Alyson Hannigan | |
---|---|
Born | Allison Lee Hannigan March 24, 1974 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Other names | Alyson Denisof |
Education | California State University, Northridge (BA) |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1986–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Signature | |
Allison Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974), known professionally as Alyson Hannigan, is an American actress and television presenter. [1]
Hannigan began her film career with supporting roles in the comedy films Impure Thoughts (1986) and My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), getting a Young Artist Award nomination for the latter. In 1999, she began starring in the American Pie film series as Michelle Flaherty, the films' primary love interest, appearing in every film in the series from 1999 to 2012. For her role in the series, she was nominated for three Teen Choice Awards and won a Young Hollywood Award. She went on to star in the parody film Date Movie (2006), the slasher film You Might Be the Killer (2018), and the superhero film Flora & Ulysses (2021).
Hannigan got her start in television starring in the short-lived sitcom Free Spirit from 1989 to 1990, for which she earned a Young Artist Award nomination. After several minor roles in television films and other series, she appeared in her breakout role as teenage witch Willow Rosenberg in the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer , appearing in every episode from 1997 to 2003. Her role on the show was critically acclaimed and won her the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television and a Teen Choice Award. From 2005 to 2014, she starred as Lily Aldrin in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother , for which she won two People's Choice Awards. Hannigan hosted the television show Penn & Teller: Fool Us (2016–2022), and provided the voice of Claire Clancy in the Disney Junior animated series Fancy Nancy (2018–2022).
Hannigan was born on March 24, 1974 [2] in Washington, D.C., the only child of Emilie (Posner) Haas, a real-estate agent, and Alan Hannigan, a Teamsters trucker. [3] [4] Her father is of Irish ancestry and her mother is Jewish. [5] [6] At age four, Hannigan began appearing in commercials. [7] After spending her childhood in her mother's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, Hannigan moved to Hollywood at age 11 after securing an agent. [4]
Living with her mother and attending North Hollywood High School, she successfully auditioned for agents while visiting her father in Santa Barbara. After high school, she attended California State University, Northridge, where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and earned a degree in psychology. [8] [9]
Hannigan's first major film role was in My Stepmother Is an Alien , a science-fiction comedy released in 1988; one of her co-stars in the film was actor Seth Green, who later joined her in the regular cast of Buffy as her on-screen boyfriend. [3] In 1989, her first regular role on a TV series came when she was cast in the short-lived ABC sitcom Free Spirit . As a teenager, Hannigan babysat for the children of her future How I Met Your Mother co-star, Bob Saget. [10]
In 1997, Hannigan was cast to play Willow Rosenberg, Buffy Summers' best friend, on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . [11] The show became a success, and Hannigan gained recognition, subsequently appearing in several films aimed at teenaged audiences, including American Pie (1999), Boys and Girls (2000), American Pie 2 (2001), and American Wedding (2003). [3] She also had a recurring guest spot on the Buffy spin-off, Angel , reprising her role of Willow. In early 2004, Hannigan made her West End debut, starring in a stage adaptation of When Harry Met Sally... at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, opposite Luke Perry. [12]
In 2005, Hannigan returned to starring in a regular television series, taking the main role of Lily Aldrin in the hit comedy How I Met Your Mother , and also playing a recurring guest role on Veronica Mars as Trina Echolls. [13] In February 2006, she starred as Julia Jones in Date Movie , a parody of romantic comedies. [3] She was also a guest star on the ABC animated sitcom The Goode Family in 2009. [14]
Hannigan joined forces with Emily Deschanel, Jaime King, Minka Kelly, and Katharine McPhee in a "video slumber party" featured on FunnyorDie.com to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer. [15] In 2012, Hannigan reprised the role of Michelle in American Reunion . [16] From 2016 to 2022, Hannigan hosted the television series Penn & Teller: Fool Us . [17] Hannigan played Ann Possible, Kim's mother, in the Disney Channel original film Kim Possible , based on the animated series. [18]
In September 2023, Hannigan was announced to be competing on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars , partnering with Sasha Farber. [19] The couple made it to the finals and finished in fifth place.
