Charisma Carpenter (born July 23, 1970)Emppire Magazine Bio is an American actress. She played Cordelia Chase in the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–1999) and its spin-off series Angel (1999–2004). She also starred as Kyra in Charmed (2004), Kendall Casablancas in Veronica Mars (2005–2006), Rebecca Sewell in The Lying Game (2012–2013), and Lacy in The Expendables film series (2010–2012).
Early life Carpenter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, the only biological child of Christine, a bird sanctuary worker, and Don Carpenter, a salesman. She is of Spanish (from her maternal grandfather), French, and German descent. Carpenter attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas; she was also a part of a song-and-dance troupe which performed in the Las Vegas Valley when she was nine years old.
When Carpenter was 15, her family moved to Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico and then to San Diego, California. She attended Bonita Vista High School and Chula Vista School of the Creative and Performing Arts. After graduation, Carpenter traveled throughout Europe. When she returned to San Diego, she worked as a video store clerk, an aerobics instructor, and in property management. In 1991, she worked as a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers football team. In 1992, she moved to Los Angeles.
While swimming in San Diego in 1991, she and two male friends were attacked by Henry Hubbard, Jr., a former San Diego police officer and serial rapist, who attempted to subdue them at gunpoint. During the struggle, both her friends and Hubbard were shot, forcing him to flee the scene; both friends survived the attack. Hubbard was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 56 years in prison for a series of rapes and robberies. Carpenter brought Hubbard's police-issued flashlight from the beach, which he had left at the scene, and the flashlight became a key piece of evidence used against him.
Career Carpenter was discovered by a commercial agent while waiting tables in Los Angeles to save money for her college education. This led to her role on theatrical productions and more than 20 commercials. She made her first television role in 1994 by appearing in an episode of Baywatch. Shortly after that, she landed a starring role in the NBC short-lived teen drama/soap opera series Malibu Shores.
In 1996, Carpenter auditioned for the title role in The WB supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but instead was cast as Cordelia Chase, a snobby and popular high school student. After three seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Carpenter was offered an even larger role as the same character on the spin-off series Angel alongside David Boreanaz. She played Cordelia Chase for four seasons on Angel. Although her character leaves the series during Angels fourth season, Carpenter returned for the 100th episode in the fifth and final season.
In 2004, Carpenter had a guest appearance in The WB fantasy drama series Charmed as a psychic demon named Kyra for three episodes and played a recurring role on NBC's Miss Match, appearing in four episodes. She also had a recurring role as Kendall Casablancas in the UPN mystery drama series Veronica Mars for the 2005–06 season, appearing in 11 episodes. Carpenter guest-starred in the first-season finale of the ABC Family comedy-drama series Greek and reprised her role for two episodes of season two. According to TV Guide in September 2007, she was set to join the cast of The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition, but instead she chose to do a guest appearance in the Fox comedy series Back to You, as well as a two-episode role on the short-lived series Big Shots. Carpenter also had a guest appearance in an April 2009 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation entitled "The Descent of Man".
On March 20, 2008, Paley Fest hosted a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion. Carpenter attended the event alongside Buffy creator Joss Whedon, producers Marti Noxon and David Greenwalt, and other Buffy alumni, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, Seth Green, and Michelle Trachtenberg.
Carpenter has starred in an assortment of made-for-TV and direct-to-video films, including the sex comedy What Boys Like, the horror film Voodoo Moon, and the romantic comedies See Jane Date and Relative Chaos on ABC Family (the latter of which co-starred fellow Buffy alumnus Nicholas Brendon). She also appeared in the original films Flirting with Danger and Cheaters' Club (both 2006), both on Lifetime and the Syfy original film House of Bones broadcast in 2010, around the same time as her guest spot in Legend of the Seeker.
In 2009, Carpenter starred in production company Red Sparrow's first film, Psychosis, which was released on January 11, 2011. In August 2010, she had a supporting role in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables. After the success of The Expendables, Carpenter was cast in Human Factor and in the indie thriller Crash Site. She appeared in an episode of the seventh season of Supernatural alongside Buffy co-star James Marsters. In 2012, Carpenter landed a recurring role as Rebecca Sewell in the first season of ABC Family drama series The Lying Game. She was upgraded to a series regular for the second season. Later in the same year, she reprised her role as Lacy in The Expendables 2.
On August 28, 2013, Surviving Evil (original working title: I Survived Evil) debuted on Investigation Discovery, with Carpenter as host; in the premiere episode, Carpenter herself was featured as a crime survivor, revisiting the horrific attack her two friends and she suffered at the hands of violent serial rapist and police officer Henry Hubbard, Jr., on San Diego's Torrey Pines State Beach in 1991. She starred in the 2015 erotic film Bound, alongside Morgan Obenreder, which received a lukewarm reception. She later led the television film Mommy's Secret.
In 2025, Carpenter announced her new re-watch podcast called, The Bitch Is Back! where she will watch for the first-time every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
Public image
Carpenter was named number 31 on AskMen's Top 99 Most Desirable Women 2002 and No. 44 on their 2005 list. Despite this, Carpenter has stated she does not view herself as a sex symbol.
