Known for Acting
Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (October 11, 1985 – February 26, 2025) was an American actress who achieved widespread recognition as both a child star and a prominent television and film performer. Beginning her career at the age of three in television commercials, she landed her first major credited television role in Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1994–1996) and transitioned to the big screen with the title role in the 1996 family comedy Harriet the Spy. Trachtenberg rose to international prominence as a teenager and young adult through iconic television and film projects. She is best known for portraying Dawn Summers in the fantasy drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000–2003) and playing the memorable villain Georgina Sparks on the CW teen drama series Gossip Girl (2008–2012). Her diverse film credits also include the comedies EuroTrip (2004) and 17 Again (2009), as well as the Disney ice skating film Ice Princess (2005). On February 26, 2025, Trachtenberg was found dead at the age of 39 in her New York City apartment. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner later announced that she died from natural causes resulting from complications of diabetes mellitus.
Born
October 11, 1985
Died
February 26, 2025 (age 39)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
Filmography
30 films, 44 shows


Spyral
2024 · 1h 23m
country: United States
Using a variety of sources, SPYRAL follows one bipolar woman and the impact it has on her family.


Unicorn Boy
2023 · 1h 31m
country: United States
A wild ride of gender and self identity set to a backdrop of a freak-adelic fantasy world. Matty, a down-on-their-luck artist, is going through a break up when they are swept into an alternate unicorn dimension. After realizing that unicorns are in danger from a dark force, Matty must make the difficult journey toward enlightenment in order to save this strange new world.


Sister Cities
2016 · 1h 26m
country: United States
Based on the internationally-acclaimed play by Colette Freedman, the story of 4 estranged sisters who reunite for their mother’s alleged suicide.


The Christmas Gift
2015 · 1h 25m
country: United States
Ten-year-old Megan, who upon receiving a Secret Santa gift, is touched by its contents which end up having a huge impact on her life. Now a driven young journalist, Megan can’t shake her desire to thank the person who sent her that heartfelt gift over a decade ago. Determined to prove herself to her editor, she goes on the search for the perfect Christmas story, and in doing so, she finally discovers who her Secret Santa is. Inspired by a true story.


The Scribbler
2014 · 1h 28m
country: United States
Suki is a young woman confronting her destructive mental illness using "The Siamese Burn," an experimental machine designed to eliminate multiple personalities. The closer Suki comes to being "cured," she's haunted by a thought... what if the last unwanted identity turns out to be her?


Killing Kennedy
2013 · 1h 27m
country: United States
Drama documentary based on Bill O'Reilly's and Martin Dugard's 2012 non-fiction book "Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot". It follows the parallel lives of John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald from the winter 1959-1960 to those fatal days in Dallas in November 1963, when they both died within two days after each other and were buried on the same day - John F. Kennedy in a state funeral in Washington D.C., broadcast live both to Europe and the Pacific, while Oswald was buried in Forth Worth at a small funeral where the attending reporters were asked to act as pallbearers.


Sexy Evil Genius
2013 · 1h 25m
country: United States
A dark comedy about an eclectic group of strangers invited to a downtown bar by a mutual ex-lover, Nikki Franklyn, a maddeningly sexy, unpredictable and possibly insane young woman who's recently gotten out of prison for murdering her last ex-boyfriend. The party really gets started when Nikki herself arrives, hauling her latest lover and fiancee, the morally challenged lawyer who'd been handling her case. She's mysterious about her intentions and her current and former lovers soon realize they are all caught in one of her brilliant, mischievous mind-games with possible deadly consequences. By the night's end, revenge will be had, new romance will bloom, and Nikki will have delivered on her reputation as the Sexy Evil Genius.


Take Me Home Tonight
2011 · 1h 37m
country: Germany
Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin should be well on his way to a successful career at a Fortune 500 company, but instead he rebels against maturity by taking a job at a video store. Matt rethinks his position when his unrequited high-school crush, Tori, walks in and invites him to an end-of-summer party. With the help of his twin sister and his best friend, Matt hatches a plan to change the course of his life.


DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection
2010 · 1h 3m
country: Unknown
An anthology of DC Showcase stories consisting of a new Superman/Shazam feature and extended versions of older shorts.


Teenage Paparazzo
2010 · 1h 31m
country: United States
A documentary that examines the relationship between celebrity and society.


DC Showcase: Jonah Hex
2010 · 12m
country: United States
When a ruthless brothel madame murders Jonah Hex's current quarry, the disfigured bounty hunter plans to make her pay.


Cop Out
2010 · 1h 47m
country: United States
Detectives Jimmy and Paul, despite nine years as partners, can still sometimes seem like polar opposites—especially when Paul's unpredictable antics get them suspended without pay. Already strapped for cash and trying to pay for his daughter's wedding, Jimmy decides to sell a rare baseball card that's worth tens of thousands. Unfortunately, when the collector's shop is robbed and the card vanishes with the crook, Paul and Jimmy end up going rogue, tracking down the card and the drug ring behind its theft, all on their own time and without any backup—except for each other.


