Michelle Trachtenberg's memorable movie and TV roles, including 'Gossip Girl' and 'Buffy'

The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of Michelle Trachtenberg, an actress who captured the hearts of Nickelodeon fans as a child and continued to entertain them through adulthood on "Gossip Girl" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Trachtenberg was found dead at an apartment building in New York City on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY. She was 39.

Trachtenberg came onto the scene as a child actor, appearing in Nickelodeon films and shows. But her resume was filled with all kinds of genres, from an iconic fantasy series to teen sex comedies and horror films. These are some of Trachtenberg's most memorable film and TV projects.

Michelle Trachtenberg dies: 'Gossip Girl' and 'Harriet the Spy' actress was 39

'Harriet the Spy' (1996)

Trachtenberg's first movie role is still one of her most beloved. As a child actor, she starred as the title character in "Harriet the Spy," which followed a precocious 11-year-old aspiring spy. The movie, which was based on the book of the same name and produced by Nickelodeon Movies, also starred Rosie O'Donnell, and it helped put Trachtenberg on the map.

Prior to the film's release, Trachtenberg starred on the Nickelodeon series "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" as Nona. Still, the trailer for "Harriet the Spy" touted, "Introducing, Michelle Trachtenberg."

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (2000)

Just a few years after "Harriet the Spy," Trachtenberg landed another one of her most memorable roles as Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She joined the show in the fifth season, despite Buffy never having had a sister before that, and stayed around through Season 7.

In 2021, after "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon faced allegations of creating toxic workplaces on his sets, Trachtenberg alleged that Whedon was "not allowed in a room alone" with her when she was working on the show.

'EuroTrip' (2004)

In a departure from her earlier, more family-friendly roles, Trachtenberg in 2004 starred in the teen sex comedy "EuroTrip." She played Jenny, who along with her twin brother Jamie (Travis Wester) joins the two main characters on their trip. At the time, Entertainment Weekly wrote that the film showed how Trachtenberg had left her "kid-sister persona behind."

'Ice Princess' (2005)

In the 2005 Disney movie "Ice Princess," Trachtenberg starred as straight-A student and aspiring figure skater Casey, opposite Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere and Kim Cattrall. In an interview at the time, she said she trained for the film five days a week for several months before production began.

'Gossip Girl' (2008)

After "Harriet the Spy" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Trachtenberg's next most well-known role may be Georgina Sparks on "Gossip Girl." She starred on the CW series from 2008 to 2012.

In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Trachtenberg named Georgina her "favorite character that I've played" because of how "evil" she is. "That was fun," she said.

'17 Again' (2009)

Another memorable film on Trachtenberg's resume is "17 Again," the 2009 comedy starring Matthew Perry and Zac Efron as a man transformed into his younger self. She played Maggie, the main character's teenage daughter.

Matthew Perry doc releases on Peacock: What to know about the criminal case, investigation

'Weeds' (2011)

Trachtenberg popped up in a few episodes of the Showtime series "Weeds" as Emma, a love interest for Silas (Hunter Parrish) in the seventh season.

Michelle Trachtenberg slams comments about her appearance: 'This is my face'

'Gossip Girl' (2022)

Trachtenberg's final on-screen appearance brought her back to one of her most iconic roles, as she reprised Georgina Sparks for two episodes of the 2021 Max reboot of "Gossip Girl."

Creator Joshua Safran told Deadline at the time that Trachtenberg was so excited about the idea of returning for the reboot, she reached out about it. "I definitely knew that I wanted Georgina back from pretty much the day after I pitched the show," he told Deadline. "Michelle actually started DMing about it during the Season 1 writers room. She was like, 'I want to come back.'"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michelle Trachtenberg death: Movie, TV roles, including 'Gossip Girl'