Nicholas Brendon

Biography for Nicholas Brendon

Nicholas Brendon was born three minutes after his identical twin brother, actor Kelly Donovan on April 12, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He attended Chatsworth High School, where he struggled with stuttering but was also a starter on the baseball team. He had dreams of playing for the L.A. Dodgers, but had to pursue other options when he hurt his arm about a year after graduating high school.

He got his big break as an actor when he landed the role of Xander Harris on the hugely successful TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997). The series ran from 1997 until 2003, garnering a huge cult following as well as a large fanbase for Brendon. Brendon and brother Kelly appeared together in the episode "The Replacement", in which Xander has to cope with having a seemingly sinister double. His first major role in a feature film came with the Charles Busch satire Psycho Beach Party (2000). Brendon has also starred in the ABC Family Channel original movie Celeste in the City (2004) (TV). Brendon is a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America, appearing in a print campaign for the organization.

He wanted to be a professional sportsman because he played baseball, but a bad arm injury will make him abandon all hope.

He then frequented the Pasadena City College to do medicine but at 25 he dropped to go and play in Buffy the role of "Alex".

He also makes advertising spots, including one for "Clearasil".

Nicholas Brendon is an American actor born April 12, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his role as Xander Harris in the Buffy television series against vampires.

Before becoming an actor, Nicholas Brendon studied dramatic art at the University of Northern California in Chico. He started his career by playing in theatrical productions before turning to television and cinema.

In 1996, Nicholas Brendon was chosen to play the role of Xander Harris in the Buffy series against vampires, which was very successful with the public and criticism. In this series, he embodies an awkward and comic adolescent who is friends with the vampire Buffy Summers.

After the end of Buffy against vampires in 2003, Nicholas Brendon continued to work in other television productions, such as Private Practice, Criminal Minds and Hawaii 5-0. He also played in several films, one of the best known is the independent Delirium drama in 2018.

Apart from his acting career, Nicholas Brendon is also known for his philanthropic activities. He notably participated in mental health awareness campaigns and the fight against harassment.

In summary, Nicholas Brendon is an American actor known for his role in the Buffy series against vampires. He also played in other television and films productions, and engages in charitable causes.

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• Got into acting as a way to overcome his stuttering problem.
• Attended Pasadena City College.
• Served as the honorary chairperson of the Stuttering Foundation of America's Stuttering Awareness Week in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
• During the off-season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) Nicholas often grew a goatee, while brother, Kelly, stays clean-shaven. This often led to fans mistaking Kelly for Nicholas.
• He was Marley Shelton's high school prom date. He bought her 100 roses, wore a tux and drove a black convertible Mustang. Marley said that he "totally did it right".
• Appeared with David Boreanaz (Angel), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), and Mark Lutz (Groosalugg) at the Angel And Buffy Convention held at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, England, 29 August, 2003.
• Named #4 of the Top Ten Sexiest Men of the Buffy / Angel universe in a fan poll by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanzine (2004).
• Still keeps in touch with his "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" co-star, Charisma Carpenter.
• Was born on the same day and year as Shannen Doherty.
• Enjoys basketball, camping, and spending quality time with family and friends. An early aspiration of playing professional basketball was cut short after an arm injury in his teen years.

Quotes

"I want people to say, 'Nicholas Brendon, he's supposedly the nicest guy in the world.' I want to do good work, but more than that, I want to stay a good human being. That's more important than any character I play."

[on why "Buffy" never won Emmy Awards:] "It's because it's called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997). I mean, we've even joked about how we should do an episode where Sarah [Michelle Gellar] is a doctor, I'm a lawyer ... get every angle they vote for just to give them a big one of those [raises his middle finger]."

[on preparing to finish the BtVS series:] "It sucks, because with how this year ended, and with what's gonna happen next year, it's gonna go out on top. We're having a lot of fun doing it. This last year was my most fun year doing the show. But that's life in showbiz, and I'll just do something else." [May 2, 2002]

[on Joss Whedon's decision to end "BtVS" because of handling too many projects:] "Joss always wanted to be attached to it, and as his schedule's becoming thinner, it's harder for him to be a part of the show. It was his baby, so if he can't be a part of it like he wants to, then it's just not gonna run. It's gonna be really sad for me after 144 episodes. It was my first job. I went through a lot of changes personally in that time, so it's gonna be a teary goodbye." [May 2, 2002]

"We had better music at Sunnydale's prom than at my real-life prom. And at my prom, I didn't really have a date, which is sort of what happens to Xander. At my real prom, I kind of ducked out the hotel ballroom and watched a Dodger game until 3 a.m. because it went about 22 innings. And my friends were saying, 'Oh no! Where'd Nick go?' I think I was trying to get people to worry about me. That whole teenage angst thing." [New York Times, May 9, 1999]

I never, ever thought that Xander should be in construction. [At the science fiction and fantasy convention DragonCon in 2006, when asked if there was ever a time when he thought that Xander was written to be "out of character."]

Family

• Spouse : Tressa DiFiglia (1 September 2001 - present) (filed for divorce)
• Twin brother of Kelly Donovan. Nicholas is 3 minutes younger. He also has two younger brothers, Christian and Kyle.
• Has two younger brothers named Christian and Kyle.
• Mother is talent agent Kathleen Shultz

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by doudoune