Sarah Michelle Gellar

Gellar was born in New York City on April 14, 1977. She is the only child of Rosellen (née Greenfield), a nursery school teacher, and Arthur Gellar, a garment worker.{{cite web | url=https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/sarah-michelle-gellar | title=Netflix Movies Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar | access-date=August 29, 2023 | archive-date=March 20, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320221323/https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/sarah-michelle-gellar | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=100992&page=1 | title=Sarah Michelle Gellar's Father Dies | website=ABC News }} Both of her parents are Jewish.{{cite web |work=MarksFriggin.com |title=Sara Michelle Gellar Calls In |date=March 5, 1999 |url=http://www.marksfriggin.com/news99/3-1-99.htm |access-date=November 1, 2006 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171039/http://www.marksfriggin.com/news99/3-1-99.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |work=The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California |title=Celebrity Jews |url=http://www.jweekly.com/includes/print/35083/article/celebrities/ |access-date=July 12, 2014 |date=May 30, 2008 |first=Nate |last=Bloom |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065250/http://www.jweekly.com/includes/print/35083/article/celebrities/ |url-status=live }} In 1984, when she was seven, her parents divorced and she was raised by her mother on Manhattan's Upper East Side.{{cite web |last=Friedman |first=Megan |url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/news/a22/smg-interview-99/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Vamps It Up |work=Cosmopolitan |date=June 29, 1999 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=April 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411174436/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/news/a22/smg-interview-99/ |url-status=live }} While growing up, she lost contact with her father, from whom she remained estranged until his death in 2001.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/dad-buffy-gellar-found-dead-article-1.934769 |title=Dad Of 'Buffy'S' Gellar Found Dead |newspaper=Daily News|location=New York |date=October 11, 2001 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828212719/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/dad-buffy-gellar-found-dead-article-1.934769 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/42297/buffy-s-dad-found-dead |title=Buffy's Dad Found Dead |work=E! |date=October 11, 2001 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418115952/http://www.eonline.com/news/42297/buffy-s-dad-found-dead |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=101867 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar's Father Found Dead |work=ABC News |date=January 6, 2006 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826173915/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=101867 |url-status=live }} She once described him as "non-existent",{{cite web |url=http://www.dennishensley.com/sarah-michelle-gellar/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar – Dennis Hensley |work=Dennishensley.com |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315223008/http://dennishensley.com/sarah-michelle-gellar/ |url-status=live }} and stated: "My father, you can just say, is not in the picture. I'm not being deliberately evasive about him, it's just that there's so little to say."{{cite web |url=http://culture.com/articles/360/harvard-man-interview-with-sarah-michelle-gellar.phtml |title=Harvard Man: Interview With Sarah Michelle Gellar |work=Culture.com |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=March 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301154151/http://culture.com/articles/360/harvard-man-interview-with-sarah-michelle-gellar.phtml |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://movieline.com/2002/05/01/sarah-michelle-gellar-60-questions-for-sarah/3/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar: 60 Questions For Sarah – Movieline – Page 3 |work=Movieline |date=May 1, 2002 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230525/http://movieline.com/2002/05/01/sarah-michelle-gellar-60-questions-for-sarah/3/ |url-status=live }} Gellar was a competitive figure skater, once finishing in third place at a New York State regional competition,{{cite book |first=Marilyn D. |last=Anderson |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WaFbAgAAQBAJ&q=sarah+michelle+gellar+school&pg=PT19 |year=2001 |publisher=Infobase Learning |isbn=978-1-4381-4104-6 |page=19 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202444/https://books.google.com/books?id=WaFbAgAAQBAJ&q=sarah+michelle+gellar+school&pg=PT19 |url-status=live }} as well as having a black belt in taekwondo.

With her single mother working "just above the poverty line",{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jan/30/sarah-michelle-gellar-interview-wolf-pack-buffy | title='A lot of the demons seem a little cheesy now': Sarah Michelle Gellar on Buffy, her burnout and her comeback | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | work=The Guardian | date=January 30, 2023 | last1=Hunt | first1=Elle }} Gellar received a partial scholarship to study at the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, where she experienced bullying.{{cite web |url=http://movieline.com/2002/05/01/sarah-michelle-gellar-60-questions-for-sarah/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar: 60 Questions For Sarah |work=Movieline |date=May 1, 2002 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730111536/http://movieline.com/2002/05/01/sarah-michelle-gellar-60-questions-for-sarah/ |url-status=live }} She remarked: "I was different and that's the one thing you can't be at school, because you're ostracised. I didn't have the money these kids had".{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/sarah-michelle-gellar-i-was-always-different-419745.html |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar: 'I was always different' |newspaper=The Independent |date=October 13, 2006 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |location=London |archive-date=August 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801035854/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/sarah-michelle-gellar-i-was-always-different-419745.html |url-status=live }} As a working child actress, she was not present in class for a considerable amount of time, and recalled having "more absences in the first month than you're supposed to have for an entire year". She then briefly attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, but dropped out due to acting obligations. Gellar graduated from the Professional Children's School{{cite web |url=http://www.pcs-nyc.org/page.cfm?page=1303 |title=Professional Children's School : About Us : Notable Alumni |work=Pcs-nyc.org |date=November 10, 2014 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706083436/http://www.pcs-nyc.org/page.cfm?page=1303 |archive-date=July 6, 2015 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.families.com/blog/more-famous-people-and-the-schools-they-attended |title=More Famous People and the Schools they Attended Education |work=Families.com |date=June 20, 2014 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=May 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530185457/https://www.families.com/blog/more-famous-people-and-the-schools-they-attended |url-status=live }} in 1994 as a "straight A" student with a 4.0 grade average.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/person/sarah-michelle-gellar?filter-options=movies |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Profile |work=Metacritic |date=November 9, 2010 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=November 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112185410/http://www.metacritic.com/person/sarah-michelle-gellar?filter-options=movies |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20124156,00.html |title=Breakthroughs '97 |magazine=People |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906192230/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20124156,00.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/sarah-michelle-gellar/biography/111?page=3 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar – Biography |work=Talktalk.co.uk |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704202535/http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/sarah-michelle-gellar/biography/111?page=3 |url-status=live }} As she spent significant time working on All My Children while "trying to graduate",{{cite magazine |url=http://www.people.com/people/sarah_michelle_gellar/biography |title=Sarah Michelle Biography |magazine=People |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=July 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701155606/http://www.people.com/people/sarah_michelle_gellar/biography |url-status=live }} the majority of her senior year was completed through guided study.{{cite web |url=http://articles.philly.com/1995-11-14/news/25682554_1_absentee-students-pcs-public-school |title=A School Of Their Own Professional Children's School Educates Young Entertainers |work=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=November 14, 1995 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223710/http://articles.philly.com/1995-11-14/news/25682554_1_absentee-students-pcs-public-school |url-status=dead }}

At the age of four, Gellar was spotted by an agent in a restaurant in Upper Manhattan.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/26360/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116212620/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/26360/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar/biography |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 16, 2015 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar – About This Person – Movies & TV |work=The New York Times |first=Nathan |last=Southern |year=2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015}} Two weeks later, she auditioned for a part in the television film An Invasion of Privacy. At the audition, she read both her own lines and those of Valerie Harper, impressing the directors enough to cast her in the role. The film aired on CBS in January 1983.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs6kYXVX8Lk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/cs6kYXVX8Lk| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=An Invasion Of Privacy 1983 CBS Movie Promo |last=Sean Mc |date=February 3, 2015 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

