‘Buffy, the Vampire Slayer’ Cast Before They Came to Sunnydale

Before Buffy she was: Sydney Orion Rutledge (Swans Crossing, 1992); Kendall Hart (All My Children, 1993-1995) Landing her first acting gigs at the tender age of 4, Gellar graduated into soap operas during her teen years, first on the short-lived syndicated teen sudser, Swans Crossing, playing the wealthy scion of the titular seaside town’s mayor. But her most famous pre-Buffy character (who is arguably still more famous than Buffy for a certain demo of the viewing public) is Kendall Hart, long-lost “bad girl” daughter of All My Children‘s reigning queen, Erica Kane (Susan Lucci). Gellar originated the role, which was later taken over by Alice Minshew, and even returned to the soap prior to its 2011 series finale for a cameo as a mental patient who believes she sees — you guessed it — vampires. (Credit: Everett Collection/Getty Images)