Kristy Swanson

Kristy Swanson

Swanson signing autographs outside the Directors Guild of America, Hollywood, before the premiere of Fly Me to the Moon on
August 3, 2008.
Born Kristen Noel Swanson
(1969-12-19) December 19, 1969
Mission Viejo, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1984–present
Spouse(s) Lloyd Eisler (m. 2009)
Children 1

Kristen Noel "Kristy" Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Buffy Summers in the 1992 cult film Buffy the Vampire Slayer.[1] Swanson began her career appearing in several teen films, including Pretty in Pink (1986) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). Her first starring role was in Wes Craven's horror film Deadly Friend (1986), followed by her portrayal of Catherine "Cathy" Dollanganger in the controversial film adaptation of V.C. Andrews's Flowers in the Attic (1987).

Early life

Swanson was born and raised in Mission Viejo, California,[2] the daughter of physical education teachers Robert and Rosemary Swanson. Swanson graduated from El Toro High School. Swanson has one older brother, Rob.[3] Swanson's paternal grandfather was Swedish, and her maternal grandfather was of German ancestry.[4] She also has an uncle who taught English and Journalism in Anaheim, California.

At the age of nine, Swanson expressed interest in acting to her parents, and began pursuing roles in television commercials. She landed her first job appearing in a doll house commercial, which was followed with several more commercial appearances.[2]

Career

Swanson began her acting career at The Actors Workshop with R.J. Adams and promptly moved into TV advertising roles and several one-off appearances in TV series such as Cagney and Lacey and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1986, she debuted on the big screen in two John Hughes films: Pretty In Pink, in a non-speaking role, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off as a character who announces a convoluted excuse for Ferris' absence in class. Her first starring role was later in 1986, in Wes Craven's Deadly Friend as Samantha  "the girl next door". The next year she played Cathy in the adaptation of V. C. Andrews' best-seller Flowers in the Attic.

Swanson revealed in a 2015 television interview[5] how she was cast in Pretty In Pink: "[Director] John Hughes said, 'We're re-shooting the end of Pretty in Pink. I was wondering if you would come be in this scene with our main character, Ducky, because the way we tested it in the movie theater, it didn't work. We need him to end up with somebody else at the end of the movie. So would you play the part?'"

By 1990, Swanson had made many television appearances, including multiple appearances in Knots Landing (1987–1988), Nightingales (1989),[6] her first starring role in a TV series, although it only lasted a season, and a short-lived Burt Reynolds television series called B.L. Stryker (1989).

Throughout the 1990s, she starred mostly in films. She played the title role in the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although not a hit at the box office originally, it had a profitable rental life. She appeared in both starring and supporting roles in movies such as Hot Shots!, The Program, The Chase, or her most critically acclaimed role, playing Kristen Connor, a student discovering her sexuality, in John Singleton's Higher Learning. She also appeared in the film adaptation of the comic-book The Phantom and the dark comedy 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag with Joe Pesci. Most of these films failed at the box office, and she reverted to TV work in the late 1990s.

In the 1998–99 season of Early Edition, Swanson played Erica Paget, a love interest of the main character, Gary Hobson. In 1999, Swanson played Vanessa, the girlfriend of Adam Sandler in the movie Big Daddy. In 2000, she returned to a television series, as the star of Grapevine, a revamp of a 1992 TV series that was canceled after five episodes.

Swanson posed nude for Playboy magazine in November 2002 in a cover-featured pictorial. She appeared in and won the 2006 Fox television program Skating with Celebrities, partnered with Lloyd Eisler.

On May 8, 2007, Swanson appeared in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Bombshell", playing a fictionalized variation on Anna Nicole Smith.

In 2007, she became a spokesperson of the Medifast diet. In the following year, she guest-starred in three episodes of the lesbian web series 3Way.

In July 2009, she filmed What If..., co-starring Kevin Sorbo and Debby Ryan, released on August 20, 2010. It was her first theatrical film in 10 years.

Swanson made a cameo appearance in the "Don't You Forget About Me" episode of One Tree Hill, which aired on February 1, 2010. The episode was a homage to John Hughes; Swanson appeared in two films produced by him in the 1980s.

Personal life

Swanson started dating actor Alan Thicke when she was 17 years old in 1986 and got engaged to him two years later when he was 42.[7]