While growing up, Gellar appeared in numerous television commercials for such brands as Shake 'n Bake, Avon, and Burger King.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/slay-lady-slay-sarah-michelle-gellar-and-the-power-of-buffy-hood-179423/ | title=Slay Lady Slay: Sarah Michelle Gellar and the Power of Buffy-hood | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=April 2, 1998 }} A 1982 television spot, in which she claimed Burger King made larger and better tasting burgers than competitor McDonald's, was arguably the first attack ad introduced in the fast food industry.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oBj-sPpJDQcC&q=donald+smith+burger+king&pg=PA64 |title=Making Fast Food: From the Frying Pan Into the Fryer |edition=2nd |first=Ester |last=Reiter |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |date=March 1996 |page=66 |access-date=April 6, 2008 |isbn=0-7735-1387-6 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122125652/https://books.google.com/books?id=oBj-sPpJDQcC&q=donald+smith+burger+king&pg=PA64 |url-status=live }} Executives at McDonald's parent company were so enraged that they sued all parties involved, naming Gellar and reportedly banning her from eating at the food chain.{{cite web |last=Salemi |first=Vicki |title=Buffy's Having A Baby |work=SheKnows.com |publisher=AtomicOnline |url=http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/808551/sarah-michelle-gellar-pregnant |date=April 12, 2009 |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101224900/http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/808551/sarah-michelle-gellar-pregnant |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/sarah-michelle-gellar-was-once-banned-from-mcdonalds |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Was Once Banned From McDonald's |work=BuzzFeed |first=Brian |last=Galindo |date=August 27, 2013 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915060854/http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/sarah-michelle-gellar-was-once-banned-from-mcdonalds |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://whatculture.com/tv/10-things-didnt-know-sarah-michelle-gellar.php/11 |title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Sarah Michelle Gellar – Page 11 |work=Whatculture.com |date=January 6, 2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827195048/http://whatculture.com/tv/10-things-didnt-know-sarah-michelle-gellar.php/11 |url-status=live }} In a 2004 interview, she recalled: "I wasn't allowed to eat there. It was tough because, when you're a little kid, McDonald's is where all your friends have their birthday parties, so I missed out on a lot of apple pies."{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sarah-michelle-gellar-mcdonalds_n_3828955 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Was Banned From McDonald's As A Kid |work=HuffPost |date=August 28, 2013 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625165102/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sarah-michelle-gellar-mcdonalds_n_3828955 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.whedon.info/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-Sunday.html |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar – Sunday Express Interview – Article #4391 |work=Whedon.info |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190425/http://www.whedon.info/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-Sunday.html |url-status=live }} She also worked as a model for Wilhelmina.{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Linda |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3813851/model-competition-for-children-ages-4-7 |title=Model competition for children ages 4–7 |work=The Oklahoman |date=March 5, 2010 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234609/https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3813851/model-competition-for-children-ages-4-7 |url-status=live }}

During the 1980s, Gellar played minor roles in the films Over the Brooklyn Bridge (1984), Crossroads (1986), and Funny Farm (1988), though her scenes in the latter two were cut.{{cite web |url=http://www.sarahgellarfan.pixel51.com/crossroads/ |title=CROSSROADS (1986) with Sarah Michelle Gellar? |website=SarahGellarFan |access-date=March 18, 2017 |archive-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319111943/http://www.sarahgellarfan.pixel51.com/crossroads/ |url-status=dead }} She obtained a larger role as the daughter of a prostitute in the B thriller High Stakes (1989).{{cite web |url=http://news.moviefone.com/2007/11/09/stars-in-rewind-sarah-michelle-gellar-on-spenser-for-hire/ |title=Stars in Rewind: Sarah Michelle Gellar on Spenser for Hire |work=The Moviefone Blog |date=November 9, 2007 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722044243/http://news.moviefone.com/2007/11/09/stars-in-rewind-sarah-michelle-gellar-on-spenser-for-hire/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Funny-Farm#tab=cast-and-crew |title=Funny Farm (1988) – Financial Information |work=The-numbers.com |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726202322/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Funny-Farm#tab=cast-and-crew |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/17/movies/counting-on-vulnerability-in-high-stakes.html |title=Counting on Vulnerability in 'High Stakes' |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 17, 1989 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625061202/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/17/movies/counting-on-vulnerability-in-high-stakes.html |url-status=live }} Gellar appeared in a safety skit during the November 11, 1985 episode of Late Night with David Letterman,{{cite web |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/465711/sarah-michelle-gellar-remembers-her-first-david-letterman-show-appearance-watch-now |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Remembers Her First David Letterman Show Appearance—Watch Now! |work=E! Online |last=Ossad |first=Jordana |date=October 2, 2013 |access-date=February 7, 2023}} and guest starred in various television series, such as Spenser: For Hire and Crossbow. At the age of nine, she acted in the off-Broadway production The Widow Claire,{{cite news |last=Rich |first=Frank |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/18/theater/stage-widow-claire-from-horton-foote.html |title=Stage – 'Widow Claire,' From Horton Foote |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 18, 1986 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826205522/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/18/theater/stage-widow-claire-from-horton-foote.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1986/1231/lcla.html |title=Foote's 'The Widow Claire' and Schmidt's 'Black Sea Follies' |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date=December 31, 1986 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827011822/http://www.csmonitor.com/1986/1231/lcla.html |url-status=live }} as well as in the Kids Klassics Sing Along videos Camp Melody and USS Songboat. In 1989, she briefly served as a co-host of the syndicated teen talk show Girl Talk.{{cite web |url=https://screencrush.com/way-back-when-sarah-michelle-gellar/ |title=Way Back When: Sarah Michelle Gellar |work=ScreenCrush |date=November 21, 2012 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722105800/http://screencrush.com/way-back-when-sarah-michelle-gellar/ |url-status=live }}

Gellar portrayed 13-year-old Mollie in the initial production of Neil Simon's play Jake's Women, which ran at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, from March to April 1990.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-10-ca-1652-story.html |title=Stage Review : Neil Simon's 'Women' Is an Odd Uncoupling |last=Drake |first=Sylvie |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=March 10, 1990 |access-date=February 7, 2023}} In 1991, she was cast as a young Jacqueline Bouvier in A Woman Named Jackie. The miniseries won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series. Gellar obtained her first leading role, as a mayor's manipulative daughter, in the 1992 syndicated teen serial Swans Crossing, which chronicled the lives of a group of wealthy teenagers. She felt that playing a "villainous" character gave her the call for "better and more varied acting skills", while the gig's weekly payment proved a financial aid for Gellar and her mother. The series ran for a 65-episode season and earned her two Young Artist Award nominations for Best Young Actress.{{cite web |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm |title=14th Annual Awards |work=Youngartistawards.org |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217002739/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm |archive-date=February 17, 2011 }}

Gellar made her debut on the ABC soap opera All My Children in 1993, playing Kendall Hart, the long-lost teenage daughter of character Erica Kane (Susan Lucci). As she got the role, Gellar was complimented as having the acting talent and the "forceful personality" needed to go up against Lucci's experience; Kendall was supposed to be like a younger version of Erica.{{cite book |first=Kathleen |last=Tracy |title=The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World ... |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tlE1_oTihcUC&q=Kendall+Hart+soap+opera&pg=PA63 |isbn=0-312-31258-X |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2003 |page=384 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203311/https://books.google.com/books?id=tlE1_oTihcUC&q=Kendall+Hart+soap+opera&pg=PA63 |url-status=live }} Her stint on the show was successful as "longtime fans of the soap saw her as the second coming of Erica".{{cite book |first=Kathleen |last=Tracy |title=The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World ... |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tlE1_oTihcUC&q=Kendall+Hart+soap+opera&pg=PA63 |isbn=0-312-31258-X |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2003 |pages=63–66 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203311/https://books.google.com/books?id=tlE1_oTihcUC&q=Kendall+Hart+soap+opera&pg=PA63 |url-status=live }} Writers showcased her more after her initial reception and she became a household name to the soap opera medium. In 1995, at the age of eighteen, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for the role.{{cite web |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Biography |work=movietome.com |access-date=March 17, 2008 |url=http://www.movietome.com/people/52/sarah-michelle-gellar/bio.html |archive-date=July 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706195908/http://www.movietome.com/people/52/sarah-michelle-gellar/bio.html |url-status=live }} The same year, Gellar left the show and moved to Los Angeles to pursue other acting opportunities.{{cite web |url=https://www.soapcentral.com/all-my-children/news/2011/0804-gellar.php |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar confirms return to AMC |work=Soapcentral |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234617/https://www.soapcentral.com/all-my-children/news/2011/0804-gellar.php |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/all-my-children-famous-alums-239345#2-sarah-michelle-gellar-kendall-hart |title='All My Children': Famous Alums of ABC's Daytime Drama |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203315/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/all-my-children-famous-alums-239345#2-sarah-michelle-gellar-kendall-hart |url-status=live }} She next played a spoiled adolescent in the Walt Disney television film Beverly Hills Family Robinson, which aired on ABC in January 1997.

