Amber Benson 220250 224685729 2008-07-09T23:33:22Z Rjwilmsi 203434 no 'of' between a month and a year per [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_%28dates_and_numbers%29#Longer_periods|MOS]] using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{Infobox actor | bgcolour = | name = Amber Benson | image = Amber Benson.jpg | imagesize = 200px | caption = Amber Benson at the ''Buffy'' "wrap party" in 2003. | birthname = Amber Nicole Benson | birthdate = {{birth date and age|1977|1|8}} | location = [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]], [[Alabama]], [[United States|U.S.]] | deathdate = | deathplace = | height = 5ft 5.75in (1.67m) | othername = | homepage = | notable role = '''[[Tara Maclay]]''' in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' | academyawards = | emmyawards = | spouse = }} '''Amber Nicole Benson''', born on [[January 8]], [[1977]], is an [[United States|American]] [[actress]], [[writer]], [[film director]], and [[film producer]]. She is best known for her role as "[[Tara Maclay]]", on the [[TV series]] ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. ==Early life== Benson was born in [[Birmingham, Alabama]]. She had a mixed [[Christianity|Christian]] and [[judaism|Jewish]] upbringing.<ref name="Benson">{{cite web | last =| first =| authorlink =| coauthors =| title=Amber chatted at Yahoo! on Thursday, [[March 8]], [[2001]]. Here's the transcript, provided by Coax, sans chat typos| publisher =The Essence of Amber| date =[[2001-03-08]] | url =http://fansites.hollywood.com/~amber/article-yahoo0301.html| format =| accessdate =2006-12-13 }}</ref><ref name="Benson2">{{cite news | last =Bloom| first =Nate| coauthors=| title =Celebrity Jews| pages=| publisher =Jewish News of Greater Phoenix| date=[[2003-06-06]]| url =http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/030606/jews.shtml| accessdate =2006-12-13 }}</ref> ==Career== ===Feature and animation films=== While still working on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Benson wrote, directed, produced, edited, and acted in a [[digital video]] feature called ''[[Chance (film)|Chance]]'' ([[2002]]) which also featured [[James Marsters]]. After her time on Buffy, Benson began production on a series of animation films for the BBC with co-creator [[Christopher Golden]] and animation studio [[Cosgrove Hall]]. ''[[Ghosts of Albion]]: Legacy'' ([[2003]]) and its sequels are available on the BBC Cult website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ghosts/legacy/). In 2006, Benson released her second independent feature film ''[[Lovers, Liars and Lunatics]]'' through her own production company, Benson Entertainment. The film was shot on film and was partly financed by the sale of limited edition "[[Triangle (Buffy episode)|Triangle]]" Tara [[Buffyverse]] [[action figures|action figure]]. The project, initially called "The Dirty Script," was ultimately titled "Lovers, Liars and Lunatics" by producer, Diane Benson. ===Writing career: novels and comics=== Benson also writes novels and comic books mostly in collaboration with [[Christopher Golden]]. In 2003, Benson worked with Golden, [[Terry Moore (comics)|Terry Moore]], and Eric Powell of [[Dark Horse Comics]] to create the ''[[Willow & Tara (Buffy comic)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Tara]]'' comic book titled “WannaBlessedBe”. During the same year, she worked with Christopher Golden and AJ (Ajit Jothikaumar) of Dark Horse Comics to create the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Tara'' comic books titled ''Wilderness #1'' and ''Wilderness #2''. In 2005, Benson collaborated with artist [[Jamie McKelvie]] on a short