Born on April 14, 1977, In New York City, New York, Sarah Michelle Gellar was an only child and was raised by her mother Rosellen. Her mom, who is a teacher, divorced Sarah's father in 1984. article continued below...

Born on April 14, 1977, In New York City, New York, Sarah Michelle Gellar was an only child and was raised by her mother Rosellen. Her mom, who is a teacher, divorced Sarah's father in 1984.

Sarah's career in show business began in 1981, when she was only four years old. As a little tyke, Sarah was discovered by an agent while dining at a local eatery. Only three weeks after the initial chance meeting, Sarah was cast in her first film entitled An Invasion of Privacy.

And acting wasn't Sarah's only passion; she attended the Children's Professional School in New York and graduated two years early with a 4.0 GPA.

Sarah quickly became a veteran in the entertainment industry, having done over 100 television commercials and starring in many made-for-TV and big screen films. Although she began her career as a regular hostess on the talk show, Girl Talk, Sarah quickly began turning up in movies.

In the 1980s, Sarah appeared in the films The Widow Claire at the Circle in the Square with co-stars Matthew Broderick and Eric Stolz, and Crossbow. Soon after that, she began making appearances on television shows such as Spenser: For Hire, Love, Sidney, The David Letterman Show and Regis and Kathie Lee.

The role that really cast Sarah into the limelight was her portrayal of a young Jackie Kennedy in the NBC miniseries A Woman Named Jackie. But it was when she assumed the role of the teenage brat Kendall Hart, daughter of Erica Kane in the hit soap opera All My Children, that Sarah began building a loyal fan base. In 1994, Sarah was graced with an Emmy Award for her convincing portrayal of Erica's vengeful daughter.

Fortunately for her, in 1996, Sarah was picked to be the star of a new series called Buffy the Vampire Slayer, based on the movie by the same name. Needless to say, the show was an instant hit and Sarah began receiving boatloads of movie scripts. The following season, the show was picked up for another 22 episodes, which cemented Sarah's success as an actress, albeit in an unbelievable role.

In the midst of her hit television show, Sarah took the time to make such hit movies as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2 and Cruel Intentions.

Currently living in Los Angeles and dating fellow teen sensation Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah is living the high life and it's quite evident that we will be seeing more of this beauty for years to come. This 5'3" actress may not reach the height of a supermodel, but she's standing tall nevertheless.

• Has a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do
• Pets: Maltese terrier named Thor; Akita named Tyson.
• Big fan of Dr. Seuss. Hobbies: collects rare books, platinum and diamond jewelry.
• Made YM magazine's Hot 100 list
• Initially audtioned for the role of Cordelia in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) however, the producers were convinced that she was their Buffy and placed her in the leading role instead.
• The Burger King commercial she did in 1982 was the first commercial to ever mention a competitor by name. Consequently, McDonald's sued her as well as Burger King. She also couldn't enter a McDonald's unless she was in disguise due to truth in advertising ("I only eat at Burger King" was one of her lines in the commercial.)
• She studied Tae Kwon Do for five years, and now she's taking kickboxing, boxing, street fighting and gymnastics.
• (1998) One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People
• Has a tattoo of a Celtic symbol on her left hip.
• Has a tattoo of a Chinese symbol for integrity on her lower back.
• (2000) Voted by FHM (a leading UK mens magazine) readers the No 3 sexiest woman in the world.
• (1999) Voted by FHM (a leading UK mens magazine) readers the No 1 sexiest woman in the world.
• Has a heart with a dagger hanging over it tattooed on the inside of her right ankle.
• Ironically, McDonalds is now a sponsor of the WB's hit TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
• Collects rare editions of classic children's literature.
• Won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award in 1998 for favourite supposting actress in a horror film for I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• Won 4 online Tv Guide awards
• In her Burger King commerical, two other actress that starred with Gellar were Leah Thompson and Elizabeth Shue
• (2000) Dating Freddie Prinze Jr.
• Was Offered the role of Brittany Foster in the In Crowd, The (2000) but turned it down and the role went to Susan Ward (I).
• Dated Jerry O'Connell (1998-1999).
• Her high school classmates include: Tara Reid, Jerry O'Connell, and Macaulay Culkin.
• Her idol is Stockard Channing.
• Was offered Portia de Rossi's role in Cletis Tout (2001).
• Attended the Professional Children's School in New York City; graduated with a 4.0 Grade Average.
• Her favorite movie is Heathers (1989).
• Was James Toback's first choice to play Cindy Bandolini in Harvard Man (2001).
• Director Raja Gosnell wanted a real life Hollywood couple to play Fred and Daphne in Scooby-Doo (2002) -- Sarah and real life boyfriend Freddie Prinze Jr. were his first choice.
• (1999) Dated professional tennis player Jan-Michael Gambill.
• (14 April 2001) Publicly announced that she is engaged to Freddie Prinze Jr.
• Was offered the role of Juliet in Romeo + Juliet (1996) but had to turn it down because of scheduling conflicts with "All My Children" (1970).