After reading the script for Joss Whedon's television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which follows Buffy Summers, a teenager burdened with the responsibility of fighting occult foes and supernatural occurrences, Gellar screen tested for the role of Cordelia Chase.{{cite web |last=Visintainer |first=Carrie |url=http://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/01/25-little-known-facts-about-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/ |title=25 Little-Known Facts About 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' |work=Thought Catalog |date=January 2, 2013 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826172444/http://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/01/25-little-known-facts-about-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/ |url-status=live }} Whedon then asked her to come back in and audition for the title role.Havens, pp. 35–36.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NVoZAwAAQBAJ&q=1995%20gellar%20announced%20her%20departure%20from%20the%20show&pg=PT100 |title=The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World |first=Kathleen |last=Tracy |date=April 29, 2014 |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |via=Google Books |isbn=9781466869912 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201439/https://books.google.com/books?id=NVoZAwAAQBAJ&q=1995%20gellar%20announced%20her%20departure%20from%20the%20show&pg=PT100 |url-status=live }} The show premiered in March 1997, to widespread critical and popular acclaim.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/buffy-the-vampire-slayer |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Season 1 Reviews |work=Metacritic |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150805163631/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/buffy-the-vampire-slayer |url-status=live }} Gellar's Buffy, created to subvert the stereotypical female horror movie victim,{{cite book |last=Billson |first=Anne |author-link=Anne Billson |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BFI TV Classics S.) |publisher=British Film Institute |year=2005 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/buffyvampireslay0000bill/page/24 24–25] |isbn=1-84457-089-4 |title-link=Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BFI TV Classics S.) }} was described by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 100 greatest female characters in American television.{{cite web |last=Potts |first=Kim |title=100 Most Memorable Female TV Characters |url=http://www.aoltv.com/2011/03/02/tvs-greatest-women-25-1/ |work=AOL TV |access-date=July 20, 2012 |date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702004219/http://www.aoltv.com/2011/03/02/tvs-greatest-women-25-1/ |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |url-status=dead}} Buffy ran for seven seasons and 144 episodes,{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/ranking-every-episode-of-buffy-the-vampire-slayer#.cj5XkKbpD |title=Ranking Every Episode Of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' |work=BuzzFeed |date=November 6, 2012 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829193049/http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/ranking-every-episode-of-buffy-the-vampire-slayer#.cj5XkKbpD |url-status=live }} and during its broadcast, earned Gellar five Teen Choice Awards, the Saturn Award for Best Genre Television Actress and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.{{cite web |url=http://www.blackflix.com/articles/globe_noms_2001.html |title=Golden Globe Noms for 2001 |work=Blackflix.com |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923191614/http://www.blackflix.com/articles/globe_noms_2001.html |url-status=live }} She sang during the series' musical episode "Once More, with Feeling", which spawned an original cast album, released in 2002.Randy Lewis (September 23, 2002). "In The Know; Musical 'Buffy' Finally Lands in Stores", Los Angeles Times. p. F6.Hill, Melinda [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r607743|pure_url=yes}} Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling [Musical Episode Soundtrack]], Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 29, 2010.

During the early airing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar made her first major film appearances in two successful slasher films. In I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), she took on the role of ill-fated beauty queen Helen Shivers.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Last-Summer-Offers-Thrills-But-2801119.php |title=FILM REVIEW – 'Last Summer' Offers Thrills But No 'Scream' |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=February 26, 2022 |first=Mick |last=Lasalle |date=October 17, 1997 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234611/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Last-Summer-Offers-Thrills-But-2801119.php |url-status=live }} Washington Post found the cast to be "solid",{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/iknowwhatyoudidlastsummerharr.htm |title='Summer' Time: The Living is Deadly |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 12, 2012 |date=March 26, 1998 |archive-date=December 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216161139/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/iknowwhatyoudidlastsummerharr.htm |url-status=live }} in what San Francisco Chronicle described as a "competent but uninspired" film. Budgeted at US$17{{nbsp}}million, the film made US$125{{nbsp}}million globally.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=iknowwhatyoudidlastsummer.htm |title=I Know What You Did Last Summer |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=January 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129025243/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=iknowwhatyoudidlastsummer.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_know_what_you_did_last_summer |title=I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=January 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104120034/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_know_what_you_did_last_summer |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer |title=I Know What You Did Last Summer Reviews |work=Metacritic |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107130013/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer |url-status=live }} For her part, Gellar earned a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Horror and a MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance.{{cite web |url=https://horrornews.net/63387/film-review-i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-1997/ |title=Film Review: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) |work=Horrornews.net |access-date=August 15, 2014 |archive-date=September 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912083253/http://horrornews.net/63387/film-review-i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-1997/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://filmsplusmovies.com/best-movies-of-sarah-michelle-gellar/ |title=Best Movies of Sarah Michelle Gellar |work=Filmsplusmovies.com |date=November 5, 2012 |access-date=August 15, 2014 |archive-date=October 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029000151/http://filmsplusmovies.com/best-movies-of-sarah-michelle-gellar/ |url-status=live }} In Scream 2 (1997),{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/scream-2-1200452335 |title=Scream 2 Review |magazine=Variety |access-date=April 12, 2012 |first=Leonard |last=Klady |date=December 7, 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108032508/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117912570?refcatid=31 |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |url-status=dead }} Gellar played a likewise ill-fated vain character, this time that of Sorority sister Cici Cooper. She filmed her scenes in between shots of Buffy and had only recently finished work on I Know What You Did Last Summer. Despite the hectic scheduling, she agreed to perform in Scream 2 without having read the script, on the basis of the success of the first film.Wes Craven (September 26, 2000). Behind the 'Scream' documentary from Ultimate Scream Collection (DVD). United States: Dimension Home Video Scream 2 grossed over US$172{{nbsp}}million worldwide.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_2/ |title=Scream 2 (1997) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=November 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107015519/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_2 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream2.htm |title=Scream2 |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=May 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502124801/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scream2.htm |url-status=live }}

In January 1998, Gellar hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time.{{cite web |title=Episodes {{!}} 01.17.1998 |url=http://snlarchives.net/Episodes/?19980117 |website=SNL Archives |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227003024/http://snlarchives.net/Episodes/?19980117 |url-status=live }} She returned as a host in May 1999 and October 2002, and made two cameo appearances in May 2000, including one in which she introduced Britney Spears' performance of "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know". In 1998, she also provided her voice for the Gwendy Doll in Small Soldiers,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=smallsoldiers.htm |title=Small Soldiers (1998) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=July 1, 2013 |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510074513/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=smallsoldiers.htm |url-status=live }} and for the character of Marie in the King of the Hill episode "And They Call It Bobby Love". Gellar's cameo as a girl sitting in the high school cafeteria in the sleeper hit She's All That (1999){{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shes-all-that-anniversary_n_4676561 |title=All The People You Forgot Were In 'She's All That' |work=HuffPost |date=January 29, 2014 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625234848/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shes-all-that-anniversary_n_4676561 |url-status=live }} was soon followed by her first top-billing film role, as a struggling restaurant owner, in the romantic comedy Simply Irresistible (1999).{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=simplyirresistible.htm |title=Simply Irresistible |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=December 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230001546/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=simplyirresistible.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/simply_irresistible/ |title=Simply Irresistible (1999) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419050144/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/simply_irresistible/ |url-status=live }} The film received negative reviews and flopped at the box office,{{cite web |url=http://www.chosentwo.com/buffy/ramble/ewgoodbyegirl.php |title=Much Ado About Buffy the Vampire Slayer |website=chosentwo.com |access-date=February 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164010/http://www.chosentwo.com/buffy/ramble/ewgoodbyegirl.php |archive-date=February 13, 2017 |url-status=dead }} but Roger Ebert found her to be "lovely" in what he described as an "old-fashioned" comedy.{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/simply-irresistible-1999 |title=Simply Irresistible Movie Review (1999) |first=Roger |last=Ebert |website=Roger Ebert |access-date=April 15, 2020 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806171345/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/simply-irresistible-1999 |url-status=live }}