Swanson began a relationship with her Skating with Celebrities partner Lloyd Eisler during the show's run, while Eisler was still married to his then-pregnant wife, Marcie.[8] Swanson gave birth to a son named Magnus Hart Swanson Eisler on February 16, 2007, just one month after Lloyd's divorce from Marcia O'Brien was finalized.[9] Swanson married Eisler on February 7, 2009 in San Luis Obispo, California.[10] They currently live in Santa Clarita, California.[11]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1986 Pretty in Pink Duckette
1986 Ferris Bueller's Day Off Simone Adamley
1986 Deadly Friend Samantha Pringle
1987 Flowers in the Attic Catherine "Cathy" Dollanganger
1987 Not Quite Human Erin Jeffries
1990 Dream Trap Sue Halloran
1990 Diving In Terry Hopkins
1991 Mannequin Two: On the Move Jessie
1991 Hot Shots! Kowalski
1991 Highway to Hell Rachel Clark
1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy Summers
1993 The Program Camille Shafer
1994 Chase, TheThe Chase Natalie Voss
1994 Getting In Kirby Watts
1995 Higher Learning Kristen Connor
1995 Chili Con Carne Club, TheThe Chili Con Carne Club Julie Short film
1996 Phantom, TheThe Phantom Diana Palmer
1997 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag Laurie Bennett
1997 Lover Girl Darlene Ferrari / "Sherry"
1997 Tinseltown Nikki Randall
1998 Ground Control Julie Albrecht
1999 Big Daddy Vanessa
2000 Meeting Daddy Laurel Lee
2000 Dude, Where's My Car? Christie Boner
2001 Soul Assassin Tessa Jansen
2003 Silence Dr. Julia Craig
2005 Bound by Lies Laura Cross Video
2005 Six Months Later Linda Short film
2006 Living Death Elizabeth Harris Video
2009 Closer, TheThe Closer Kaitlyn Short film
2010 What If... Wendy Walker
2011 Chick Magnet Kristy Video
2012 Little Women, Big Cars Rocky
2013 Bouquet, TheThe Bouquet Terri Benton
2013 Storm Rider Jody Peterson Video
2014 Beethoven's Treasure Tail Anne Parker Video
2014 A Belle For Christmas Daniella Downy Video
2016 Where Heaven And Hell Collide Debbie Peters Completed
2016 Mimesis 2 Mother Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1984 It's Your Move Laura Episode: "Love Letters"
1985 Call to Glory Sally Episodes: "JFK: Parts 1 & 2"
1985 Cagney & Lacey Stephanie Brandon Episode: "On the Street"
1986 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Female Student #2 Episode: "The Gloating Place"
1986 Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story Stephanie Gamble TV film
1986 Mr. Boogedy Jennifer Davis TV film
1986 Hogan Family, TheThe Hogan Family Linda Perkins Episode: "The Big Fix-Up"
1987 Jaurez Cathy Dodge TV film
1987 Growing Pains Rhonda Episode: "Thank God It's Friday"
1987 Not Quite Human Eron Jeffries TV film
1987–1988 Knots Landing Jody Campbell Recurring role (8 episodes)
1988 Loner, TheThe Loner Sherry Spicer TV film
1988 Ohara Episode: "X"
1988 Nightingales Rebecca "Becky" Granger TV film
1989 Nightingales Rebecca "Becky" Granger Main role (13 episodes)
1989 B.L. Stryker Lynn Ellingsworth Episodes: "The Dancer's Touch", "Blues for Buder"
1996 Marshal Law Lilly Nelson TV film
1997 Bad to the Bone Francesca Wells TV film
1998–1999 Early Edition Erica Paget Main role (20 episodes)
1999 Supreme Sanction Jenna TV film
2000 Grapevine Susan Crawford Regular role (5 episodes)
2001 Untitled Charles Randolph Project TV pilot
2001 Zebra Lounge Louise Bauer TV film
2003 Just Shoot Me! Allison Cavanaugh Episode: "There's Something About Allison"
2003 Red Water Dr. Kelli Raymond TV film
2004 CSI: Miami Roxanne Price Episode: "Complications"
2005 Forbidden Secrets Alexandra Kent Lambeth TV film
2006 Black Hole, TheThe Black Hole Shannon Muir TV film
2007 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Lorelai Mailer Episode: "Bombshell"
2008 3Way Leslie Lapdalulu Episodes: "Fatal Distraction: Parts 1 & 2", "The Dinah Monologues"
2009 Hell's Kitchen Herself Season 6 Episode 4: "13 Chefs Compete"
2010 One Tree Hill Woman in Car Episode: "Don't You Forget About Me"
2011 Swamp Shark Rachel Bouchard TV film
2011 Christmas Wish, AA Christmas Wish Martha Evans TV film
2011–2014 Psych Marlowe Viccellio Recurring role (6 episodes)
2012 Operation Cupcake Janet Carson TV film
2014 A Lesson in Romance[12] Megan Mills TV film
2014 Merry Ex-Mas Noelle TV film
2015 Driven Underground Sarah Palmer TV film
2015 Angels in the Snow Judith Montgomery TV film

Awards and nominations

Wins

Nominations

References

  1. O., Jimmy (July 24, 2015). "Where in the Horror are they Now? Kristy Swanson". Arrow in the Head. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Vanderknyff, Rick (July 31, 1992). "Will 'Buffy' Role Slay 'Em? : Mission Viejo's Kristy Swanson Is No Stranger to Outrageous Parts". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  3. "Kristy Swanson". Facebook. July 3, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  4. "Kristy Swanson". IMDb.com. May 17, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  5. "Kristy Swanson, Lead Role in 1992 Film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"—Guest 06/04/2015". kenboxerlive.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  6. Nightingales at the Internet Movie Database
  7. "Alan Thicke". TV.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  8. "'Skating With Celebrities' Kristy Swanson, Lloyd Eisler pair up off ice - Reality TV World". realitytvworld.com. February 27, 2006. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  9. Kristy Swanson, Lloyd Eisler expecting a baby  Celebrities  MSNBC.com
  10. Kristy Swanson and Lloyd Eisler Wed People.com, February 7, 2009
  11. Michele E. Buttelman. "SCV's 'Buffy' and the Olympian".
  12. Kristy Swanson - A Lesson in Love - Cast | Hallmark Channel
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