17 Again
2009 · 1h 42m
country: United States
On the brink of a midlife crisis, 30-something Mike O'Donnell wishes he could have a "do-over." And that's exactly what he gets when he wakes up one morning to find he's 17 years old again. With his adult mind stuck inside the body of a teenager, Mike actually has the chance to reverse some decisions he wishes he'd never made. But maybe they weren't so bad after all.


Against the Current
2009 · 1h 38m
country: United States
Struggling with a tragic past, a man with an urgent calling enlists two friends to help him swim the length of the Hudson River.


The Circuit
2008 · 1h 28m
country: United States
Al Shines, former king of the US race car track circuit, has a hard time starting his own team, once he's fired by his sponsor Robin Cates. Robin hired Al's immature daughter Kylie Shines instead. She resents Al's inevitable 'absence' as a widowed father, as well as the reigning champion, equally young but professionally vetted Kid Walker. Kylie tries to prove herself against Kid while having an on-off affair with him. Cates's marketing strategy dictates his intentions to manipulate Walker and both Shines racers.


Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight
2008 · 1h 31m
country: Germany
A barbarian woman with a miraculous blue crystal staff gains the help of a group of adventurers as an army of dragons invades the land of Krynn.


May All Your Christmases Be Black
2007 · 26m
country: Unknown
May All Your Christmases Be Black is a DVD companion piece to the 2006 remake of "Black Christmas". It was made for people to see after they've watched the movie itself, therefore containing/revealing spoilers as to how certain characters die, as well as the identity of the killer. The piece seeks to gain insight from writer/director, Glen Morgan on the whys and hows of not only re-making a popular cult classic, but how it fits within his own career. Filmed fly on the wall-style, the featurette mainly covers Morgan's struggle, for good or for worse, to make his film commercially popular while still trying to include elements like a theme and tone in what is essentially a slasher horror movie. The theme of "family" permeates throughout the movie, but also behind-the-screen as well.


Black Christmas
2006 · 1h 32m
country: Canada
As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins a series of obscene phone calls with dubious intentions...


Beautiful Ohio
2006 · 1h 31m
country: United States
A quietly provocative coming-of-age drama about two brothers — Clive and William — growing up in the unconventional household of progressive parents in the 1970s.


The Dive from Clausen's Pier
2005 · 1h 26m
country: United States
After her boyfriend suffers a debilitating accident, a girl from Wisconsin moves to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer.


Mysterious Skin
2005 · 1h 45m
country: United States
A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.


Ice Princess
2005 · 1h 38m
country: United States
With the help of her coach, her mom, and the boy who drives the Zamboni, nothing can stop Casey Carlyle from realizing her dream to be a champion figure skater.


EuroTrip
2004 · 1h 32m
country: United States
When Scott learns that his longtime cyber-buddy from Berlin is a gorgeous young woman, he and his friends embark on a trip across Europe.


A Father's Choice
2000 · 1h 36m
country: United States
The fast-paced city life of two sisters is turned upside down when they are sent to live in the country with their father after their mother is killed.


Can't Be Heaven
1999 · 1h 34m
country: Unknown
Everyone eventually meets the love of their lives. Sometimes, like Danny and Julia, that person comes along when you are 13 years old. Other times, like Hubbie and his sweetheart, star-crossed love makes getting together a life-long adventure. This heartwarming story will make you feel like falling in love all over again.


Inspector Gadget
1999 · 1h 18m
country: United States
John Brown is a bumbling but well-intentioned security guard who is badly injured in an explosion planned by an evil mastermind. He is taken to a laboratory, where Brenda, a leading robotics surgeon, replaces his damaged limbs with state-of-the-art gadgets and tools. Named "Inspector Gadget" by the press, John -- along with his niece, Penny, and her trusty dog, Brain -- uses his new powers to discover who was behind the explosion.


Richie Rich's Christmas Wish
1998 · 1h 24m
country: United States
After getting blamed for spoiling Christmas, the richest kid in the world wishes he'd never been born. Unfortunately, a wishing machine, invented by professor Keenbean, picked up the wish and made it come true. Now Richie finds himself in a parallel world where his only hope is to find professor Keenbean and the wishing machine so he can wish things back to normal.


A Holiday for Love
1996 · 1h 45m
country: United States
A man is sent to a small town to assess which of the workers in the local factory that supplies the town with jobs should get the boot when the downsizing begins. He gets sidetracked when he falls in love with a local, a cute single mom.


Harriet the Spy
1996 · 1h 41m
country: United States
Harriet may only be in the sixth grade, but she's already found her calling: to be a spy. In a private journal she takes everywhere, Harriet records suspicious activity and keeps a running list of observations on virtually everyone she knows. It seems harmless enough until, one day, someone finds the journal and exposes Harriet's critical thoughts about her classmates. Suddenly, even her best friends are against her, and Harriet resolves to take revenge.


Melissa
1995 · 1h 21m
country: United States
Melissa follows her dream of becoming a dancer all the way to New York City but finds when she gets there that reaching her goal might cost more than she is willing to sacrifice. In dire need of money, she becomes an exotic dancer in a strip club where a sinister love triangle puts both her heart and her life in danger.