In Roger Kumble's Cruel Intentions (1999), a modern-day retelling of Les Liaisons dangereuses, Gellar portrayed Kathryn Merteuil, a cocaine addict with an appetite for manipulating people.{{cite web |url=http://offscreen.com/view/cruel_intentions |title=When Pop Culture Meets High Literature. The case of Cruel Intentions and the epistolary novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses – Offscreen |work=Offscreen.com |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827092226/http://offscreen.com/view/cruel_intentions |url-status=live }} In his review for the film, Ebert felt that she is "effective as a bright girl who knows exactly how to use her act as a tramp",{{Cite news |work=RogerEbert.com |title=Cruel Intentions |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990305/REVIEWS/903050302/1023 |access-date=November 1, 2006 |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=March 5, 1999 |archive-date=August 8, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060808182325/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19990305%2FREVIEWS%2F903050302%2F1023 |url-status=live }} and in an interview with Chicago Tribune, Kumble described her as "the most professional actor I ever worked with". The film was a hit at the box office, grossing US$75{{nbsp}}million worldwide, and went on to become a cult classic.{{cite web |url=http://colleenpatrick.com/interviews/SelmaBlair_FINAL.pdf |title=Selma Blair : Modest, Versatile And On Fire! |work=Colleenpatrick.com |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210922/http://colleenpatrick.com/interviews/SelmaBlair_FINAL.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/review-cruel-intentions/ |title=Review: "Cruel Intentions" |work=Dark Horizons |date=March 5, 2005 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055319/http://www.darkhorizons.com/review-cruel-intentions/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Lim |first=Dennis |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/1999-03-02/film/the-filth-element/ |title=The Filth Element |newspaper=The Village Voice |date=March 2, 1999 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=February 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209080122/http://www.villagevoice.com/1999-03-02/film/the-filth-element/ |url-status=live }} Gellar and co-star Selma Blair obtained the Best Kiss award at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards.{{cite web |last=Waldholz |first=Chantal |url=http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/selma-blair-dishes-on-that-famous-cruel-intentions-kiss-with-sarah-michelle-gellar-47142 |title=Selma Blair Dishes on That Famous 'Cruel Intentions' Kiss With Sarah Michelle Gellar! – Life & Style |work=Lifeandstylemag.com |date=December 3, 2014 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827035817/http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/selma-blair-dishes-on-that-famous-cruel-intentions-kiss-with-sarah-michelle-gellar-47142 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/mtv-movie-awards-best-kiss-award-the-best-onstage-kisses-201444/37134 |title=Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar Photo – MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Award: The Best Onstage Kisses |work=Us Weekly |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818161043/http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/mtv-movie-awards-best-kiss-award-the-best-onstage-kisses-201444/37134 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Rodriguez |first=Javy |url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/the-25-most-memorable-moments-in-mtv-movie-awards-history/memorable-moments-in-mtv-movie-awards-9 |title=The 25 Most Memorable Moments in MTV Movie Award History – The 25 Most Memorable Moments in MTV Movie Awards History |magazine=Complex |date=April 21, 2013 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826200256/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/the-25-most-memorable-moments-in-mtv-movie-awards-history/memorable-moments-in-mtv-movie-awards-9 |url-status=live }} In Angel, a spin-off series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar reprised her titular role for a three-episode arc, starting in 1999.{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/tv/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-angel-crossover-episodes/ |title=Ranking the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel crossover episodes |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |last=Kinane |first=Ruth |date=July 28, 2022 |access-date=February 7, 2023}}

In 2000, Gellar appeared as a film studio executive in the HBO series Sex and the City episode "Escape from New York". Her next film, James Toback's independent drama Harvard Man (2001),{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harvardman.htm |title=Harvard Man (2002) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905202945/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harvardman.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harvard_man/ |title=Harvard Man (2001) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=June 14, 2002 |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=February 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214101106/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harvard_man/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |first=A.{{nbsp}}O. |last=Scott |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/28/movies/film-review-hoops-love-lsd-and-the-mob-harvard-style.html |title=FILM REVIEW; Hoops, Love, LSD and the Mob, Harvard-Style |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 28, 2002 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234609/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/28/movies/film-review-hoops-love-lsd-and-the-mob-harvard-style.html |url-status=live }} in which she starred as the "sharp and shrewd" daughter of a mobster,{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/harvard-man-2002 |title=Harvard Man |website=rogerebert.com |date=July 12, 2002 |access-date=February 7, 2023}} helped her shed her good girl image, along with Cruel Intentions, according to Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/harvard-man-255729/ |title=Harvard Man: Review |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=Peter |last=Travers |date=July 18, 2002 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234609/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/harvard-man-255729/ |url-status=live }} In 2002, Gellar portrayed Daphne Blake in the live action–comedy Scooby-Doo. For the production, she trained with a Hong Kong wire team, and commuted between Queensland and California every two weeks due to her simultaneous commitment to Buffy.{{Cite web |title=Buffy Joins New Scooby Gang {{!}} iofilm |url=https://iofilm.com/filmmaking/acting/2002-07-02-810-buffy-joins-new-scooby-gang |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=iofilm.com |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305114518/https://iofilm.com/filmmaking/acting/2002-07-02-810-buffy-joins-new-scooby-gang |url-status=dead }} Despite negative reviews, A. O. Scott of The New York Times felt that her performance added "a snarl of Powerpuff feminism to her character's ditzy stereotype",{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=A. O. |date=2002-06-14 |title=FILM REVIEW; If the Saturday Morning Show Wasn't Enough . . . |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/14/movies/film-review-if-the-saturday-morning-show-wasn-t-enough.html |access-date=2023-03-31 |issn=0362-4331}} and with a global gross of US$275{{nbsp}}million,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scoobydoo.htm |title=Scooby-Doo (2002) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424185226/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scoobydoo.htm |url-status=live }} Scooby-Doo emerged as Gellar's most widely seen film to date.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2002&p=.htm |title=2002 Worldwide Grosses |access-date=October 27, 2014 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124145559/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/2002/ |url-status=live }} Her role earned her the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Comedy.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2002/08/06/nelly-n-sync-get-teen-choice-kudos/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|first=Gary|last=Susman|title=Nelly, 'N Sync get Teen Choice kudos|date=August 6, 2002|access-date=June 22, 2020|archive-date=June 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625015119/https://ew.com/article/2002/08/06/nelly-n-sync-get-teen-choice-kudos/|url-status=live}} With Jack Black, she hosted the 2002 MTV Movie Awards, which attracted 7.1{{nbsp}}million viewers on its June 6 broadcast, achieving the show's highest rating ever at the time.{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-2002-mtv-movie-awards-are-most-watched-in-11-year-history-averaging-more-than-7-million-viewers-77820332.html |title='The 2002 MTV Movie Awards' are Most Watched in 11 Year History Averaging More Than 7{{nbsp}}Million Viewers |agency=PR Newswire |date=June 7, 2002 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829051455/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-2002-mtv-movie-awards-are-most-watched-in-11-year-history-averaging-more-than-7-million-viewers-77820332.html |archive-date=August 29, 2015 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/television-mtv-idUSN0628806120110606 |title=MTV Movie Award ratings fall for second year |work=Reuters |date=June 6, 2011 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827093730/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/06/television-mtv-idUSN0628806120110606 |url-status=live }}

During her growing film career, Gellar continued to work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she decided to leave the series after the seventh season. When asked why, she explained, "This isn't about leaving for a career in movies, or in theater –it's more of a personal decision. I need a rest."{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/03/07/goodbye-girl/|title=The Goodbye Girl|first=Jeff|last=Jensen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213012359/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C422783~3~0~sarahmichellegellarwhy%2C00.html|url-status=live|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=December 13, 2014 |date=March 3, 2007|access-date=June 22, 2020}}{{cite web |work=Dark Horizons |title=Interview: Sarah Michelle Gellar for "The Grudge" |url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/interviews/458/ |access-date=November 1, 2006 |first=Paul |last=Fischer |date=October 11, 2004 |archive-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223173910/https://www.darkhorizons.com/interviews/458/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Jozic |first=Mike |url=http://www.mikejozic.com/buffyweek6.html |title=Week 6: David Fury |work=Meanwhile..... |date=September 2004 |access-date=January 12, 2007 |archive-date=May 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511081943/http://www.mikejozic.com/buffyweek6.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |work=SciFi.com |title=Gellar Open To Angel Gig |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-tv.html?2004-03/03/17.00.tv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608195851/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-tv.html?2004-03%2F03%2F17.00.tv |archive-date=June 8, 2008 |date=March 3, 2004 |access-date=November 1, 2006}} In her feature in Esquire magazine, Gellar expressed her pride for her work on Buffy, "I truly believe that it is one of the greatest shows of all time and it will go down in history as that. And I don't feel that that is a cocky statement. We changed the way that people looked at television."{{Cite journal |journal=Esquire UK |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar |date=December 2004}}{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}