Hannigan married her Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel co-star Alexis Denisof at Two Bunch Palms Resort in Desert Hot Springs, California, on October 11, 2003. The couple live in Encino, Los Angeles [20] with their two daughters. [2] [21] Their home was used as a set for This Is Us . [22]
Hannigan is a fan of singer Taylor Swift. [23]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Impure Thoughts | Patty Stubbs | Credited as Allison Hannigan [24] |
1988 | My Stepmother Is an Alien | Jessie Mills | |
1998 | Dead Man on Campus | Lucy | |
1999 | Hayley Wagner, Star | Jenna Jakes [25] | |
1999 | American Pie | Michelle Flaherty | |
2000 | Boys and Girls | Betty | |
2001 | American Pie 2 | Michelle Flaherty | |
2001 | Beyond the City Limits | Lexi | |
2003 | American Wedding | Michelle Flaherty | |
2006 | Date Movie | Julia Jones | |
2006 | Farce of the Penguins | Hottie Penguin | Voice |
2011 | Love, Wedding, Marriage | Courtney | |
2012 | American Reunion | Michelle Levenstein | |
2016 | Do You Take This Man | Rachael | |
2018 | You Might Be the Killer | Chuck | |
2021 | Flora & Ulysses | Phyllis Buckman |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989–1990 | Free Spirit | Jessie Harper | Main role, 14 episodes |
1990 | Roseanne | Jan | Episode: "Like, a New Job" |
1991 | Switched at Birth | Gina Twigg (Age 13–16) | Television film |
1993 | Almost Home | Samantha | 2 episodes |
1994 | Touched by an Angel | Cassie Peters | Episode: "Cassie's Choice" |
1995 | The Stranger Beside Me | Dana | Television film |
1996 | For My Daughter's Honor | Kelly | Television film |
1996 | Picket Fences | Peggy Patterson | Episode: "To Forgive Is Divine" |
1997–2003 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Willow Rosenberg | Main role, 144 episodes |
1999–2000 | 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd | Gigi | Voice, 3 episodes |
2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Gerda | Voice, episode: "Every Little Bit Alps" |
2001–2003 | Angel | Willow Rosenberg | 3 episodes |
2002–2003 | Rugrats | Cynthia P.I. | Voice, 2 episodes |
Young Starlet | Voice, 1 episode | ||
2004 | That '70s Show | Suzy Simpson | 2 episodes |
2004 | King of the Hill | Stacey Gibson | Voice, episode: "Talking Shop" |
2005 | Veronica Mars | Trina Echolls | 3 episodes |
2005–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Lily Aldrin | Main role, 206 episodes |
2009 | The Goode Family | Michelle | Voice, episode: "Graffiti in Greenville" |
2011 | The Simpsons | Melody | Voice, episode: "Flaming Moe" |
2011, 2018 | Robot Chicken | Various voices | 2 episodes |
2011, 2013, 2023 | American Dad! | Chelsea | Voice, episode: "Virtual In-Stanity" |
Ugly Stepsister #2 | Voice, episode: "Finger Lenting Good" | ||
Lexie | Voice, episode: "Cow I Met Your Moo-ther" | ||
2014 | Sofia the First | Winter | Voice, episode: "Winter's Gift" |
2014 | The McCarthys | Pam | Episode: "Red Sox Swap" |
2016–2022 | Penn & Teller: Fool Us | Herself | Host, 64 episodes [26] |
2018–2022 | Fancy Nancy | Claire Clancy | Voice, main role (57 episodes) |
2019 | Kim Possible | Ann Possible | Television film |
2019 | Pure | Esther Dunkel | 2 episodes |
2019 | Abducted: The Mary Stauffer Story | Mary Stauffer | TV film [27] |
2020–2021 | Outrageous Pumpkins | Herself | Host, 8 episodes |
2020 | Girl Scout Cookie Championship | Herself | Host, 4 episodes |
2020 | Outmatched | Annabeth | Episode: "Couple's Friends" |
2021 | Martha Gets Down and Dirty | Herself | Episode: "House Planting Party" [28] |
2021 | Adorableness | Herself | Panelist [29] |
2023 | Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. | Dawn | Episode: "Message from the Chief" |
2023 | Office Race | Pat | Comedy Central original television film |
2023 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Contestant on season 32 [30] |
Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | When Harry Met Sally... | Sally Albright | Theatre Royal Haymarket |
Willow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the 1992 film, also written by Whedon, although they are separate and unrelated productions. Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner of the series under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on March 10, 1997, on The WB and concluded on May 20, 2003, on UPN.
