hill, set in Washington, DC.
Personal life
Trachtenberg dated Canadian actor Shawn Ashmore from 2004 to December 2006.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1996 Harriet the Spy Harriet M. Welsch
1998 Richie Rich's Christmas Wish Gloria direct-to-video
1999 Inspector Gadget Penny
2004 EuroTrip Jenny co-star
2005 Mysterious Skin Wendy limited release
Ice Princess Casey Carlyle
2006 Black Christmas Melissa Kitt co-star
2007 Kicking It Old Skool Kim
Beautiful Ohio Sandra
Television roles
1991 Law & Order Dinah Driscoll television series
1993 All My Children Lilly Benton Montgomery #1 television series
Clarissa Explains It All Elsie Soaperstein television series
1994 The Adventures of Pete & Pete Nona Mecklenberg television series
1995 Melissa Lena television series
Christmas in My Hometown Noelle Murphy made-for-television
1997 Meego Maggie Parker television series
Figure It Out Panelist television series
2000 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Dawn Summers television series (2000-2003)
A Father's Choice Kelly McClain made-for-television
2001 Truth or Scare Host/narrator television series
The Teen Choice Awards 2001 presenter television special
2002 The Teen Choice Awards 2002 presenter television special
Can't Be Heaven Julie television series
Echo by Trapt music video
2003 A&E Biography: Buffy the Vampire Slayer television special
Echo by Trapt music video
2004 The Dive From Clausen's Pier Carrie Beal made-for-television
Six Feet Under Celeste television series
Child Stars II - Growing Up Hollywood herself A&E Biography
The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards presenter
2005 House Melinda Bardach (in Safe) television series
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Lisa Willow Tyler television series
