Born on December 30, 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts, Eliza Dushku started her career when she was 10 years old, when she played the lead role of Alice in the film That Night. In 1993, she appeared in the film This Boy’s Life, alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo diCaprio; she would later claim that the role opened many doors for her. She appeared in other films, such as True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bye Bye, Love with Paul Reiser, before taking time off to finish her high school studies.
After graduating from high school in 1998, Dushku was cast as Faith Lehane in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here she plays a Slayer, similar to Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is troubled and often makes the wrong decision. Her sanity is later affected by events around her, and she slips into a villainous role. Her character’s story arc was supposed to last for only five episodes in the show’s third season, but her character’s popularity led her to stay for the entire season, and recurring roles in the fourth season. Her character also appeared in the Buffy spin-off, Angel. She was offered her own spin-off program, but she refused.
After films like Soul Survivors, Bring It On, The New Guy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dushku starred in another television series, Tru Calling. Her character, Tru Davies, works the night shift at the city morgue, where she is approached by new dead bodies begging her to save them from death. She also has the power to go back in time to prevent their deaths. She later appeared in other films like Nobel Son, Sex and Breakfast and Bottle Shock. She is also set to star in another television series, Dollhouse, which she also produces.