Alyson Hannigan
| Alyson Hannigan | |
|---|---|
 Hannigan at the May 2015 Phoenix Comicon | |
| Born |
Alyson Lee Hannigan March 24, 1974 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Residence | Santa Monica, California |
| Other names | Alyson Denisof |
| Alma mater | California State University, Northridge |
| Occupation | Actress, television host |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) | Alexis Denisof (m. 2003) |
| Children | 2 |
Alyson Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), Lily Aldrin on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014), and Michelle Flaherty in the American Pie film series (1999–2012).[2]
Early life
Hannigan was born in Washington, DC, the only child of Emilie (Posner) Haas, a real estate agent, and Al Hannigan, a truck driver.[2][3][4] Her father is of Irish ancestry and her mother is Jewish.[5][6] Her parents divorced when she was two, and she was raised mostly by her mother in Atlanta, Georgia.[7]
Career
Childhood and early years
At age four, Hannigan began appearing in commercials.[8] She moved to Hollywood at age 11.[3] Living with her mother and attending North Hollywood High School, she successfully auditioned for agents while visiting her father in Santa Barbara. After attending North Hollywood High School, she attended California State University, Northridge, where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and earned a degree in psychology.[9][10]
Hannigan's first major film role was in My Stepmother Is an Alien, a science-fiction comedy released in 1988; one of her co-stars in the film was actor Seth Green, who later joined her in the regular cast of Buffy as her on-screen boyfriend.[2] Then in 1989, her first regular role on a TV series came when she was cast in the short-lived ABC sitcom Free Spirit. As a teenager, Hannigan babysat for the children of her future How I Met Your Mother costar, Bob Saget.[11]
The Buffy years
In 1997, Hannigan was cast to play Willow Rosenberg, Buffy Summers' best friend, on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.[12] The show became a success, and Hannigan gained recognition, subsequently appearing in several films aimed at teenaged audiences, including American Pie (1999), Boys and Girls (2000), American Pie 2 (2001), and American Wedding (2003).[2] She also had a guest spot on the Buffy spin-off, Angel, reprising her role of Willow in a few episodes (including most notably "Orpheus", during the fourth season of Angel and the seventh season of Buffy), but none after Buffy finished production.
Stage, television, and movie work
In early 2004, Hannigan made her West End debut, starring in a stage adaptation of When Harry Met Sally... at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, opposite Luke Perry.[13]
In 2005, Hannigan returned to starring in a regular television series, taking the main role of Lily Aldrin in the hit comedy How I Met Your Mother, and also playing a recurring guest role on Veronica Mars as Trina Echolls.[14] In February 2006, Hannigan starred as Julia Jones in Date Movie, a parody of romantic comedies.[2] She was also a guest star on the ABC animated sitcom The Goode Family in 2009.[15]
Hannigan joined forces with Emily Deschanel, Jaime King, Minka Kelly, and Katharine McPhee in a "video slumber party" featured on FunnyorDie.com to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer.[16]
In 2012, Hannigan reprised the role of Michelle in American Reunion.[17]
Since 2016, Hannigan has hosted the television series Penn & Teller: Fool Us.[18]
Personal life
Hannigan married her Buffy the Vampire Slayer recurring co-star Alexis Denisof at Two Bunch Palms Resort in Desert Hot Springs, California, on October 11, 2003. The couple have two daughters, Satyana Marie Denisof, born on March 24, 2009 (which is also Alyson Hannigan's birthday)[19] and Keeva Jane Denisof, born May 23, 2012.[20]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Impure Thoughts | Patty Stubbs | |
| 1988 | My Stepmother Is an Alien | Jessie Mills | |
| 1998 | Dead Man on Campus | Lucy | |
| 1999 | American Pie | Michelle Flaherty | |
| 2000 | Boys and Girls | Betty | |
| 2001 | American Pie 2 | Michelle Flaherty | |
| 2001 | Beyond the City Limits | Lexi | |
| 2003 | American Wedding | Michelle Flaherty | |
| 2006 | Date Movie | Julia Jones | |
| 2007 | Farce of the Penguins | Hottie Penguin (voice) | |
| 2011 | Love, Wedding, Marriage | Courtney | |
| 2012 | American Reunion | Michelle Flaherty-Levenstein | |
| 2016 | Do You Take This Man | Rachael |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Free Spirit | Jessie Harper | Main role (14 episodes) |
| 1990 | Roseanne | Jan | Episode: "Like, a New Job" |
