Charisma Carpenter

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title: "Charisma Carpenter" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1970-births", "living-people", "20th-century-american-actresses", "20th-century-roman-catholics", "21st-century-american-actresses", "21st-century-roman-catholics", "actresses-from-las-vegas", "american-cheerleaders", "american-film-actresses", "american-roman-catholics", "american-television-actresses", "bishop-gorman-high-school-alumni", "catholics-from-nevada", "nfl-cheerleaders", "people-from-chula-vista,-california", "actresses-from-san-diego-county,-california", "bonita-vista-high-school-alumni"] description: "American actress (born 1970)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charisma_Carpenter" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actress (born 1970) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Charisma Carpenter
image	Charisma Carpenter Photo Op Nightmare Weekend Cleveland 2025.jpg
caption	Carpenter in 2025
birth_date
birth_place	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
occupation	Actress
years_active	1994–present
spouse
children	1
::

| name = Charisma Carpenter | image = Charisma Carpenter Photo Op Nightmare Weekend Cleveland 2025.jpg | caption = Carpenter in 2025 | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1994–present | spouse = | children = 1

Charisma Carpenter (born July 23, 1970) 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-issue 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 twenty 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. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Charisma_Carpenter_by_Stanley_Lui_adjusted.jpg" caption="Carpenter at the Fan Expo 2007 Convention in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario"] ::

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 2. 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 alum 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 she and two friends 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.

Public image

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Charisma_Carpenter_May_2015.jpg" caption="Carpenter in 2016"] ::

Carpenter was named No. 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 ten-page nude pictorial of the June 2004 issue of Playboy magazine. When she was asked by People magazine 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 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 behaviour towards Fisher on the set of Justice League.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table title="List of performances by Charisma Carpenter in film"]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Josh Kirby... Time Warrior!: Chapter 1, Planet of the Dino-Knights	Beth Sullivan	Direct-to-video
Josh Kirby... Time Warrior!: Chapter 2, the Human Pets	Beth Sullivan	Direct-to-video
1996	Josh Kirby... Time Warrior!: Chapter 6, Last Battle for the Universe	Beth Sullivan	Direct-to-video
2003	What Boys Like	Kim
2010	Psychosis	Susan Golden
The Expendables	Lacy
2012	The Expendables 2
Heaven's Door	Julie
2015	Bound	Michelle Mulan
Street Level	Sydney
2016	Girl in Woods	Momma
2018	Mail Order Monster	Sydney Hart
The Griddle House	Mae-Bee
2019	Pegasus: Pony with a Broken Wing	Melanie Killian
2021	The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story	Michele MacNeill	TV movie
2023	Hold You So Tight	Stephanie Mendelbaum
2025	The Doctor with Two Faces	Dr. Joan Unger
::

