Kristy Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer and appeared in the 1996 film The Phantom.
Her first starring role was in Wes Craven's horror film Deadly Friend (1986), followed by her portrayal of Catherine "Cathy" Dollanganger in the 1987 film adaptation of V. C. Andrews's Flowers in the Attic (1987). Swanson also starred in several films, including Hot Shots! (1991), Mannequin Two: On the Move (1991), The Program (1993), The Chase (1994), 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997), Big Daddy (1999), and Dude, Where's My Car? (2000).
Early life Swanson was born in South Laguna, California at the South Coast Community Hospital and was raised in Mission Viejo, California by her parents Rosemary Albrecht and Robert Russell Swanson, a high school teacher. At the age of nine, she expressed interest in acting to her parents, and began pursuing roles in television commercials. She landed her first job appearing in a doll house commercial, which was followed with several more commercial appearances.
Career Swanson began her acting career at The Actors Workshop with R. J. Adams and promptly moved into TV advertising roles and several one-off appearances in TV series such as Cagney & Lacey and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1986, she debuted on the big screen in two John Hughes films: Pretty in Pink, in a non-speaking role, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off as a character who announces a convoluted excuse for Ferris's absence in class. Her first starring role was later in 1986, in Wes Craven's Deadly Friend as Samantha"the girl next door." The next year she played Cathy in Flowers in the Attic, an adaptation of V. C. Andrews' bestselling novel.
Swanson described how she was cast in Pretty in Pink: "[Writer] John Hughes said, 'We're re-shooting the end of Pretty in Pink. I was wondering if you would come be in this scene with our main character, Ducky, because the way we tested it in the movie theater, it didn't work. We need him to end up with somebody else at the end of the movie. So would you play the part?'"
By 1990, Swanson had made many television appearances, including multiple appearances in Knots Landing (1987–1988), Nightingales (1989), her first starring role in a television series, although it only lasted a season, and a short-lived Burt Reynolds television series called B.L. Stryker (1989).
Throughout the 1990s, she starred mostly in films. She played the title role in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although not a hit at the box office originally, it had a profitable rental life. She appeared in both starring and supporting roles in films such as Hot Shots!, The Program, The Chase, and her most critically acclaimed role, playing Kristen Connor, a student discovering her sexuality, in John Singleton's Higher Learning. She also appeared in the film adaptation of the comic-book The Phantom and the dark comedy 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag with Joe Pesci. Most of these films failed at the box office, and she reverted to television work in the late 1990s.
In the 1998–99 season of Early Edition, Swanson played Erica Paget, a love interest of the main character, Gary Hobson. In 1999, Swanson played Vanessa, the ex-girlfriend of Adam Sandler in the film Big Daddy. In 2000, she returned to a television series, as the star of Grapevine, a revamp of a 1992 TV series that was canceled after five episodes. The same year, she starred in the successful film Dude, Where's My Car?, alongside Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott and Jennifer Garner.
Swanson posed nude for Playboy magazine in November 2002 in a cover-featured pictorial. She appeared in and won in the 2006 Fox television program Skating with Celebrities, partnered with Lloyd Eisler.
In 2007, she became a spokesperson of the Medifast diet. In the following year, she guest-starred in three episodes of the lesbian web series 3Way. In the same year, she appeared in an episode Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
In 2021, a release date of June 15 was announced for Swanson's recent feature and a Jennifer Nichole Lee and Paul Schneider collaboration, Just Another Dream. She co-starred alongside long-time friend Dean Cain.
Personal life Swanson married her Skating with Celebrities partner Lloyd Eisler in 2009. They have a son, and two children from his previous marriage.
