Michelle Trachtenberg: “Gossip Girl” actress dies at 39
American actress Michelle Trachtenberg, famous for her role as Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died at the age of 39. A look back at the career of a key figure in the series of the 2000s.
A sudden death in New York
On Wednesday February 26, 2025, Michelle Trachtenberg was found unconscious in a Manhattan apartment by the New York police, who were alerted after an emergency call. She was pronounced dead on the spot by medical services. While the official cause of death has yet to be determined, unnamed sources quoted by ABC suggest complications related to a recent liver transplant. At this stage, police do not suspect foul play.
The news has shocked her former colleagues and fans around the world. David Boreanaz, her partner in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reacted on Instagram: “Very sad news… horrible. Rest in peace, my prayers to her and her family.”
From Nickelodeon to “Buffy”: a rapid ascent
Born in 1985 in New York, Michelle Trachtenberg began her career at the age of 8 in children’s productions, notably on Nickelodeon. She made a name for herself in 1996 with the film Harriet the Little Spy, followed by Inspector Gadget in 1999.
But it was in 2000 that she achieved worldwide recognition when she joined Buffy the Vampire Sl ayer as Dawn Summers, Buffy’s younger sister, introduced in a landmark plot twist. She remained in the role until the end of the series in 2003.
A career marked by strong roles
After Buffy, Michelle Trachtenberg went on to appear in successful series such as Six Feet Under and Weeds. She also made a name for herself as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl, where she plays a fearsome manipulator. Her performance earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination in 2012.
“Playing the bad girl is much more fun than playing the good girl,” she confided to Seventeen magazine in 2009. She will return briefly in 2021 in the reboot of the series, much to the delight of fans.
On the big screen, she appeared in 17 ans encore (2009) alongside Zac Efron and Matthew Perry, who died in October 2023.
A talented and committed actress
Michelle Trachtenberg wasn’t just a popular TV actress. She had made a name for herself in Killing Kennedy (2013), where she played Marina Oswald, the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, John F. Kennedy‘s assassin. This landmark role prompted her to put her language skills to good use: 80% of her dialogues were in Russian, a language she mastered thanks to her mother.
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