It’s always tragic when a young actor dies before their time. Such a case appears to be for Michelle Trachtenberg, who was found dead in her Manhattan apartment on Feb. 26, 2025. Details are sketchy as of yet but the actress recently underwent a liver transplant and there may have been complications.
While she’d been less active in the last few years, Trachtenberg had carved out a good career from child actress to notable adult roles. In tribute to a starlet taken too soon, here’s a look at the best movie and TV roles of Michelle Trachtenberg’s career that we’ll always remember her by.
The Adventures of Pete and Pete
Trachtenberg first got attention with a recurring role in this 1993-1996 Nickelodeon comedy. She popped up in the second season as Nona, a local kid hanging out with the title characters. She was notable for always having a cast on one arm, not for an injury but because she liked how it itched.
Even at a young age, Trachtenberg showed a fun presence in the part and the talent for quirky characters that would carry on for the rest of her career.
Harriet the Spy
After starting out with various minor TV roles, Trachtenberg got her big break in the 1996 adaptation of the best-selling YA novel. Trachtenberg was a hit with younger audiences as Harriet, whose observations of her neighbors get her in hot water when her diary is stolen.
She was bright and charming, had a good spirit with a big smile, and still had some good acting chops. It’s little wonder it got her attention for future stardom.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Easily Trachteberg’s most famous role, Dawn Summers popped up in the fifth season premiere of the supernatural drama as the never-before-seen younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy. It was eventually revealed Dawn was a mystical batch of energy given human form and became a key part of that season.
While some fans found her annoying at first, Trachtenberg’s performance slowly won people over as Dawn adjusted to not being truly human and in her sister’s shadow. It was amazing seeing her grow as the series went on, providing much-needed humor and a strong bond with Gellar, and it’s no wonder this is the role Trachtenberg will always be remembered for.
EuroTrip
Trachtenberg tried to break out of her kid star image with this raunchy 2004 comedy. She flaunts it a bit more as part of the pack of teens heading on a crazy road trip through Europe.
Trachtenberg clearly enjoyed showing a riskier side to herself and firing up this comedy, including a crazy club scene where she makes out with the worst person possible. The movie remains a cult comedy success, with Trachtenberg as a bright highlight and showing that she could be more than just a cute kid.
Ice Princess
It was inevitable Trachtenberg would be part of a Disney movie and got her chance in this 2005 film. She’s a math whiz who needs an athletic outlet for her college admissions. She hits upon using her math skills to master figure skating and starts a rivalry with Hayden Panettiere’s top skater.
The movie can be typical cookie-cutter Disney fare, yet Trachtenberg looks great pulling off the skating moves, a romance with a local hunk, and believable with the math nerd blossoming into a star. She lived up to her title as a princess on film.
Black Christmas
It’s no shock Trachtenberg would be in a horror film, in this case, the 2006 remake of the 1974 slasher classic. She’s one of a pack of sorority sisters hunted by a killer at Christmas time.
Trachtenberg agreed to do the movie if her character was killed and got her wish with a wickedly brutal death scene. That’s a great highlight of the film, with Trachtenberg showing good chops in the part and making the most of her short screen time.
Gossip Girl
In a total 180 from her previous roles, Trachtenberg was cast in The CW smash as Georgina Sparks. The conniving socialite relished in playing games with the other characters, sleeping with guys, partying and some wicked one-liners. She’d become famous for vanishing from the series for episodes only to pop up in every season finale to cause more trouble.
Trachtenberg obviously had a blast in the role, showing a more seductive side to herself, and Georgina's appearance always promised some fun. She would continue to be a presence all the way to the series finale and even a cameo in the short-lived 2021 revival. It’s no gossip that Trachtenberg made Georgina a character Gossip Girl fans loved to hate.
Mercy
Trachtenberg’s last major TV show was this one-season 2009-2010 NBC drama. She played Chloe, a rookie nurse trying to handle the chaos of a major hospital. She was usually the comic relief character who got into outrageous situations, but she had some good situations, bonding with patients and her fellow nurses (Taylor Schilling).
Trachtenberg got meatier material in the second half of the season when Chloe romances a football player and her fears for his health are well-founded. It’s a shame the series only lasted one year and Trachtenberg was good showing her character blossoming into a doctor.
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