story within the [[Image Comics]] collection ''[[Four Letter Worlds]]''. In 2006, Benson collaborated with artist [[Ben Templesmith]] on ''Demon Father John’s Pinwheel Blues'' published by [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] as a four-part split-book, ''[[Shadowplay (comic book)|Shadowplay]]'' (with work by [[Ashley Wood]] and [[Christina Z]]). Benson and Golden have also collaborated on two supernatural thrillers: ''Ghosts of Albion: Accursed'' and ''Ghosts of Albion: Witchery''. These books follow the fortunes of Tamara and William Swift, who first appeared in the BBC [[computer animated]] web movie ''[[Ghosts of Albion]]: Legacy''. In December 2006, Benson and Golden released yet another collaboration, the short novel ''The Seven Whistlers'' which is distributed through Subterranean Press in a limited number of signed copies. In September 2007, Benson signed a three-book deal with Ginjer Buchanan of Penguin Books. The first book is titled ''Death's Daughter''. Death's Daughter is currently (as of June 2008) listed as an Ace imprint paperback, ISBN 978-0441016945, with a release date of February 24, 2009. ===Career: miscellaneous=== In 2003, she collaborated with director [[James Kerwin]] to produce her play, ''Albert Hall'', in [[Hollywood]]. Benson sang in the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' musical episode "[[Once More, with Feeling (Buffy episode)|Once More, with Feeling]]". She provided vocals for the songs "I've Got a Theory / Bunnies / If We're Together", "Under Your Spell" (her solo), "Walk Through the Fire", "Standing/Under Your Spell (Reprise)" and "Where Do We Go from Here?" She also sang "Toucha Toucha Touch Me" (aka "Creature of the Night") at [[VH-1]]'s celebrity [[karaoke]] tribute to ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]''. She co-wrote the movie "The Theory of the Leisure Class" in 1997. It co-starred Brad Renfro. == Personal life == <!-- Do not add speculation about who Benson may be dating or who she may have dated in the past without reading the talk page. --> On the [[2000-11-02]] episode of the radio show ''[[Loveline]]'', Amber (at age 23) revealed that she did not have a driver's license, that her mother drove her to the studio, and stated that she was at the time still a virgin.<ref>http://shows.lovelinearchive.com/Loveline%20-%202000-11-02%20(Guest%20-%20Amber%20Benson).mp3</ref><ref name="Loveline transcript">{{ cite web |url=http://www.dolland.net/loveline/transcripts/amberbenson/2000-11-02.html |publisher=The Loveline Companion |title=Partial transcript of Loveline appearance on 11/02/2000 |accessdate=2007-01-26 }}</ref> As of 2007, Benson resides in [[Los Angeles, California]]. She is a former [[vegetarian]].<ref>[http://outsmartmagazine.com/cms-this_issue/200804--Beyond+Buffy.html OutSmart Interview]</ref> == Filmography == *''[[King of the Hill (film)|King of the Hill]]'' (1993 film; not the TV series) - as Ella McShane *''[[The Crush]]'' (1993) - as Cheyenne *''[[S.F.W.]]'' (1994) - as Barbara 'Babs' Wyler *''[[Imaginary Crimes]]'' (1994) - as Margaret *''[[Bye Bye Love (film)|Bye Bye Love]]'' (1995) - as Meg Damico *''[[Can't Hardly Wait]]'' (1998) - as Stephanie, the Stoned Banana-holding Girl (scenes deleted from the final cut) *''Take It Easy'' (1999) - as Justy *''Deadtime'' (1999) - as Patty *''[[The Prime Gig]]'' (2000) - as Batgirl *''Hollywood, Pennsylvania'' (2001) - as Mandy Calhoun *''[[Don's Plum]]'' (2001) - as Amy *''Taboo'' (2002) - as Piper *''[[Chance (movie)|Chance]]'' (2002) - as Chance *''[[Latter Days]]'' (2003) - as Traci Levine *''[[Intermedio (film)|Intermedio]]'' (2005) - as Barbie *''Race You to the