Alexis Denisof is an American actor, primarily known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. He also had a recurring role on How I Met Your Mother. His wife, Alyson Hannigan, starred in both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and How I Met Your Mother.
Tara Maclay is a fictional character created for the action-horror/fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed by Amber Benson. Tara is a shy young woman with magical talents who falls in love with Willow Rosenberg, one of the core characters. Together, they help Buffy Summers, who has been given superhuman powers to defeat evil forces in the fictional town of Sunnydale.
Emma Caulfield Ford is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as former demon Anya Jenkins on the supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998–2003), which earned her a nomination for the Satellite Award for Best Cast. She had recurring roles as Susan Keats on the Fox teen drama series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1995–1996), as Emma Bradshaw on the CW teen drama series Life Unexpected (2010–2011), and as Sarah Proctor on the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021), a role she will reprise in its spin-off Agatha (2024). She starred in the supernatural horror film Darkness Falls (2003) and in the romantic comedy film Timer (2009), and had a supporting role in the comedy film Back in the Day (2014).
Amber Benson is an American actress, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1999–2002), and has also directed, produced and starred in her own films Chance (2002) and Lovers, Liars & Lunatics (2006). She also starred in the movie Kiss the Bride (2007). She co-directed the film Drones (2010) with fellow Buffy cast member Adam Busch. Benson also starred as a waitress in the horror movie The Killing Jar (2010).
"Doppelgangland" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). It was written and directed by the show's creator, Joss Whedon, and originally aired on The WB in the United States on February 23, 1999. The episode's title is derived from the term "Doppelgänger", a German word for a lookalike or double of a living person.
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Bianca Lawson is an American actress. She is known for her regular roles in the television series Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Goode Behavior, Pretty Little Liars, and Rogue. She has also had recurring roles in the series Sister, Sister, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Steve Harvey Show, Dawson's Creek, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, and Witches of East End. In 2016, Lawson began starring in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Queen Sugar.
"Go Fish" is episode 20 of season two of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by David Fury and Elin Hampton, directed by David Semel, and first broadcast on The WB on May 5, 1998. Xander joins the Razorbacks swim team to find out why their best team members are being killed by horn-headed, ridge-skinned "gill monsters".
"Bad Girls" is episode fourteen of season three of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was written by Doug Petrie, directed by Michael Lange, and first broadcast on February 9, 1999 on The WB.
A popular American TV show from the late 1990s through early 2000s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has had a tremendous influence on popular culture that has attracted serious scholarly attention. Even the language used on the show has affected modern colloquial expressions.
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor and filmmaker. His film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films throughout the 1980s, including Radio Days (1987) and Big Business (1988).
Nancy Lenehan is an American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1980 action comedy film Smokey and the Bandit II and later had supporting roles in films She's Having a Baby (1988), Pleasantville (1998), and Catch Me If You Can (2002). Better known for her television appearances, Lenehan was regular cast member in a number of short-lived sitcoms, including Great Scott! (1992), The Faculty (1996), Married to the Kellys (2003–04), Worst Week (2008–09), How to Be a Gentleman (2011), and People of Earth (2016–17). She also had recurring roles on Grace Under Fire, My Name Is Earl, Caroline in the City, Ellen, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Veep.
"Welcome to the Hellmouth" is the series premiere of the American supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It originally aired on The WB on March 10, 1997 in a two-hour premiere along with the following episode, "The Harvest". The episode was written by the series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon and directed by Charles Martin Smith. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" received a Nielsen rating of 3.4 upon its original airing and received largely positive reviews from critics.
"Witch" is the third episode of the first season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). It serves as the show's first regular episode after the Pilot and originally aired in the United States on March 17, 1997, on The WB. Sometimes billed as "The Witch", the episode was directed by Stephen Cragg and was the first episode not written by show creator Joss Whedon and the first of seven with no vampire in it.
Lily Aldrin is a fictional character in the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother. Lily is portrayed by American actress Alyson Hannigan. She is married to Marshall Eriksen and is the best friend of Ted Mosby, Robin Scherbatsky and Barney Stinson. Lily is a kindergarten teacher and an amateur painter. In the eighth season, she gets a job as an art consultant. Lily is also the only member of the original main cast of the series who has not appeared in every episode because Alyson Hannigan took leave after giving birth to her first child.
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