Michelle Trachtenberg's Real Name: Michelle Christine Trachtenberg

Quick answer: Michelle Trachtenberg's real name is Michelle Christine Trachtenberg. She was born on October 11, 1985, in New York City. She died on February 26, 2025, in New York City.

Real name and early life

Reference sources give her full name as Michelle Christine Trachtenberg. Trachtenberg is her family surname and Christine her middle name. She grew up in New York and began working in commercials at age three.

Quick facts

• Real name: Michelle Christine Trachtenberg
• Known as: Michelle Trachtenberg
• Born: October 11, 1985, in New York City
• Died: February 26, 2025, in New York City
• Known for: Actor
• Notable work: The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Harriet the Spy, Inspector Gadget, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Sources checked: NBC News, BBC News, AP News

Career highlights

Her first credited TV role was on Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1994–1996), and BBC News notes her film debut was Harriet the Spy (1996). She starred in several Nickelodeon productions and played Penny in Disney's Inspector Gadget (1999).

She found wider fame playing Dawn Summers, Buffy's younger sister, in 66 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000–2003), as NBC News reports. As a young adult she starred in EuroTrip (2004) and Ice Princess (2005), and played the scheming Georgina Sparks in 28 episodes of Gossip Girl (2008–2012). She returned to the role in the 2023 HBO Max reboot. Other credits include Mysterious Skin, Black Christmas, 17 Again, and NBC's Mercy.

Trachtenberg was found dead at her Manhattan home on February 26, 2025, at age 39. Police said no foul play was suspected, and the city medical examiner initially listed the cause and manner of death as undetermined.

Name notes

Michelle Trachtenberg is her real name. She did not use a stage name. Fan sites often copy names from one another, so we checked this page against NBC News and BBC News. Where sources disagree, we say so rather than guess. We also leave out middle names, nicknames, and origin stories that we couldn't confirm in a reliable source. A popular claim isn't enough to earn a place on this page if no encyclopedia, official record, or major news outlet backs it up.