Carpenter appeared on the cover and in a 10-page nude pictorial of the June 2004 issue of Playboy magazine. When she was asked by People in 2005 whether she would ever pose for Playboy again, she replied, "I don't know. I did Playboy for a very specific reason. Not only was it a good financial move, but [also] it was about the place I was at in my life. I had just had my son, and I'd gained 50 pounds during pregnancy. I wanted to get back to my old self. I wanted to feel desirable and sexy. So I thought, 'What if I went full throttle'?"
Personal life Carpenter married Damian Hardy on October 5, 2002, in her hometown of Las Vegas. In March 2003, Carpenter gave birth to a son, Donovan Charles Hardy. In late 2007, the couple separated and their divorce was finalized on July 8, 2008. Carpenter is Catholic.
In February 2021, Carpenter spoke out against director Joss Whedon in support of Ray Fisher, who claimed to have experienced a toxic environment at the hands of Whedon on the set of Justice League, accusing Whedon of dismissing her from Angel in 2003 because of her pregnancy. She added that she had participated in the investigation of Whedon's behavior towards Fisher on the set of Justice League.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1995Josh Kirby... Time Warrior!: Chapter 1, Planet of the Dino-KnightsBeth SullivanDirect to videoJosh Kirby... Time Warrior!: Chapter 2, the Human Pets1996Josh Kirby... Time Warrior!: Chapter 6, Last Battle for the Universe2003What Boys LikeKim2010PsychosisSusan GoldenThe ExpendablesLacy2012The Expendables 2Heaven's DoorJulie2015BoundMichelle MulanStreet LevelSydney2016Girl in WoodsMomma2018Mail Order MonsterSydney Hart The Griddle HouseMae-Bee2019Pegasus: Pony with a Broken WingMelanie Killian2023Hold You So TightStephanie Mendelbaum
Television Year Title Role Notes1994BaywatchWendie SandersEpisode: "Air Buchannon"1995Boy Meets WorldCatererEpisode: "Train of Fools"1996Malibu ShoresAshley GreenMain role1997–1999Buffy the Vampire SlayerCordelia Chase1999–2004Angel1999Hey Arnold!SimoneVoice role; episode: "Phoebe Skips"2001Strange FrequencyJulesEpisode: "Don't Fear the Reaper"2003See Jane DateJane GrantTV movie Miss MatchSerena Lockner4 episodes2004The DivisionEmma CampbellEpisode: "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep"Like Cats and DogsSarah HayesTV movieLAXJulie RandomEpisode: "Thanksgiving"CharmedKyra3 episodes2005–2006Veronica MarsKendall CasablancasRecurring role 2006Flirting with DangerLaura CliffordTV movieVoodoo MoonHeatherCheaters' ClubLinda SternRelative ChaosKatherine2007Back to YouBrooke SchimmelEpisode: "Gracie's Bully"2007–2009 & 2011GreekTegan Walker4 episodes2008Big ShotsJanelle JohnsEpisodes: "The Better Man" and "Who's the Boss?"2009CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationMinkEpisode: "The Descent of Man"Legend of the SeekerTrianaEpisode: "Marked"2010House of BonesHeather BurtonTV movie2011Crash Site: A Family in DangerRita SaundersDeadly Sibling RivalryJanna / CallieBurn NoticeNicki SkylerEpisode: "Better Halves"A Trusted ManSonia PastonTV movieSupernaturalMaggie StarkEpisode: "Shut Up, Dr. Phil"2012GhostquakePersia the LibrarianTV movie2012–2013 The Lying GameRebecca SewellMain role2013–2016Surviving EvilHerselfSeries host and co-executive producer; also episode: "Terror Beach"2013Blue BloodsMarianne RomanoEpisode: "Growing Boys"2014Sons of AnarchyCarolEpisode: "Red Rose"2015 A Horse TailSamantha HarrisonTV movieScream QueensMrs. HerfmannEpisode: "Chainsaw"2016Chicago P.D.Brianna LoganEpisodes: "A Night Owl" & "Forty-Caliber Bread Crumb"I Like You Just the Way I AmPattyLuciferJamie Lee AdrienneEpisode: "The Weaponizer"Mommy's SecretAnne HardingTV movie2017Criminal Minds: Beyond BordersDani GatesEpisode: "Abominable"Battle of the Network StarsHerselfContestant; "Sci-Fi/Fantasy" team20199-1-1MaudeEpisode: "This Life We Choose"No Good NickJacquelynPandoraEveEpisode: "Simple Twist of Fate"2021 The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill StoryMichele MacNeillTV movie2022Going HomeKatherine Sumner4 episodesDynastyHeatherEpisode: "There's No One Around to Watch You Drown"2025 The Doctor with Two FacesDr. Joan UngerTV movie2026The Dating App NightmareRena
Internet YearTitleRoleNotes2025–presentThe Bitch Is BackHerselfPodcaster. Lead role
Video games YearRoleNotes2002Buffy the Vampire SlayerCordelia Chase
References
External links