| 1991 | Switched at Birth | Gina Twigg, Age 13–16 | TV movie |
| 1993 | Almost Home | Samantha | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Touched by an Angel | Cassie Peters | Episode: "Cassie's Choice" |
| 1995 | The Stranger Beside Me | Dana | TV movie |
| 1996 | A Case for Life | Iris | TV movie |
| 1996 | For My Daughter's Honor | Kelly | TV movie |
| 1996 | Picket Fences | Peggy Patterson | Episode: "To Forgive Is Devine" |
| 1996 | Friends for Life | Emma Daniels | Pilot |
| 1997–2003 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Willow Rosenberg | Main role (144 episodes) |
| 1999–2000 | 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd | Gigi | Voice 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Hayley Wagner, Star | Jenna Jakes | TV movie |
| 2000 | Wild Thornberrys, TheThe Wild Thornberrys | Gerda | Voice Episode: "Every Little Bit Alps" |
| 2001–03 | Angel | Willow Rosenberg | 3 episodes |
| 2002–03 | Rugrats | Cynthia P.I. / Young Starlet | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2004 | That '70s Show | Suzy Simpson | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | King of the Hill | Stacey Gibson | Voice Episode: "Talking Shop" |
| 2004 | In the Game | Role unknown | Pilot |
| 2004 | Americana | Andrea | TV movie |
| 2005–06 | Veronica Mars | Trina Echolls | 3 episodes: "Ruskie Business" "Hot Dogs" "My Mother, the Fiend" |
| 2005–14 | How I Met Your Mother | Lily Aldrin | Main role 206 episodes |
| 2009 | Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live | Herself | Guest Star Episode: "Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live" |
| 2009 | Goode Family, TheThe Goode Family | Michelle | Voice Episode: "Graffiti in Greenville" |
| 2011 | Simpsons, TheThe Simpsons | Melody | Voice Episode: "Flaming Moe" |
| 2011 | Robot Chicken | Steelheart | Voice Episode: "Big Trouble in Little Clerks 2" |
| 2011, 2013 | American Dad! | Chelsea / Peasant's Daughter | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2013, 2016 | Hollywood Game Night[21] | Herself | Episode: "The One with the Friends" Episode: "Hannigan, Hale & Hunt... Oh My!" |
| 2014 | Sofia the First | Winter | Voice Episode: "Winter's Gift" |
| 2014 | The McCarthys | Pam | Episode: "Red Sox Swap" |
| 2016 | Penn & Teller: Fool Us | Herself | Host |
Awards and nominations
References
- ↑ Wihlborg, Ulrica (2009-03-31). "Alyson Hannigan Welcomes a Daughter!". People. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "How I Met Your Mother Cast: Alyson Hannigan". CBS. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- 1 2 "Former Atlantan Alyson Hannigan interview for 'How I Met Your Mother'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 21, 2009. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- ↑ "Film Reference Alyson Hannigan Bio". Filmreference.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
- ↑ Bloom, Nate (2004-07-09). "Celebrity Jews". the Jewish News Weekly of Northern California. Retrieved 2006-07-16.
- ↑ "Hollywood Now: Alyson Hannigan, Jewish Male Actors, Fall Feature - InterfaithFamily". Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ↑ Biography for Alyson Hannigan at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ "Interview: Alyson Hannigan on American Pie". Scotland on Sunday. April 22, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- ↑ "Alyson Hannigan". SuperiorPics.com. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
- ↑ "Alyson Hannigan Biography". Biography.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "It's Evening in America". Vanity Fair. May 2012. Page 158.
- ↑ "Where Are They Now? Buffy the Vampire Slayer". People. December 3, 2007. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- ↑ "When Harry Met Sally, Review by Philip Fisher (2004)". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
- ↑ "'Veronica Mars' scoop". Chicago Tribune. January 20, 2006. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- ↑ Alyson Hannigan at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Kate Stanhope (2009-10-01). "Deschanel, Hannigan and Others Cop a Feel for a Cause". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
- ↑ "Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders and 'Mother'-hood". USA Today. April 15, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- ↑ Alyson Hannigan tapped to host Penn & Teller: Fool Us in season 3
- ↑ Alyson Hannigan Welcomes a Daughter!, People Magazine, March 31, 2009
- ↑ "Alyson Hannigan Welcomes Daughter Keeva Jane!". usmagazine.com. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- ↑ Virtel, Louis (July 12, 2013). ""Hollywood Game Night": Jane, We Love You, But Let's Revamp". The Backlot. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