Bottom'' (2005) - as Maggie *''[[Lovers, Liars & Lunatics]]'' (2006) - as Justine *''Simple Things'' (2006) - as Sally *''Tripping Forward'' (2006) - as Gwen *''Strictly Sexual'' (2006) - as Donna *''Girltrash!'' (2007) - Svetlana 'Lana' Dragovich *''One-Eyed Monster'' (2007) - as Laura *''Act Your Age'' (2006) - as Julia *''Shifter'' (2008) - as Kimi *''[[Kiss the Bride (2008 film)|Kiss the Bride]]'' (2008) - as Elly == Television == (Includes made-for-TV movies and TV series) *''Jack Reed: Badge of Honor'' (1993) TV movie - Nicole Reed *''Jack Reed: A Search for Justice'' (1994) TV movie - Nicole Reed *''Jack Reed: One of Our Own'' (1995) TV movie - Nicole Reed *''[[Promised Land (1996 TV series)|Promised Land]]'' (1998) TV series - Amy Farnsworth (episode titled "Out of Bounds") *''[[Cracker (US TV series)|Cracker]]'' (1999) TV series - Amy (episode titled "The Club") *''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' (in 1999-2002 seasons) TV series - [[Tara Maclay]] *''The Enforcers'' (2001) TV miniseries - Abby *''[[Cold Case]]'' (2004) TV series - Julia Hoffman (episode titled "Volunteers") *''[[The Inside]]'' (2005) TV series - Allison Davis (episode titled "The Perfect Couple") *''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' (2006) TV series - Lenore (episode titled "[[Bloodlust (Supernatural)|Bloodlust]]") *''Holiday Wishes'' (2006) TV movie - Danni Hartford *''[[Gryphon (film)|Gryphon]]'' (2007) TV movie - Princess Amelia of Lockland *''Long Island Confidential'' (2008) TV series pilot *''7 Things to Do Before I'm 30'' (2008) TV movie - Lori Madison ==Books in print== ===Ghosts of Albion=== * ''Accursed'' (with [[Christopher Golden]]) (Del Rey, 2005) * ''Witchery'' (with [[Christopher Golden]]) (Del Rey, 2006) * ''The Ghosts of Albion Roleplaying Game'' (with Timothy S. Brannan and Christopher Golden) (Eden Studios, 2007) ===Buffy the Vampire Slayer: [[Willow & Tara (Buffy comic)]] (2003)=== * ''WannaBlessedBe'' (with Christopher Golden) * ''Wilderness, Part 1'' (with Christopher Golden) * ''Wilderness, Part 2'' (with Christopher Golden) ===Other=== * ''Shadowplay'' #1-4 (with [[Ben Templesmith]]) (2005) * ''The Seven Whistlers'' (with Christopher Golden) (2006) ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{commons|Amber Benson}} *{{imdb name|id=0072435|name=Amber Benson}} *http://www.amberbenson.fr *[http://www.essenceofamber.com The Essence of Amber] website approved by Amber Benson *[http://www.flamesrising.com/interview-with-actress-and-author-amber-benson Interview at Flames Rising] (October 2005) *[http://www.lesbianation.com/article.cfm?section=9&id=13596 Interview at LesbiaNation.com] (May 2007) *[http://slayerlit.us/interviews/interview1.htm Interview at SlayerLit] {{Buffyversenav}} <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME=Benson, Amber |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Benson, Amber Nicole |SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor |DATE OF BIRTH=[[January 8]] [[1977]] |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Birmingham, Alabama]] |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Amber}} [[Category:1977 births]] [[Category:American comics writers]] [[Category:Women comics writers]] [[Category:American television actors]] [[Category:American Jews]] [[Category:Jewish actors]] [[Category:Jewish American writers]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama]] [[bg:Амбър Бенсън]] [[de:Amber Benson]] [[es:Amber Benson]] [[fr:Amber Benson]] [[it:Amber Benson]] [[he:אמבר בנסון]] [[nl:Amber Benson]] [[ja:アンバー・ベンソン]] [[pl:Amber Benson]] [[simple:Amber Benson]] [[fi:Amber Benson]] [[sv:Amber Benson]] [[tr:Amber Benson]]