Michelle Trachtenberg Dead at 39: Look Back at Buffy Alum's Career

Over a more than 30-year career, Michelle Trachtenberg played a famous preteen spy, made her mark on the Upper West Side and was a major key to Buffy's heart.

The actress, who was found dead in a New York City apartment Feb. 26 at age 39, appeared in more than 60 films and shows throughout her life—including her breakout performance in Harriet the Spy, work on the later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan-favorite role on Gossip Girl.

But while she seemingly burst onto the scene in the mid-‘90s, Michelle began her acting career at age 3, appearing in an ad for Wisk laundry detergent.

"I saw a friend of mine in a commercial,'' she told the Orange County Register in 1996, "and walked over to my mom and said, 'Mommy, I want to be on TV.'"

She went on to star in more than 100 other commercials before landing her first TV series role, a part as a dying child on Law & Order at age 6 in 1991.

Michelle went on to appear on the soap opera All My Children before making her debut in 1994 as a cast member in the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete and later on Clarissa Explains It All.

But it was in the 1996 film Harriet the Spy, alongside Rosie O'Donnell, that she got her big break, following it up with 1999’s Inspector Gadget, where she played the daughter of Matthew Broderick's superhero character.

The following year, she made her debut on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, playing Dawn Summers, the mysterious little sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar's title character, for the final three seasons. And even after the show ended in 2003, the cast kept in touch and went on to reunite several times.

"I would always be in my school room when I wasn't on set," she said at a PaleyFest LA event for the show in 2008. "Everyone else had to go back to their trailers and relax and I would be with my algebra textbooks and I would either sneak into Sarah's trailer and pet her shoes or sneak up to the writer's room and be like, 'Hey, can I hang with the cool kids too?"

Michelle continued, "I learned a lot from 14 to 17 on the show and that was the best high school experience and life experience."

As a young adult, Michelle further showcased her comedic chops in the raunchy comedy film EuroTrip, released in 2004. The same year, she had a recurring role on HBO's Six Feet Under. In 2005, she took center stage again, playing an aspiring pro figure skater in the Disney movie Ice Princess.

Following guest appearances on TV shows such as House M.D. and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and films such as Black Christmas, Michelle landed one of most memorable roles: Bad girl Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl.

"Georgina is actually my favorite character that I've played because she's such an evil B---H," Michelle told Entertainment Tonight in 2021. "That was fun."

During her time on Gossip Girl, Michelle also starred in the 2009 film 17 Again with Zac Efron and the late Matthew Perry, and also had a recurring role on Weeds in 2011.

In recent years, the actress appeared mostly in TV movies, hosted the crime docuseries Meet, Marry, Murder and did voiceover work for shows such as Robot Chicken.

And while Gossip Girl was among her most memorable roles, it was ultimately her finale onscreen performance as she made a pair of guest appearances as her iconic character in season two of the teen drama’s sequel series of the same name in 2022 and 2023.

Following news of Michelle's death, Gossip Girl showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage paid tribute to the actress.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of Michelle’s passing," they shared in a statement to NBC News. “Michelle was so funny, kind, and talented. Her portrayal of Georgina Sparks was an iconic fan favorite, and grew from a one season villain to a beloved character who returned over the course of six seasons.”

The writers added, "She was a delight to have on set and will be deeply missed. Our thoughts are with her family."

(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)

Look back at Michelle's life in pictures...