American actress Charisma Carpenter was born on July 23, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her family moved across the country during her years as a student, studying in Las Vegas, Rosarito in Mexico, and San Diego. After graduating from the Chula Vista School of the Creative and Performing Arts there, she toured Europe and took on odd jobs, at one point working as a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers before moving to Los Angeles in 1992.
While working as a waitress, she was discovered by a commercial agent, which led to her being cast in several television commercials and stage productions. Her first television role came in 1994, when she starred in an episode of Baywatch. She subsequently starred in the short-lived teen drama Malibu Shores, which aired in 1996. In 1997, she auditioned for the title role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was eventually given to Sarah Michelle Gellar, but Carpenter was nevertheless given the role of self-centered and airheaded Cordelia Chase. Her character eventually evolved into a moral character, especially when her character was brought to the spin-off series Angel in 1999, where she became a more major character than previously. She played the role until 2004, when she suddenly left the series; however, she made a guest appearance in 2005 in an episode that acts as a send-off to her character.
Carpenter also had recurring roles in several other television shows. She played the psychic demon “The Seer” in three episodes of Charmed; client Serena Lockner in Miss Match; trophy wife Kendall Casablancas in Veronica Mars; and sorority representative Tegan Walker in Greek. Her guest roles in television include those for shows such as Boy Meets World, Strange Frequency, The Division, LAX and Back to You. She’s also appeared in several films, including The Groomsmen, Voodoo Moon, What Boys Like, See Jane Date and Relative Chaos.
-Charisma has stated that her favorite actor is Jack Nicholson.
-Charisma has stated that her favorite color is yellow.
-Charisma has a tribal sun tattooed on her back.
-Charisma was named by her mother after an Avon perfume.
-She has a large scar on her belly from a childhood accident. While five years old, and playing around a swimming pool that was still under construction, she fell onto a piece of rebar. The scar was incorporated into Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the episode "Lovers Walk", when her character fell onto an exposed piece of rebar.
-I'm not trying to play the heroine chick anymore. I grew out of that. Now it's just about having fun.
- I don't really see myself being a sex symbol at all.
-People might think I'm this awful person, but I'm not, I'm a nice girl.
-I'm a mixed breed and hope to live longer because of it.