Swanson has described herself as "a proud republican" and "#MAGA since 1969". She co-starred with Dean Cain in a pro-Trump stage play titled FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers directed by conservative filmmaker Phelim McAleer. Swanson has said that she received death threats as a result.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1986 Pretty in Pink Duckette Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story Stephanie Gamble TV movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off Simone Adamley Deadly Friend Samantha Pringle 1987 Not Quite Human Eron Jeffries TV movie Flowers in the Attic Catherine "Cathy" Dollanganger 1988 Nightingales Rebecca "Becky" Granger TV movie 1990 Dream Trap Sue Halloran Diving In Terry Hopkins 1991 Mannequin Two: On the Move Jessie Hot Shots! Kowalski 1992 Highway to Hell Rachel Clark Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy Summers 1993 The Chili Con Carne Club Julie Short The Program Camille Shafer1994 Natalie Voss Getting In Kirby Watts 1995 Higher Learning Kristen Connor 1996 Diana Palmer Marshal Law Lilly Nelson TV movie 1997 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag Laurie Bennett Lover Girl Darlene Ferrari/"Sherry" Tinseltown Nikki Randall Bad to the Bone Francesca Wells TV movie 1998 Ground Control Julie Albrecht 1999 Supreme Sanction Jenna TV movie Big Daddy Vanessa 2000 Meeting Daddy Laurel Lee Dude, Where's My Car? Christie Boner 2001 Soul Assassin Tessa Jansen Zebra Lounge Louise Bauer TV movie 2002 Dead Silence Dr. Julia Craig 2003 Red Water Dr. Kelli Raymond TV movie 2005 Bound by Lies Laura Cross Video Forbidden Secrets Alexandra Kent Lambeth TV movie Six Months Later Linda Short 2006 Shannon Muir TV movie Living Death Elizabeth Harris Video 2009 Kaitlyn Short 2010 What If... Wendy Walker 2011 Swamp Shark Rachel Bouchard TV movie Martha Evans TV movie Chick Magnet Kristy Video 2012 Little Women, Big Cars Rocky Little Women, Big Cars 2 Rocky Operation Cupcake Janet Carson TV movie 2013 Terri Benton Storm Rider Jody Peterson 2014 Mom and Dad Undergrads Megan Mills TV movie Beethoven's Treasure Tail Anne Parker Video A Belle For Christmas Daniella Downy Merry Ex-Mas Noelle TV movie 2015 Driven Underground Sarah Palmer TV movie Angels in the Snow Judith Montgomery TV movie 2017 Crowning Jules Victoria A Mother's Sacrifice Kathrin TV movie 2018 Bad Stepmother Louise TV movie Winter's Dream Kat Miller TV movie Killer Under the Bed Sarah Mimesis Nosferatu Max's Mother 2019 PupParazzi Latte (voice) 2020 Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Marlowe Viccellio TV movie The ObamaGate Movie Lisa Page 2021 Trafficked: A Parent's Worst Nightmare Joanna Riley Courting Mom and Dad Sarah Lambert Just Another Dream Cindy Miller 2026 Run Hide Fight: Infidels Deputy Quill
Television Year Title Role Notes 1984 It's Your Move Laura Episode: "Love Letters" 1985 Call to Glory Sally Episodes: "JFK: Parts 1 & 2" Cagney & Lacey Stephanie Brandon Episode: "On the Street" 1986 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Female Student #2 Episode: "The Gloating Place" Disneyland Jennifer Davis Episode: "Mr. Boogedy" Linda Perkins Episode: "The Big Fix-Up" 1987 Growing Pains Rhonda Episode: "Thank God It's Friday" 1987–1988 Knots Landing Jody Campbell Recurring Cast: Season 9 1988 Ohara Jennifer Collins Episode: "X" 1989 Nightingales Rebecca "Becky" Granger Main Cast B.L. Stryker Lynn Ellingsworth Recurring Cast: Season 1 1998–1999 Early Edition Erica Paget Main Cast: Season 3 1999 The Directors Herself Episode: "The Films of Wes Craven" 2000 Grapevine Susan Crawford Main Cast 2002 Backstory Herself Episode: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" I Love the '80s Herself Episode: "1986" 2003 The Christopher Lowell Show Herself Episode: "Small Spaces" Just Shoot Me! Allison Cavanaugh Episode: "There's Something About Allison" 2004 CSI: Miami Roxanne Price Episode: "Complications" 2006 Skating with Celebrities Herself Main Cast 2007 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Lorelai Mailer Episode: "Bombshell" 2008 3Way Leslie Lapdalulu Recurring Cast 2009 Whatever Happened To? Herself Episode: "Unlikely Heroes" Hell's Kitchen Herself Guest Cast: Season 5-6 American Chopper Herself Episode: "Iraq Star Foundation Bike" 2010 One Tree Hill Woman in Car Episode: "Don't You Forget About Me" . 2011 Comedy Central Roast Herself Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen" 2011–2014 Psych Marlowe Viccellio Recurring Cast: Season 6-8 2012 unCONventional Herself Recurring Cast 2018 Gutfeld! Herself/Guest Panelist Episode: "August 4, 2018" 2019 SEAL Team Julia Logan Recurring Cast: Season 4 2022 Sons of Thunder Linda Gibson Main Cast: Season 2
Music videos Year Song Artist Role 1992 "Keep It Comin' (Dance Till You Can't Dance No More)" C+C Music Factory featuring Q-Unique and Deborah Cooper Buffy Summers 2017 "Yours If You Want It" Rascal Flatts Stacy
Awards and nominations Wins 1989: Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Horror or Mystery Motion PictureFlowers in the Attic 2019: Independent Women's Forum Annual Award GalaResilience Award
Nominations 2021: Royal Starr Film Festival for Best Feature FilmJust Another Dream 2012: Movieguide Awards for Most Inspirational Television ActingA Christmas Wish 2011: Movieguide Awards for Most Inspiring Movie ActingWhat If... 1992: Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best ActressBuffy the Vampire Slayer 1988: Young Artist Award for Best Young Female Superstar in Motion PicturesDeadly Friend 1987: Young Artist Award for Exceptional Young Actress Starring in a Television Special or Movie of the WeekMr. Boogedy 1986: Young Artist Award for Best Young ActressGuest in a Television SeriesCagney & Lacey episode "On the Street"
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