File:Sarah Michelle Gellar.jpg

After the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar reprised the role of Daphne in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004).{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scoobydoo-2-monsters-unleashed/ |title=Scooby-Doo 2 – Monsters Unleashed |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=March 20, 2004 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=January 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111160951/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scoobydoo-2-monsters-unleashed/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/25/review-of-scooby-doo-2-monsters-unleashed |title=Review of Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed |website=IGN |date=March 25, 2004 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826211814/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/25/review-of-scooby-doo-2-monsters-unleashed |url-status=live }} Like the first film, Scooby-Doo 2 was a commercial success despite a negative critical response.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scoobydoo2.htm |title=Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=April 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419031848/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scoobydoo2.htm |url-status=live }} In Takashi Shimizu's The Grudge (2004), she portrayed Karen Davis, an exchange student in Tokyo who becomes exposed to a supernatural curse.{{cite web |url=http://splicedwire.com/04reviews/grudge.html |title="The Grudge" movie review (2004) "The Grudge" review, Takashi Shimizu, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr |work=SPLICEDwire |access-date=October 20, 2016 |archive-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207201823/http://splicedwire.com/04reviews/grudge.html |url-status=live }} The film received mixed reviews from critics,{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/grudge/ |title=The Grudge (2004) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=October 22, 2004 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810130528/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/grudge/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-grudge |title=The Grudge Reviews |work=Metacritic |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109101234/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-grudge |url-status=live }} but was a major box office hit,{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1532&p=.htm |title='Grudge' Grabs No. 1 |website=Box Office Mojo |date=October 25, 2004 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827092253/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1532&p=.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-01-et-boxoffice1-story.html |title='Grudge' stays No.1, but 'Ray' opens well |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 1, 2004 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |first=Elaine |last=Dutka |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625012339/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-01-et-boxoffice1-story.html |url-status=live }} grossing more than US$110{{nbsp}}million in North America and US$187{{nbsp}}million globally.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grudge.htm |title=The Grudge |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=May 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503131136/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grudge.htm |url-status=live }} She received a MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Frightened Performance as well as a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Actress – Thriller.{{cite web |url=http://movies.about.com/od/awards/a/mtvmovie050505.htm |title=2005 MTV Movie Awards Winners and Nominees |work=Movies.about.com |date=March 11, 2014 |access-date=August 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325015657/http://movies.about.com/od/awards/a/mtvmovie050505.htm |archive-date=March 25, 2014 |url-status=dead }} Gellar provided her voice for the character Gina Vendetti in The Simpsons episode "The Wandering Juvie", which aired in March 2004, and went on to voice several recurring characters of the animated television series Robot Chicken, starting in 2005. Gellar starred in Richard Kelly's Southland Tales (2006) as a psychic adult film star who creates a reality television series based on prophetic visions. Drawn to the "batshit ambitious" ideas for the film,{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/sarah-michelle-gellar-revisits-five-pivotal-post-buffy-roles/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Revisits Five Pivotal Post-'Buffy' Roles |work=The Hollywood Reporter |last=O'Connell |first=Mikey |date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=February 7, 2023}} she accepted the role before she even read the script.{{cite news |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-10/05/14.00.film |title=Gellar Heads To Southland |date=October 5, 2004 |access-date=August 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804045535/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-10%2F05%2F14.00.film |archive-date=August 4, 2007}}{{cite web |url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/features/1108/sarah-michelle-gellar-for-southland-tales |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar for 'Southland Tales' | Feature |work=Dark Horizons |date=November 14, 2007 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716151544/http://www.darkhorizons.com/features/1108/sarah-michelle-gellar-for-southland-tales |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Southland_Tales_2006.aspx |title=Southland Tales (2006) Recap |work=the agony booth |access-date=September 20, 2014 |archive-date=October 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025231506/http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Southland_Tales_2006.aspx |url-status=live }} Southland Tales polarised critics upon its debut at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and found a limited audience in theaters.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/southland_tales/ |title=Southland Tales (2007) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=November 14, 2007 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821104609/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/southland_tales/ |url-status=live}} However, J. Hoberman for Village Voice remarked that the director contrived a "memorable" comic performance from Gellar, while the film gathered a cult following in subsequent years.{{cite web |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/justin-timberlake-amanda-seyfried-in-time-cover-story |title=Yes They Can! |work=W Magazine |last=Hirschberg |first=Lynn |date=January 10, 2011 |access-date=February 8, 2023}} In 2006, Gellar briefly reprised the role of Karen in the sequel The Grudge 2,{{cite web |last=Webb |first=Matt |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/buffy-holds-grudge-49594/ |title=BUFFY HOLDS A GRUDGE – Today's News: Our Take |work=TV Guide |date=December 8, 2005 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716230248/http://www.tvguide.com/news/buffy-holds-grudge-49594/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/cl-grudge2_j4ruvinc-cp-photo.html |title=The Grudge 2 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720233347/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/cl-grudge2_j4ruvinc-cp-photo.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grudge2.htm |title=The Grudge 2 (2006) |website=Box Office Mojo |date=November 12, 2006 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905093118/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=grudge2.htm |url-status=live }} and starred in Asif Kapadia's psychological thriller The Return, as a businesswoman haunted by memories of her childhood and the mysterious death of a young woman.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/return/ |title=The Return (2006) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=November 10, 2006 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821104523/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/return/ |url-status=live }} The Return was a critical and commercial failure, grossing only US$11{{nbsp}}million.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=revolver.htm |title=The Return (2006) |website=Box Office Mojo |date=December 14, 2006 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905191129/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=revolver.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/column/index.cfm?columnID=16081 |title=What Went Wrong: The Return |work=Box Office Prophets |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716160718/http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/column/index.cfm?columnID=16081 |url-status=live }} Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called it a "career stagnation".{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/11/movies/11retu.html|work=The New York Times |first=Jeannette |last=Catsoulis |title=A Young Woman Sickened By a Triple Shot of Stalkers |date=November 11, 2006 |access-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-date=April 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424211149/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/11/movies/11retu.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}

In 2007, Gellar voiced Ella and April O'Neil in Happily N'Ever After and TMNT, respectively.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/happily_never_after/ |title=Happily N'ever After |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=January 5, 2007 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=March 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331114237/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/happily_never_after/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=tmntcg.htm |title=TMNT (2007) |website=Box Office Mojo |date=June 21, 2007 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=April 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425002433/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=tmntcg.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tmnt_2007/ |title=TMNT |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=March 23, 2007 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=May 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531142303/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tmnt_2007 |url-status=live }} She starred in the romantic comedy Suburban Girl and the drama The Air I Breathe, both of which were screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and released in January 2008.{{cite magazine |url=http://filmmakermagazine.com/2721-tribeca-announces-encounters-restoredrediscovered-and-midnight-strands/#.VLqqkNKG-So |title=Tribeca Announces Encounters, Restored/Rediscovered And Midnight Strands |magazine=Filmmaker Magazine |date=August 28, 2013 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826174218/http://filmmakermagazine.com/2721-tribeca-announces-encounters-restoredrediscovered-and-midnight-strands/#.VLqqkNKG-So |archive-date=August 26, 2015}}{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/SuburbanGirl#tab=summary |title=Suburban Girl (2008) – Financial Information |work=The-numbers.com |access-date=August 14, 2015}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In Suburban Girl, she took on the role of a New York City editor and the love interest of a much older businessman (Alec Baldwin). In The Air I Breathe, Gellar portrayed an up-and-coming pop singer.{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=airibreathe.htm |title=The Air I Breathe (2008) |website=Box Office Mojo |date=January 31, 2008 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=April 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406000713/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=airibreathe.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_air_i_breahe/ |title=The Air I Breathe |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=January 25, 2008 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=March 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318234525/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_air_i_breahe/ |url-status=live }} The New York Times described the latter as a "gangster movie with delusions of grandeur",{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/movies/25brea.html |title=Movie Review – The Air I Breathe |work=The New York Times |first=Stephen |last=Holden |date=January 25, 2008 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606110645/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/movies/25brea.html |url-status=live }} while DVD Talk noted that "her character here has the deepest emotional arc, and she hits all the right notes."{{cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review.php?ID=32123 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729235842/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review.php?ID=32123 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 29, 2012 |title=Theatrical Reviews: The Air I Breathe |work=DVD Talk |first=Jamie S. |last=Rich |date=January 25, 2008 }}

