Charisma Carpenter

Charisma Carpenter, who was born July 23rd, 1970 is an American actor. She played Cordelia Chase in the series of supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-1999) and its spin-off series Angel (1999-2004). She also starred as Kyra in Charmed (2004) and Kendall Casablanca's in Veronica Mars (2005-2006), Rebecca Sewell in The Lying Game (2012-2013) as well as Lacy in The Expendables film series (2010-2012). Carpenter was born in Las Vegas. Carpenter is of Spanish (from her maternal grandfather), French and German descent. Carpenter attended Bishop Gorman High School located in Las Vegas. She was also a part of a singing and dance group that performed in the Las Vegas Valley. Carpenter moved with her family to Rosario Beach in Baja California, Mexico, at age fifteen. She went to Bonita Vista High School and Chula Vista School of the Creative and Performing Arts. Carpenter went on a trip across Europe after graduating. When she returned to San Diego, she worked as a clerk in a video store, an aerobics instructor, as well as in property management. She also was a cheerleader for San Diego Chargers football in 1991. In 1992, she moved to Los Angeles. She was swimming in San Diego with two male friends when Henry Hubbard Jr., an ex-police officer from San Diego and serial rapist who was attacking them, swarmed them. Both Hubbard Jr. and her companions were wounded in the fight. Both were able to escape. Hubbard was detained, convicted, sentenced to 56 years in prison for several assaults. Carpenter took Hubbard's flashlight, one of the police's flashlights, off the shore. The flashlight proved to be a vital element of evidence used against Hubbard.