Charisma Carpenter brings her delightfully icy portrayal of high school vixen Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer into adulthood in the spin-off Angel.

Carpenter did not initially intend to pursue a career in acting, but fate intervened when she was discovered by a commercial agent while waitressing in Los Angeles to save for her college education.

Her first break came with a guest appearance on the popular series Baywatch. Shortly thereafter, she landed an audition for Aaron Spelling, who cast her in the series Malibu Shores.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nev., Charisma moved with her family to Mexico when she was 15. She had studied classical ballet since the age of 5, and pursued dancing as part of her high school curriculum by commuting between Mexico and San Diego to take classes at the School of the Creative and Performing Arts.