The psychological thriller Possession, in which Gellar starred as a lawyer whose life is thrown into chaos after a car accident sends her husband and brother-in-law into comas, had a range of release dates in the United States between 2008 and 2009, due to financial problems at Yari Film Group.{{cite web |date=January 13, 2009 |title=Possession Now Going to DVD? |url=http://shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=9176 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116021535/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=9176 |archive-date=January 16, 2009 |access-date=January 17, 2009 |work=ShockTillYouDrop.com, Yari Film Group}}{{cite web |last=Novikov |first=Eugene |date=March 13, 2009 |title=Yari's Woes Threaten 'Assassination of a High School President' |url=http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/13/yaris-woes-threaten-assassination-of-a-high-school-president/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315074613/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/13/yaris-woes-threaten-assassination-of-a-high-school-president/ |archive-date=March 15, 2009 |access-date=March 13, 2009 |work=Cinematical.com}}{{cite web |author=Uncle Creepy |date=March 6, 2009 |title=The Possession of Sarah Michelle Gellar |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/10663/the-possession-of-sarah-michelle-gellar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234620/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/10663/the-possession-of-sarah-michelle-gellar/ |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |work=Dread Central}} The film ultimately went to DVD in March 2010.{{cite web |author=Uncle Creepy |date=February 5, 2010 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar's Possession Finally Coming Home in March |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/15591/sarah-michelle-gellar-s-possession-finally-coming-home-in-march/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234610/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/15591/sarah-michelle-gellar-s-possession-finally-coming-home-in-march/ |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |work=Dread Central}}

Gellar took a two-year hiatus from acting following the birth of her daughter in 2009, and in 2011, she signed to star and work as executive producer for The CW's Ringer, in which she played the dual role of twin sisters, one of whom is on the run and manages to hide by assuming the wealthy life of the other. Gellar has stated that part of her decision to return to television was because it allowed her to both work and raise her family.{{Cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2011/05/19/sarah-michelle-gellar-reveals-return-tv-ringer/|title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals the Two Reasons Why She Has Returned to TV|first1=Matt Webb|last1=Mitovich|date=May 19, 2011|access-date=April 27, 2019|archive-date=April 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427132848/https://tvline.com/2011/05/19/sarah-michelle-gellar-reveals-return-tv-ringer/|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/01/14/cbs-picks-up-drama-pilot-starring-sarah-michelle-gellar/|access-date=June 22, 2020|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 14, 2011|title=CBS orders pilot starring Sarah Michelle Gellar|archive-date=June 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625011027/https://ew.com/article/2011/01/14/cbs-picks-up-drama-pilot-starring-sarah-michelle-gellar/|url-status=live}}.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2011/05/surprise-sarah-michelle-gellars-the-ringer-to-get-picked-up-by-cw-131684/ |title=EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Michelle Gellar's 'The Ringer' To Get Picked Up By CW |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=May 13, 2011 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=May 13, 2011 |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604095157/http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/surprise-sarah-michelle-gellars-the-ringer-to-get-picked-up-by-cw |url-status=live }} Despite a large fan base,{{cite web |url=http://es.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/cwringerseason2 |title=CW Ringer for Season 2 |work=PetitionBuzz |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-date=September 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920131516/http://es.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/cwringerseason2 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/sarah-michelle-gellar/news/ringer-fans-launch-petition-to-save-the-show_1327264 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar – Ringer Fans Launch Petition To Save The Show |work=Contactmusic.com |date=May 11, 2012 |publisher=WENN |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-date=October 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023125039/http://www.contactmusic.com/sarah-michelle-gellar/news/ringer-fans-launch-petition-to-save-the-show_1327264 |url-status=live }} the series received mixed reviews,{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/story/2011-09-12/ringer-preview/50375510/1 |title='Ringer': Sarah Michelle Gellar times two |work=New York Post |date=September 13, 2011 |access-date=September 13, 2011 |archive-date=September 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913084719/http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/story/2011-09-12/ringer-preview/50375510/1 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/261872/fall-tv-preview-is-sarah-michelle-gellar-s-new-show-ringer-any-good |title=Fall TV Preview: Is Sarah Michelle Gellar's New Show Ringer Any Good? |work=E! |date=September 6, 2011 |access-date=September 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709160719/http://uk.eonline.com/news/261872/fall-tv-preview-is-sarah-michelle-gellar-s-new-show-ringer-any-good |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.tvline.com/2011/07/fall-tv-ringer-first-impression/ |title=Fall TV First Impression: Sarah Michelle Gellar's Ringer Twin Piques Our Interest |last=Mitovich |first=Matt |date=July 4, 2011 |work=TVLine |access-date=July 23, 2011 |archive-date=July 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728042342/http://www.tvline.com/2011/07/fall-tv-ringer-first-impression/ |url-status=live }} and was canceled after the first season.{{cite web |url=http://tvline.com/2012/05/11/hart-of-dixie-renewed-secret-circle |title=The CW Cancels Ringer and Secret Circle, Renews Hart of Dixie For Season 2 |last=Ausiello |first=Michael |work=TVLine |date=May 11, 2012 |access-date=May 11, 2012 |archive-date=August 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808213604/http://tvline.com/2012/05/11/hart-of-dixie-renewed-secret-circle/ |url-status=live }} For her portrayal, she received several award nominations, including one for the Teen Choice Award for Choice Television Actress – Drama.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/teen-choice-awards-nominees-vampire-diaries-326656/ |title=Teen Choice Awards 2012: 'Vampire Diaries' Leads Nominations |first=Philiana |last=Ng |date=May 18, 2012 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234609/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/teen-choice-awards-nominees-vampire-diaries-326656/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://zap2it.com/2012/05/zap2it-awards-nina-dobrev-vs-sarah-michelle-gellar-and-more-for-best-actor-playing-two-characters/ |title=Zap2it Awards: Nina Dobrev vs Sarah Michelle Gellar and more for Best Actor Playing Two Characters |work=Zap2It |date=May 28, 2012 |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-date=November 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121063325/http://zap2it.com/2012/05/zap2it-awards-nina-dobrev-vs-sarah-michelle-gellar-and-more-for-best-actor-playing-two-characters/ |url-status=dead }}

In September 2011, Gellar returned as a guest star on All My Children before the show's ending but not as Kendall Hart;{{cite web |url=https://www.accessonline.com/articles/sarah-michelle-gellar-confirms-all-my-children-return-former-amc-actor-to-join-ringer-104859 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Confirms 'All My Children' Return Former 'AMC' Actor To Join 'Ringer' |date=August 4, 2011 |first=Jolie |last=Lash |work=Access Hollywood |access-date=August 4, 2011 |archive-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104050215/http://www.accessonline.com/articles/sarah-michelle-gellar-confirms-all-my-children-return-former-amc-actor-to-join-ringer-104859/ |url-status=live }} she portrayed a patient at Pine Valley Hospital who tells Maria Santos that she is "Erica Kane's daughter", and states that she saw vampires before they became trendy—a reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She voiced different characters in the American Dad! episodes "Virtual In-Stanity" and "Adventures in Hayleysitting", which aired in November 2011 and December 2012, respectively.{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/11/22/sunday-final-ratings-csimiami-amazing-race-family-guy-adjusted-up-60-minutes-adjusted-down/111472/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125053730/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/11/22/sunday-final-ratings-csimiami-amazing-race-family-guy-adjusted-up-60-minutes-adjusted-down/111472/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 25, 2011 |title=Sunday Final Ratings: 'CSI:Miami,' 'Amazing Race,' 'Family Guy' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' adjusted Down – Ratings |work=Tvbythenumbers |access-date=July 1, 2013}}{{cite news |last=Kaiser |first=Rowan |url=https://www.avclub.com/american-dad-virtual-in-stanity-1798170577 |title=American Dad: Virtual In-Stanity |newspaper=The A.V. Club |date=November 21, 2011 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806225753/https://tv.avclub.com/american-dad-virtual-in-stanity-1798170577 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/12/11/sunday-final-ratings-american-dad-adjusted-up-final-football-numbers/161101/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214090137/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/12/11/sunday-final-ratings-american-dad-adjusted-up-final-football-numbers/161101/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2012 |title=Sunday Final Ratings: 'American Dad' Adjusted Up & Final Football Numbers |work=TV by the Numbers |date=December 11, 2012 |access-date=July 1, 2013}} On September 30, 2012, she reprised her role of Gina Vendetti in the premiere episode of The Simpsons' season 24.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2012/05/03/simpsons-portman-hathaway-deschanel/|title=Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sarah Silverman join Zooey Deschanel on 'The Simpsons' – EXCLUSIVE|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=May 3, 2012|access-date=June 22, 2020|archive-date=August 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805083204/https://ew.com/article/2012/05/03/simpsons-portman-hathaway-deschanel/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-simpsons-season-24-guest-voices_n_1695378|title='The Simpsons' Season 24 Guest Voices And More Fox Cartoon Guest Stars|date=July 23, 2012|work=HuffPost|access-date=June 22, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807035021/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-simpsons-season-24-guest-voices_n_1695378|url-status=live}}

