Kristy Swanson

A dynamic, athletic performer who decided at the age of nine that she wanted to be an actor, Kristy Swanson had racked up some 30 TV commercial credits by the age of 15. She made her feature debut in the John Hughes-produced "Pretty in Pink" (1986) and also appeared in Hughes' "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) before essaying her first lead in Wes Craven's "Deadly Friend" (1986). After landing a key role in the film version of V. C. Andrews' classic horror novel "Flowers in the Attic" (1987), Swanson segued to TV. She had her first shot at series stardom portraying student nurse Rebecca Halliday in the short-lived Aaron Spelling-produced "Nightingales" (NBC, 1989). Her career received a big boost as the Valley Girl title character of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992). Fans discovered the young star when the picture became a hot video rental, helping to spawn the highly successful TV series version. She put her athleticism to good use as a calm, cool tennis star in "The Program" (1993) and starred as a millionaire's daughter taken hostage by an innocent man (Charlie Sheen) on the run in "The Chase" (1994). Swanson also snagged the female lead of Diana Palmer to Billy Zane's "The Phantom" (1996), in the adventure thriller based on the popular comic strip. She went on to star in "Bad to the Bone" (1997) "Meeting Daddy" (1998) and the blockbuster "Big Daddy" (1999) alongside Adam Sandler. Swanson eventually returned to television, joining the cast of "Early Edition" (CBS, 1998-99) and, later, "Grapevine" (CBS, 2000).