The Cast Of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' 20 Years Later

It's been 20 years since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first premiered and told the world that horror television could be funny, moving and emotionally uplifting.

The show quickly gained popularity, thanks in part to the first online communities, and then went on to become a "cult classic". Although, how popular does a show need to be before it can no longer be called “cult”? Buffy’s flawed protagonist and smart dialogue made the series a pioneer in what would later be called “The Golden Age of Television”. Indeed, Buffy does not look out of place when mentioned alongside such exalted company as The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and Mad Men.

Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy ran for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003 and spawned the successful spin-off series, Angel. Many of the show's stars went on to prosperous careers in Hollywood — while others withdrew from the limelight. Let’s look at what they’re up to now. 

In the early 2000s, Sarah Michelle Gellar was one of the biggest stars in the world. Alongside Buffy, there was I Know What You Did Last Summer, Simply Irresistible, and Cruel Intentions. Since then, she's worked on the Scooby-Doo films, alongside her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr, and The Grudge. 

On the small screen, she was on The Ringerand The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams. She’s also had two children, Charlotte and Rocky, and launched the mail-order baking company, Foodstirs. 

After playing Willow Rosenberg on Buffy, Alyson Hannigan went on to another well-known role as Lily Aldrin on How I Met Your Mother. She also appeared in the American Pie movies as well. She married her Buffy co-star, Alexis Denisof, in 2003 and the couple has two young daughters. 

Nicholas Brendon played the endearing Xander Harris on Buffy before going on to appear on several seasons of Criminal Minds. Nicholas battled alcohol and depression and is now sober and working as a contributing writer on the Buffy comic books. 

After playing Buffy’s father figure, Rupert Giles, British actor and musician Anthony Stewart Head has appeared in The Iron Lady, Merlin, and Little Britain. He’s also released an album called Staring at the Sun in 2014.

What ever happened to Cordelia?

After Buffy, David Boreanaz starred in the Buffy spin-off, Angel. It lasted five seasons and then Boreanaz went straight on to Bones, where he plays FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. Bones finishes this month after 12 seasons. Boreanaz is married to actress Jaime Bergman, and they have two kids, Jaden, 14, and Bella, seven. 

Charisma Carpenter’s character, Cordelia, was one of the most popular characters in Sunnydale before she joined the Buffy spin-off Angel. During her time on Angel, Charisma got married, had a son, and posed for Playboy. In 2007, she divorced and then went on to appear in Charmed, Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars. 

After playing Buffy’s mother, Kristine Sutherland left acting to set up a photography studio. But she’s returning to the screen this year alongside her real-life husband, John Pankow, in the film Before/During/After.

James Masters wasn’t expecting Spike to be a long-term character on Buffy. But Spike proved popular and Masters stayed on. Since Buffy, Masters has contributed to the Buffy comic books, narrated audiobooks, and appeared in several episodes of Smallville. He continues to work in music, releasing albums with his band, The Ghost of the Robot. 

We're always hearing Seth Green's voice, but what does he actually look like now?

Juliet Landau's performance as delusional vampire Drusilla was described by one critic as, “an acid-addled cross between Ophelia and Cassandra.” Since Buffy, she’s focused on voice work and is hosting a documentary series called A Place Among the Undead. It’s about vampires in film and TV. 

Emma Caufield, who played the human-turned-demon-turned-human on Buffy, went on to star in such movies as Darkness Falls and TiMER and made guest appearances as the Blind Witch from Hansel & Gretel on ABC's Once Upon a Time. Last year, she welcomed her first child, Knightley. 

Eliza Dushku played Faith on Buffy – a character that was meant to have her own spin-off, but Dushku declined the offer. Since then, she played Tru Davies on the series Tru Calling and Echo on Dollhouse. She’s made appearances on multiple TV shows including Ugly Betty and White Collar. She’s also on the board of THRIVEGulu Organization, which aims to help the survivors of war.

After playing everyone’s favorite Werewolf in Sunnydale, Seth Green went on to create the Emmy-winning Robot Chicken as well as provide the voice of Chris Griffin on Family Guy. He’s also appeared on That 70's Show, Will & Grace, Entourage, My Name Is Earl, and How I Met Your Mother. 

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