File:SarahMGellar cropped2013.jpg at an event for The Crazy Ones in 2013]]

A fan of Robin Williams for years, once Gellar learned that he was making the CBS single-camera sitcom The Crazy Ones (2013–2014), she contacted her friend Sarah de Sa Rego, the wife of Williams' best friend, Bobcat Goldthwait, in order to lobby for a co-starring role.Hochman, David (September 9, 2013). "Still Crazy: Years after Mork and Buffy, Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar hope to rope us in with a new sitcom". TV Guide. pp. 16–19. She obtained the part of an advertising director who runs an agency with her father.{{cite web |last=Tartar |first=Andre |url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/02/sarah-michelle-gellar-in-robin-williams-comedy.html?mid=imdb |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar in Robin Williams Comedy |work=Vulture |date=February 16, 2013 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=February 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221011213/http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/sarah-michelle-gellar-in-robin-williams-comedy.html?mid=imdb |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09/27/the-crazy-ones-premieres-as-the-seasons-1-new-show/205285/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930080733/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09/27/the-crazy-ones-premieres-as-the-seasons-1-new-show/205285/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 30, 2013 |title='The Crazy Ones' Premieres as the Season's #1 New Show |work=TV By The Numbers}} Digital Spy felt that Williams "shares a warm, genuine chemistry with his on-screen offspring Gellar,"[http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a519041/robin-williams-sarah-michelle-gellar-are-the-crazy-ones-hit-or-flop.html Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy, the-crazy-ones-hit-or-flop (Retrieved September 27, 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924105014/http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a519041/robin-williams-sarah-michelle-gellar-are-the-crazy-ones-hit-or-flop.html |date=September 24, 2015 }}) as part of a mixed critical response.{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-crazy-ones/season-1|title=The Crazy Ones|work=Metacritic|access-date=April 27, 2019|archive-date=August 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831004511/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-crazy-ones/season-1|url-status=live}} The series was canceled after one season,{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/04/18/thursday-final-ratings-greys-anatomy-adjusted-up/255190/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419011709/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/04/18/thursday-final-ratings-greys-anatomy-adjusted-up/255190/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 19, 2014 |title=Thursday Final Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up |work=TV By The Numbers}}{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/05/10/the-crazy-ones-friends-with-better-lives-intelligence-bad-teacher-hostages-canceled/262508/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512214304/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/05/10/the-crazy-ones-friends-with-better-lives-intelligence-bad-teacher-hostages-canceled/262508/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 12, 2014 |title='The Crazy Ones,' 'Friends With Better Lives,' 'Intelligence,' 'Bad Teacher' & 'Hostages' Canceled By CBS |last=Kondolojy |first=Amanda |work=TV by the Numbers |date=May 10, 2014 |access-date=May 10, 2014}} but earned Gellar the People's Choice Award for Favorite Actress in a New Television Series.{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Kiley |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2014/01/peoples-choice-2014-crazy-ones-sarah-michelle-gellar-thanks-buffy-fans.html |title=People's Choice 2014: 'Crazy Ones' Sarah Michelle Gellar thanks 'Buffy' fans |work=Zap2it |date=January 8, 2014 |access-date=August 15, 2014 |archive-date=February 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140217164051/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2014/01/peoples-choice-2014-crazy-ones-sarah-michelle-gellar-thanks-buffy-fans.html |url-status=dead }}

In Veronika Decides to Die,{{Cite news |last=Siegel |first=Tatiana |date=March 13, 2008 |title=Gellar in talks for 'Veronika' |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/gellar-in-talks-for-veronika-1117982392/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317015025/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982392.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |archive-date=March 17, 2008 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |work=Variety}}{{cite web |title="Veronika Decides to Die" – Auditions for SAG Feature Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar |url=http://freecastingcall.com/casting-calls-in-new-york-ny/auditions-for-sag-feature-starring-sarah-michelle-gellar.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031005318/http://freecastingcall.com/casting-calls-in-new-york-ny/auditions-for-sag-feature-starring-sarah-michelle-gellar.html |archive-date=October 31, 2018 |access-date=April 11, 2008 |work=freecastingcall.com}} Gellar starred as a young depressed woman who rediscovers the joy in life when she finds out that she only has days to live following a suicide attempt.{{Cite news |last=Fleming |first=Michael |date=May 16, 2008 |title=Das Films teams for adaptation |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/das-films-teams-for-adaptation-1117985842/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529061335/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117985842.html?categoryId=13&cs=1 |archive-date=May 29, 2008 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |work=Variety}} Following theatrical runs abroad, the film was released domestically through VOD in January 2015.{{cite web |date=June 26, 2008 |title=Spotted! |url=http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/7553 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701230211/http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/7553 |archive-date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=June 26, 2008 |work=OK!}}{{cite web |date=December 19, 2014 |title='Veronika Decides to Die' Trailer with Sarah Michelle Gellar |url=http://www.movieweb.com/veronika-decides-to-die-trailer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827092242/http://movieweb.com/veronika-decides-to-die-trailer/ |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=Movieweb.com}}{{cite web |date=January 6, 2015 |title=15 Movies to Watch Before You Go to the Movies in 2015 |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/cinematic-listology/movies-see-watching-movies-2015.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826200312/http://filmschoolrejects.com/cinematic-listology/movies-see-watching-movies-2015.php |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=Filmschoolrejects.com}} Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter found the actress to be "reasonably compelling" in what he called a "ponderous and silly misfire".{{cite news |last=Scheck |first=Frank |date=January 22, 2015 |title='Veronika Decides to Die': Film Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/veronika-decides-die-film-review-765951/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234609/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/veronika-decides-die-film-review-765951/ |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}

Following the conclusion of The Crazy Ones and the death of Williams, Gellar took another sabbatical from screen acting, stating that she had "been working [her] entire life" and "needed that break" to focus on raising her children.{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/sarah-michelle-gellar-freddie-prinze-jr-buffy-wolf-pack-1850001228 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't have more to say about Buffy, but Freddie Prinze Jr. sure does |work=AV Club |last=Lindert |first=Hattie |date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=February 8, 2023}} During that period, she made an appearance as Cinderella in a March 2015 episode of Whitney Avalon's YouTube channel series Princess Rap Battle,{{cite magazine |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar as Cinderella vs Whitney Avalon as Belle in Disney Princess Rap Battle |url=https://time.com/3742062/disney-princess-rap-battle-sarah-michelle-gellar-cinderella/ |magazine=Time |date=March 12, 2015 |access-date=March 13, 2015 |archive-date=March 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314002521/http://time.com/3742062/disney-princess-rap-battle-sarah-michelle-gellar-cinderella/ |url-status=live }} voiced a recurring character known as the Seventh Sister in the second season of the animated science fiction series Star Wars Rebels (2015–2016),{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/03/sarah-michelle-gellar-joins-star-wars-rebels-season-2 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar joins Star Wars Rebels in season 2 |last=Abrams |first=Natalie |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 3, 2015 |access-date=March 3, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150304075658/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/03/sarah-michelle-gellar-joins-star-wars-rebels-season-2 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/keelyflaherty/sarah-michelle-gellar-reveals-her-mysterious-new-star-wars-r#.hr63lWPPVY |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals Her Mysterious New 'Star Wars Rebels' Role |work=BuzzFeed |date=October 2, 2015 |access-date=September 11, 2017 |archive-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822070906/https://www.buzzfeed.com/keelyflaherty/sarah-michelle-gellar-reveals-her-mysterious-new-star-wars-r#.hr63lWPPVY |url-status=live}} and guest starred as herself in the series finale of The Big Bang Theory, which aired on May 16, 2019.{{cite web|title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Guest Stars in 'Big Bang Theory' Series Finale: How This Surprise Happened! (Exclusive)|url=https://www.etonline.com/sarah-michelle-gellar-guest-stars-in-big-bang-theory-series-finale-how-this-surprise-happened|website=Entertainment Tonight|last=Aguilera|first=Leanne|date=May 16, 2019|access-date=May 17, 2019|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629021526/https://www.etonline.com/sarah-michelle-gellar-guest-stars-in-big-bang-theory-series-finale-how-this-surprise-happened|url-status=live}} Gellar was also attached to several television projects that ultimately were not picked up for production.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/hot-pink-ya-pilot-sarah-michelle-gellar-dead-not-going-forward-amazon-1234868213/ |title='Hot Pink' YA Pilot Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar Not Going Forward At Amazon |work=Deadline Hollywood |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=November 4, 2021 |access-date=February 8, 2023}} These included a 2016 pilot for a series based on Cruel Intentions, in which she reprised her role of Kathryn Merteuil.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/cruel-intentions-sarah-michelle-gellar-reprising-role-kathryn-merteuil-nbc-series-1201697472/ |title='Cruel Intentions': Sarah Michelle Gellar Courted To Reprise Her Role In NBC Pilot |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=February 5, 2016 |access-date=February 25, 2016 |archive-date=February 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222002222/http://deadline.com/2016/02/cruel-intentions-sarah-michelle-gellar-reprising-role-kathryn-merteuil-nbc-series-1201697472/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/sarah-michelle-gellar-cast-cruel-intentions-nbc-pilot-1201708911/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar To Reprise 'Cruel Intentions' Role In NBC Pilot |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=February 24, 2016 |access-date=February 25, 2016 |archive-date=February 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225225132/https://deadline.com/2016/02/sarah-michelle-gellar-cast-cruel-intentions-nbc-pilot-1201708911/ |url-status=live }}

