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Julie Benz Profile |
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Birth Date: May 1, 1972
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Birth Place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Birth Name: Julie Benz
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Height: 5'4"
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Biography |
Julie Benz (born May 1, 1972 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is
an American actress. Benz grew up in Murrysville,
Pennsylvania, and graduated from Franklin Regional High
School. She later graduated from New York University.
Initially, Benz followed her mother and older siblings,
Jeffrey and Jennifer, into the figure skating field, and
competed in the 1988 US Junior Ice Skating Championship.
Benz gave up her pursuit of ice skating after an accident.
Benz achieved her first acting role in a local play in 1989.
She is best known for playing the vampire Darla in the TV
series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where she was the first
character seen on screen and spoke the first line, and later
in the spin-off series, Angel. She has acted in such films
as Jawbreaker and As Good as It Gets.
Benz also provided the voice of Miranda Keyes in the video
game Halo 2, though she will not return to the role in the
upcoming sequel Halo 3 as Bungie wanted to try a new
direction with the Miranda Keyes by giving the character an
accent.
She is married to actor John Kassir.
For her role as Rita Bennett on Dexter, Benz won the 2006
Satellite Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a
Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. |
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Other
Information |
She competed in the 1988 U.S. Championships in junior ice
dancing with David Schilling, placing 13th. Her older sister
and brother, Jennifer and Jeffrey, were the 1987 U.S. Junior
Champions in ice dancing and competed internationally.
Auditioned for a role in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). She was
called back to audition for the role again, but decided
against it when she was going to have to do the scene
topless.
Was once ranked the number 12 ice skater in the United
States. Julie has lost two roles to Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The first was the role of Kendall Hart on "All My Children"
(1970). The second was the role of Buffy on TV's "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer" (1997).
She was originally cast to play the character "Ellie Sparks"
in the un-aired pilot of the TV show "Glory Days" (2002).
Attended Franklin Regional Sr. High School in Murrysville,
Pennsylvania
Was originally picked to play the part of Matty Jensen in
the film West of Brooklyn (2006) but was replaced by Natalia
Livingston. |
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