Michelle Trachtenberg—an actor known for her charming work across film and television since the 1990s, when she had her start as a child actor—has died in New York, according to reports. Trachtenberg, who was just 39, is survived by her longtime partner, talent agent Jay Cohen.
While the cause of Trachtenberg’s death is, for the moment, unknown, and her family has yet to make an official statement, Wednesday’s news represents a resounding loss for fans of Trachtenberg’s robust body of work, from her TV debut in Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete Pete to her memorable turns in Ice Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Here, a look back at just some of Trachtenberg’s most beloved roles.
Harriet M. Welsch in Harriet the Spy (1996)
The incredible cast of this ’90s film based on the classic 1964 novel by Louise Fitzhugh (Rosie O’Donnell! Eartha Kitt! J. Smith Cameron!) was beautifully rounded out by a young Trachtenberg. In one of her earliest roles—the shoot began on Trachtenberg’s ninth birthday—she starred as the troublesome yet lovable, composition notebook–wielding amateur spy Harriet.
Dawn Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000-2003)
It’s not easy to endear yourself to a devoted television audience in the extremely specific role of “lead character’s suddenly-added-in-season-five little sister who turns out to be a mystical key to unlocking unseen dimensions,” but Trachtenberg pulled off the role of Buffy’s sister Dawn with aplomb when she entered the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She and series star Sarah Michelle Gellar reportedly stayed close after the show’s wrap, which isn’t surprising given their effortless onscreen sibling chemistry—though Trachtenberg also went on to accuse Buffy’s creator-director Joss Whedon of inappropriate conduct on set.
Jenny in EuroTrip (2004)
It takes a special actor to make a plot line about absinthe-fueled twin-cest hilarious, but Trachtenberg was more than up to the challenge in this 2004 teen comedy, also starring Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Travis Wester, and Jessica Boehrs.
Casey Carlyle in Ice Princess (2005)
If you weren’t aware that The Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot was one of the forces behind the script of this aughts rom-com, starring Trachtenberg as a teenage girl pursuing her lifelong dream of professional figure skating, I beg you to seek it out and watch it immediately. It’s frothy fun, for sure, but also features one of Trachtenberg’s meatiest and most charming film roles.
Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl (2008-2012, 2022-2023)
One of Trachtenberg’s best-known roles was that of the manipulative, glamorous socialite Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl. Between wending her way into the show’s inner circle during its original run and showing up (in a thrilling moment for OG series fans) on the 2022 reboot, Sparks had many iconic Gossip Girl lines, but I’m partial to this one: “Face it, Blair. Once upon a time in a far-off land, you were a queen. Here, you are just a loser who will never fit in.” Ice-cold!
