With the unconventional good looks
and quirky persona that shout Leading Character Actress, Alyson Hannigan made a
name for herself on the WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As Buffy's confidant
Willow Rosenberg, the actress endeared herself to a legion of fans and then won
over film audiences everywhere with her scene-stealing turn as geeky flutist
Michelle in the 1999 summer smash American Pie. Born March 24, 1974, in
Washington, D.C., Hannigan became a TV commercial veteran following her family's
move to Atlanta. From the age of four, Hannigan appeared in a steady stream of
commercials, including ones for Oreo and McDonald's. At the age of 11, she moved
to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television. She made her
big-screen debut in the 1988 film My Stepmother Is an Alien, as Dan Aykroyd's
daughter. The following year, she won a regular spot on the short-lived sitcom
Free Spirit and acted in a variety of television miniseries and sitcoms
(including Roseanne and Picket Fences) until 1997, when she won the part of
Willow on Buffy.
