Kristy Swanson is a talented actress best known for her starring role in the Twentieth Century Fox film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The film remains a cult classic and was spun off into the popular WB television series, "Buffy." Swanson is also well known for her performances in a number of iconic feature films including "Mannequin 2: On The Move," "Dude Where's My Car" and "Big Daddy." Most recently, Swanson starred in "A Christmas Wish," Hallmark Channel's highest rated original movie for the 2011 holiday season.
Swanson was born in Mission Viejo, California and she began her professional career at the age of nine working in television commercials. By the time she was 13, she had more than 30 commercials to her credit and had landed her first television series, "Dreamfinders," for the Disney Channel. She soon convinced her parents to move to Hollywood so she could pursue her dream of acting and landed small roles in two of John Hughes's films: "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Pretty in Pink."
Since, Swanson has added a long list of guest¬starring television appearances to her credit. She has appeared in episodes of "Just Shoot Me!," "CSI: Miami," "Growing Pains," "Knots Landing," "Early Edition," "Psych" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." In 2006, Swanson appeared in the reality television show "Skating with Celebrities," pairing with former Olympian Lloyd Eisler to take home the crown as they defeated five other teams of celebrities and skating pros. Her television movie credits include "Forbidden Secrets," "Red Water," "The Black Hole" and, most recently, "Swamp Shark," among many others.
Swanson has also starred in a long list of films that include "Flowers in the Attic," with Academy Award®¬winning actress Louis Fletcher, "Hot Shots" with Charlie Sheen, "The Program" with James Caan, "The Phantom" opposite Billy Zane and "Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag," starring Joe Pesci and David Spade. Tackling her most controversial role, Swanson portrayed a college student discovering her sexuality in John Singleton's film, "Higher Learning."
