Biography of Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg was an American actress, known for her role as Dawn Summers in the cult series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She was also known as Jenny from the teen comedy "EuroTrip" and the cunning schemer and manipulator Georgina Sparks from the series "Gossip Girl."
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@michelletrachtenberg
Childhood and Early Roles
Michelle Trachtenberg was born on October 11, 1985, to a Jewish family in New York City. Her mother, Lana Trachtenberg, emigrated from Russia. Michelle's father, Michael Trachtenberg, was a German-born fiber optics engineer. Michelle had a sister, Irene, who was seven years older.
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@michelletrachtenberg

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youtube.com
Like her future "Buffy" co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar, Trachtenberg appeared in the soap opera "All My Children" (from 1993 to 1996) as Lily Montgomery.
In 1996, her career took off when she scored the lead role in Nickelodeon's feature film "Harriet the Spy," based on Louise Fitzhugh's children's book.

Source:
imdb.com
Though Michelle entered show business very young, her parents worked to give her a relatively normal childhood and education (Michelle did most of her schooling remotely).
Acting Career
In 1997, she landed a role in the series "Meego," and in 1999, appeared in the films "Inspector Gadget" and "Can't Be Heaven."She gained fame playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the heroine in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She first appeared in the fifth season and continued until the series finale in 2003.


Source:
imdb.com

Source:
imdb.com
Michelle Trachtenberg's Personal Life
Michelle Trachtenberg never married, but she had quite an active dating life. She dated several well-known actors and musicians over the years.In 2004, she began a romance with actor Shawn Ashmore. The pair met at an Oscars party. They split in 2006, after which she briefly dated Pete Wentz, bassist for Fall Out Boy.

In 2020, Michelle started dating Jay Cohen, a talent agent 23 years her senior. Their relationship lasted until the actress's death in late February 2025.

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Jay Cohen's social media
Final Years and Death
Michelle Trachtenberg passed away on February 26, 2025. The actress was 39 years old. Police found her body in her New York apartment.

Source:
@michelletrachtenberg