Television

::data[format=table title="List of performances by Charisma Carpenter in television"]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Baywatch	Wendie Sanders	Episode: "Air Buchannon"
1995	Boy Meets World	Caterer	Episode: "Train of Fools"
1996	Malibu Shores	Ashley Green	Main role
1997–1999	Buffy the Vampire Slayer	Cordelia Chase	Main role (seasons 1–3)
1999–2004	Angel	Main role (seasons 1–4); guest role (season 5)
1999	Hey Arnold!	Simone	Voice role; episode: "Phoebe Skips"
2001	Strange Frequency	Jules	Episode: "Don't Fear the Reaper"
2003	See Jane Date	Jane Grant	Television film
Miss Match	Serena Lockner	4 episodes
2004	The Division	Emma Campbell	Episode: "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep"
Like Cats and Dogs	Sarah Hayes	Television film
LAX	Julie Random	Episode: "Thanksgiving"
Charmed	Kyra	3 episodes (season 7)
2005–2006	Veronica Mars	Kendall Casablancas	Recurring role (seasons 2–3); 11 episodes
2006	Flirting with Danger	Laura Clifford	Television film
Voodoo Moon	Heather	Television film
Cheaters' Club	Linda Stern	Television film
Relative Chaos	Katherine	Television film
2007	Back to You	Brooke Schimmel	Episode: "Gracie's Bully"
2007–2009, 2011	Greek	Tegan Walker	4 episodes
2008	Big Shots	Janelle Johns	Episodes: "The Better Man" and "Who's the Boss?"
2009	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Mink	Episode: "The Descent of Man"
Legend of the Seeker	Triana	Episode: "Marked"
2010	House of Bones	Heather Burton	Television film
2011	Crash Site: A Family in Danger	Rita Saunders	Television film
Deadly Sibling Rivalry	Janna / Callie	Television film
Burn Notice	Nicki Skyler	Episode: "Better Halves"
A Trusted Man	Sonia Paston	Television film
Supernatural	Maggie Stark	Episode: "Shut Up, Dr. Phil"
2012	Haunted High	Persia the Librarian	Television film
2012–2013	The Lying Game	Rebecca Sewell	Main role
2013–2016	Surviving Evil	Herself	Series host; also episode: "Terror Beach"
2013	Blue Bloods	Maryanne	Episode: "Growing Boys"
2014	Sons of Anarchy	Carol	Episode: "Red Rose"
2015	A Horse Tail	Samantha Harrison	Television film; also known as A Christmas Promise and A Horse Tale
Scream Queens	Mrs. Herfmann	Episode: "Chainsaw"
2016	Chicago P.D.	Brianna Logan	Episodes: "A Night Owl" and "Forty-Caliber Bread Crumb"
Lucifer	Jamie Lee Adrienne	Episode: "The Weaponizer"
Mommy's Secret	Anne Harding	Television film
2017	Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders	Miss Gates	Episode: "Abominable"
2019	9-1-1	Maude	Episode: "This Life We Choose"
No Good Nick	Jacquelyn
Pandora	Eve	Episode: "Simple Twist of Fate"
2021	The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story	Michele MacNeill	Television film
2022	Going Home	Katherine Sumner	4 episodes
Dynasty	Heather	Episode: "There's No One Around to Watch You Drown"
::

Video games

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002); as Cordelia Chase (voice role)

