Charisma Carpenter
Charisma Carpenter is the youngest child of Don Carpenter (who works as a salesman) and Christine (who is a property manager by profession) and in Las Vegas, she studied at the Bishop Gorman High School. Her ethnicity is a mix of Irish, Spanish and Cherokee descent. Her family shifted to Rosarito city, Mexico, when Carpenter was just fifteen and later again they moved to San Diego, where she went to first, Bonita Vista High School and later Chula Vista School of the Creative and Performing Arts.
Carpenter journeyed across Europe after finishing off her graduation and upon coming back to San Diego, took up jobs such as of an aerobics trainer, a video store clerk, and dabbled in property management as well. Before moving on to Los Angeles in 1992, to start off her acting career, in 1991, she was in the San Diego cheerleading team as well.
To save cash for her higher education, Carpenter, began waiting tables in Los Angeles and it was there that she was spotted by a commercial agent who arranged roles for her in more then twenty ad campaigns and theatrical productions. In an episode of Baywatch, she made her first ever appearance on television. This was followed by a role on the TV series, Malibu Shores, which was made by Aaron Spelling.
Even though Carpenter, gave auditions for the lead, titular role in the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997, she was picked up as Cordelia Chase, a fashionable, snooty high school kid. As the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer moved on, three years later she was asked to characterize the same role in the spin – off of the show, Angel, playing a lead role with co – star, David Boreanaz. Hence she stayed on from 1997 to 1999 on Buffy and from 1999 up till 2003 on the show Angel.
On the TV show Charmed, Carpenter featured in a guest role in 2004 for about three episodes, enacting the role of a psychic demon named the Seer. She also worked on a recurring role on four episodes of Miss Match. Another recurring role she did was in the show, Veronica Mars, covering 11 episodes in the 2005-2006 season of the show.
Although Carpenter had a little guest appearance on the last episode of the first season of Greek, she made a comeback on season two as well for a couple of episodes. She also made an appearance on the Back to You and the series Big Shots, turning down the offer for joining the The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition.
On the big screen, she was worked on several movies of diverse genres, like the romantic comedy See Jane Date, the horror film Voodoo Moon, the sex comedy What Boys Like, Relative Chaos (with Nicholas Brendon, with whom she had worked earlier in Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
She also worked on the mystery programs, Cheaters’ Club and Flirting with Danger on Lifetime TV in 2006 and would be seen on Sc- Fi channel’s film. House of Bones in 2009, along with Vivid, which is Red Sparrow’s first movie.
When Paley Fest, organized a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion on 20th March, 2008, Carpenter joined her old colleagues and bosses producer Marti Noxon, creator Joss Whedon, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, Seth Green, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Michelle Trachtenberg.
Carpenter has also done some voice work as a narrator in the 2002 film, Change Up. She also did a ten page semi – nude photo shoot feature for the cover and page spreads in the June 2004, edition of the Playboy magazine. She later claimed that she did for money, and also because of the fact that she had gained 50 lbs during her pregnancy when she gave birth to her son Donovan, and hence wanted to get back into shape and feel sexy and desirable again.
Charisma Carpenter and Damian Hardy (a former bellhop), got married on 5th October, 2002. About six months after marriage, she gave birth to her son, Donavan Charles Hardy on 24th March, 2003. But the couple separated ways in the year, 2007 and the divorce was official by July of 2008.
Carpenter is a fitness freak and takes a lot of care of her fitness and her hobbies include, lot of outdoor activities like, rollerblading, biking, horseback riding, hiking, sky – diving and rock climbing. She now resides in Los Angeles.