Kristy Swanson

KRISTY SWANSON

Date of Birth: December 19, 1969

Born in Mission Viejo, California, to parents who were both physical education teachers, Swanson knew early on that she wanted to act. At the suggestion of a family friend, she took it upon herself to send some Kodak snapshots to the well-known Mary Grady Agency in Los Angeles, and within three days she was signed to the agency and appearing in her first commercial advertising a dollhouse. She was only nine at the time. She went on to build up over 30 commercials on her resumé.

By the age of 13, she signed on to do her first series, Dreamfinder. The demands of the work and three-hour commutes for casting calls began to take its toll on her studies. But her parents decided to teach Swanson at home, which helped balance school and work for her. By the age of 15, she completed high school and her career continued to prosper.

After landing small roles in films like Ferris Buehler's Day Off and Pretty In Pink, she went on to star in Wes Craven's Deadly Friend, Flowers in the Attic, Diving In, Highway to Hell, Hot Shots!, Mannequin Two: On the Move and landed the title role in the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Although the film inspired the highly popular television series, it failed at the box office and with critics and viewers alike. The failure of the highly-touted Buffy resulted in a number of negligible career moves for Swanson, including the role of a Beverly Hills princess accidentally kidnapped by fugitive Charlie Sheen in The Chase (1994). At the end of the millennium things started to look up for Swanson as she landed roles in hit films like Big Daddy (1999), starring Adam Sandler, but her career since then has consisted of small budget movies and TV appearances.

In an effort to revive her career, she agreed to take part in the reality series, Skating with Celebrities, during which she was partnered with Canadian champion Lloyd Eisler. They began an affair, though Eisler was married with two small children, and by January 2007, he was divorced. In February Swanson gave birth to his son. The following July, she was charged with assaulting his ex-wife.

Filmography:

Six Months Later (2005)
Silence (2003)
Soul Assassin (2001)
Meeting Daddy (2000)
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
Big Daddy (1999)
Meeting Daddy (1998)
Ground Control (1998)
Tinseltown (1997)
Lover Girl (1997)
8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997)
Marshal Law (1996)
The Phantom (1996)
Higher Learning (1995)
The Chase (1994)
Getting In (1994)
The Program (1993)
Highway to Hell (1992)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Diving In (1991)
Hot Shots! (1991)
Mannequin 2: On the Move (1991)
Dream Trap (1990)
Flowers in the Attic (1987)
Deadly Friend (1986)
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)