References

References

1. [https://www.empireonline.com/people/charisma-carpenter/ Emppire Magazine Bio]
2. "Charisma Carpenter".
3. "Charisma Carpenter – Overview – MSN Movies".
4. Hernandez, Lee. (April 26, 2010). "15 TV Stars You Never Knew Were Latino".
5. Rodriguez, John. (July 23, 2011). "Charisma Carpenter: I'm a Proud Latina!".
6. Houston, Jack. (July 25, 2014). "9 Biggest Vegas Celebrities".
7. (June 2004). "Earth Angel".
8. Siegler, Bonnie. (2024-05-27). "Charisma Carpenter Says You Can't Take the Vegas Out of a Vegas Girl".
9. Lee, Mariska. (2024-03-28). "She Played Cordelia Chase on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. See Charisma Carpenter Now at 53".
10. Rodriguez, Priscilla. (July 9, 2014). "16 High School Yearbook Pictures of Your Fave Celebs!".
11. (2024-08-09). "Supanova : Charisma Carpenter - Beat Magazine". Beat Magazine.
12. Malloy, Time. (August 3, 2012). "Charisma Carpenter, Survivor of Violent Attack, Hosting Show About Fighting Back". [[TheWrap]].
13. Prud'Homme, Alex. (August 24, 1992). "Beyond Suspicion".
14. Mitovich, Matt Webb. (August 9, 2012). "Exclusive: Charisma Carpenter Opens Up About How She ''Survived Evil'', Plan to Tell Others' Tales".
15. Wood, Stephanie. (July 10, 2013). "Charisma Carpenter: family and therapy helped me get over rapist attack".
16. Molloy, Tim. (August 3, 2012). "Charisma Carpenter, Survivor of Violent Attack, Hosting Show About Fighting Back". [[TheWrap]].
17. Platte, Mark. (August 11, 1992). "S.D. Officer Is Given "56 Years in Beach Attacks : Crime: Henry Hubbard Jr. asks for forgiveness, says he is just beginning to understand his illness". [[Los Angeles Times]].
18. (July 15, 2003). "Angel – Charisma Carpenter As Cordelia Chase – TV Show Cast – Actor Biography & Profile".
19. "BBC - Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Charisma Carpenter plays Cordelia Chase". [[BBC]].
20. "The Charisma Carpenter Picture Pages".
21. "Charisma Carpenter {{!}} Biography, Photos, Movies, TV, Credits". [[Hollywood.com]].
22. Mitovich, Matt Webb. (September 12, 2007). "Exclusive: Buffy's Charisma Stakes Apprentice Spot".
23. Mitovich, Matt. (September 21, 2007). "For Charisma, Trump's Out, Other Big Shots Are In".
24. . (March 8, 2008). ["Paley Fest 2008"](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paley-fest-2008-106506). *[[The Hollywood Reporter]]*.
25. Barton, Steve. (January 16, 2010). "A Trifecta of Jeffery Lando Films to Choose From". [[Dread Central]].
26. Dodd, Stacy. (March 11, 2009). "Austin, Carpenter join 'Expendables'".
27. Heath, Paul. (August 22, 2010). "Charisma Carpenter and Sean Patrick Flanery join Michael Madsen's The Human Factor".
28. Rich, Katey. (August 31, 2010). "Charisma Carpenter and Ty Olsson Sign on for Crash Site".
29. Prud'Homme, Alex. (August 24, 1992). "Beyond Suspicion".
30. "Bound (2015)". [[Rotten Tomatoes]].
31. "Mommy's Secret". [[Lifetime (TV network).
32. "31 Charisma Carpenter".
33. "44 Charisma Carpenter".
34. "AskMen.com Top 99 Most Desirable Women – Charisma Carpenter". [[Hollywood.com]].
35. "Charisma Carpenter".
36. Carpenter, Charisma. (November 4, 2005). "Celebrity Q&A: Veronica Mars' Charisma Carpenter".
37. (November 27, 2007). "''Buffy''{{'}}s Charisma Carpenter, Husband Split".
38. Barile, Louise A.. (March 27, 2003). "Passages: Charisma Carpenter a Mommy".
39. Finn, Natalie. (July 8, 2008). "Charisma Carpenter Hammers Home Divorce". [[E!]].
40. Collins, Charles. (February 11, 2021). "'Buffy' creator accused of abusive behavior, denigrating Catholic beliefs of actress".
41. (February 11, 2021). "Joss Whedon: Buffy stars accuse TV show's 'cruel' creator". BBC News.
42. (February 10, 2021). "Charisma Carpenter Says Joss Whedon Accused Her of 'Sabotaging' 'Angel' With Her Pregnancy".
43. Spring, Mike. (January 8, 2019). "What's new & noteworthy on Blu-ray & DVD – January 8, 2019". [[Times Union (Albany).
44. "Greek - Season 4 Episode 2: Fools Rush In".
45. (January 19, 2010). "House of Bones (2010)".
46. "A Horse Tale (2015)".
47. Harnick, Chris. (July 30, 2019). "''No Good Nick'' (Sort of) Gives Viewers the ''Sabrina''-''Buffy'' Crossover of Their Dreams". [[E!]].
48. Ellenbogen, Rachael. (October 1, 2019). "Is CW's 'Pandora' Canceled Or Renewed? Season 2 Update Before Finale".
49. Schaefer, Stephen. (2022-06-01). "Charisma Carpenter breaks new acting ground in 'Going Home'".
50. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Video Game". Behind The Voice Actors.

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