Name: Charisma Carpenter
Date Of Birth: July 23rd 1970
Born: Las Vegas, Nevada
Occupation: Actress

Charisma says she got her name from a "tacky bottle of Avon perfume from the 1970's. She grew up in a strict household which her friends dubbed "Alcatraz", but she laughs that she found lots of ways to get in trouble with her parents. "I snuck out while they were sleeping to go out with my friends because my parents were very strict".

There was a lot of love in her family too however, and when asked what her life goals are, she always answers first she wants to get married and have a family.

Unlike Cordelia chase, Charisma comes across as sweet and charming in print interviews and on TV. On The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show she burst into a fit of laughter when she remembered that as a child she was part of the Young Entertainers, a group that would go to lodges and perform inspirational songs. She was also a child model, appearing in beauty pagents, but she insists her parents weren't like most beauty-pagent parents, and they always gave her the option to quit if she didn't like doing it. In high school Charisma became a cheerleader, enjoying it so much that she became a professional cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers in 1991.

During her teen years she worked in a video store, as a waitress, and as an aerobics instructor, bt she decided to try out acting by appearing in commercials, most notably one for Secret antiperspirant. She moved to LA, but her first impression was not a good one - it was during the LA riots. "The day I came, there was all this outbreak and mayhem and there was a curfew and there was no food in the appartment. So I had to go to the store and when I got out of the appartment complex I turn the corner and there's like cars on fire, people running with sawed-off shotguns and looting. I was so scared, so I put the car in reverse, got back into the garage, and ate canned soup."

After appearing in a few commercials, she was, not surprisingly, noticed right away and was offered guest starring roles on Baywatch and Pacific Blue. Those parts led to her winning the role of Ashley Green on Fox's short-lived Aaron Spelling production Malibu Shores. When she auditioned for the role of Cordelia Chase on Buffy she had little experience, but now fans can't imagine anyone but Charisma as Cordelia. She had the part down from the first episode, yet was able to develop her character into someone who is caring while still being self-centered. She says she loves Cordy's truthfulness and the way she speaks her mind, but insists she's nothing like her.
Unlike other actors who feel they have to work all the time, Charisma spends a lot of time on perfecting things. She isn't interested in filling up all her free time with movies and keeping her plate full, but she doesn't have a lot of free time anyway. While working on Buffy she says "I stay up writing my lines over and over again to memorise them so they come across naturally".
She's thrilled with all the attention Sarah gets and says she's not jealous at all, admitting that she hasn't been in the business nearly as long as Sarah. In fact she says that because she gets less fanmail she's able to respond to all of it. but she's confident the spotlight will be hers one day. "I believe in myself, and it's going to happen when it happens and not any sooner."