In 2021, Gellar voiced Teela in Kevin Smith's Masters of the Universe: Revelation, an animated series for Netflix.{{Cite web|title=Masters Of The Universe: Revelation: Mark Hamill, Lena Headey, Chris Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar Among Voice Cast For Netflix Anime Series|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/masters-of-the-universe-revelation-mark-hamill-lena-headey-chris-wood-sarah-michelle-gellar-cast-netflix-anime-series-1202860165/|last=Petski|first=Denise|date=February 14, 2020|website=Deadline|access-date=May 2, 2020|archive-date=June 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621233315/https://deadline.com/2020/02/masters-of-the-universe-revelation-mark-hamill-lena-headey-chris-wood-sarah-michelle-gellar-cast-netflix-anime-series-1202860165/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Kevin Smith's 'Masters of the Universe' Netflix Series Lands All-Star Voice Cast|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/kevin-smiths-masters-universe-netflix-series-lands-all-star-voice-cast-1279455/|last=Porter|first=Rick|date=February 14, 2020|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=February 26, 2022|archive-date=February 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234611/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/kevin-smiths-masters-universe-netflix-series-lands-all-star-voice-cast-1279455/|url-status=live}} In 2022, she made her first film appearances in 13 years with brief roles in Clerks III and Do Revenge, released in theaters and on Netflix respectively, in the same week.{{cite web |last=Bergeson |first=Samantha |date=July 6, 2022 |title='Clerks III' Trailer: Kevin Smith Is Back as Silent Bob in Long-Awaited, Star-Studded Meta Sequel |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/07/clerks-3-trailer-kevin-smith-silent-bob-cult-classic-trilogy-1234738996/ |access-date=July 6, 2022 |work=IndieWire}} Mark Donaldson of Screen Rant described them as "low-key return movies" for Gellar, noting Clerks 3 as "a nod" to having previously worked with Smith, and Do Revenge as a reassessment of Cruel Intentions for "modern audiences".{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/sarah-michelle-gellar-movies-2009-clerks-3-do-revenge/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Hasn't Been In A Movie Since 2009 – Now She's Been In 2 This Week |work=Screen Rant |last=Donaldson |first=Mark |date=September 17, 2022 |access-date=February 8, 2023}} At the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Gellar would star in and act as an executive producer of the Paramount+ supernatural drama series Wolf Pack, which premiered on January 26, 2023. In June 2024, Gellar was cast in a recurring role as Tanya Martin, the CSI chief and Dexter Morgan's boss in the upcoming drama series Dexter: Original Sin.{{Cite web |last=Cordero |first=Rosy |date=2024-06-27 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Boards 'Dexter: Original Sin' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/sarah-michelle-gellar-cast-dexter-original-sin-1235984477/ |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

Gellar has been an active advocate for various charities, including breast cancer research, Project Angel Food, Habitat for Humanity and CARE. Of her charitable pursuits, she said: "I started because my mother taught me a long time ago that even when you have nothing, there's ways to give back. And what you get in return for that is tenfold. But it was always hard because I couldn't do a lot. I couldn't do much more than just donate money when I was on [Buffy] because there wasn't time. And now that I have the time, it's amazing."{{cite web |date=October 9, 2004 |title=Interview with Sarah Michelle Gellar (2 of 2) |url=http://www.radiofree.com/profiles/sarah_michelle_gellar/interview02.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313222214/http://www.radiofree.com/profiles/sarah_michelle_gellar/interview02.shtml |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=Radiofree.com}}

In 1999, Gellar helped Habitat for Humanity's project of building homes in Dominican Republic.{{cite book |last=Anderson |first=Marilyn D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WaFbAgAAQBAJ&q=sarah+michelle+gellar+school&pg=PT19 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar |publisher=Infobase Learning |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-4381-4104-6 |page=19 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202444/https://books.google.com/books?id=WaFbAgAAQBAJ&q=sarah+michelle+gellar+school&pg=PT19 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |url-status=live}} With Project Angel Food, she delivered healthy meals to people infected with AIDS, and through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she granted sick children's wishes of meeting her while working on Buffy. In 2007, Gellar was featured in Vaseline's "Skin Is Amazing" campaign,{{cite web |title=Guess! Which Sexy Actress is Baring It All in Ads? |url=https://people.com/style/guess-which-sexy-actress-is-baring-it-all-in-ads/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234609/https://people.com/style/guess-which-sexy-actress-is-baring-it-all-in-ads/ |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |work=People}} in which she agreed to auction nude-posed photos of herself on eBay to raise money for the Coalition of Skin Diseases, an organization which supports clinical research, fosters physician and patient education.{{cite magazine |date=February 12, 2008 |title=Showing skin for a good cause |url=https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/showing-skin-for-a-good-cause-23844/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827144305/http://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/showing-skin-for-a-good-cause-23844 |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |magazine=In Touch Weekly}}{{cite web |title=Vaseline Skin is Amazing Exhibit |url=http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Vaseline-Skin-Amazing-Exhibit-1040248#photo-1040248 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306085756/http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Vaseline-Skin-Amazing-Exhibit-1040248#photo-1040248 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=PopSugar}}

In 2011, Gellar joined "The Nestlé Share the Joy of Reading Program", which promotes reading to young children to encourage them to read during the summer break.{{cite web |date=May 2011 |title=Sarah Teams Up With 'The Nestle Share The Joy Of Reading Program' |url=http://gellarfan.org/?p=719 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520204602/http://gellarfan.org/?p=719 |archive-date=May 20, 2011 |access-date=May 13, 2011}}{{cite web |date=May 10, 2011 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Teams Up With "The Nestlé Share The Joy Of Reading Program" To Raise Awareness About Summer Reading And Children's Literacy |url=http://www.nestleusa.com/media/press-releases/sarah-gellar-reading.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626161353/http://www.nestleusa.com/media/press-releases/sarah-gellar-reading.aspx |archive-date=June 26, 2012 |access-date=July 1, 2013 |publisher=Nestle}} The following year, she was presented with the Tom Mankiewicz Leadership Award during the Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo.{{cite news |date=June 18, 2012 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar honoured with charity award |url=http://www.hollywood.com/general/sarah-michelle-gellar-honoured-with-charity-award-59560264/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061822/http://www.hollywood.com/general/sarah-michelle-gellar-honoured-with-charity-award-59560264/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=Hollywood.com}}{{cite web |date=June 16, 2012 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar to be Honored at Greater LA Zoo Beastly Ball, 6/16 |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-to-be-Honored-at-Greater-LA-Zoo-Beastly-Ball-616-20120531 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826200312/http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-to-be-Honored-at-Greater-LA-Zoo-Beastly-Ball-616-20120531 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=BroadwayWorld}} In 2014 and 2015, Gellar hosted two fundraisers for Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.{{cite news |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=October 3, 2014 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Opens Up About One of Her Favorite Charities and How She Gets Her Kids Involved |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sarah-michelle-gellar-opens-up-738217/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226234611/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sarah-michelle-gellar-opens-up-738217/ |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |access-date=February 26, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{Cite news |last1=Wilder |first1=Kirstin |date=September 28, 2015 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Parties on the Pier, Helps Raise $1{{nbsp}}Million for Charity |url=https://variety.com/2015/scene/vpage/sarah-michelle-gellar-mattel-1201603089/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104072555/http://variety.com/2015/scene/vpage/sarah-michelle-gellar-mattel-1201603089/ |archive-date=November 4, 2015 |access-date=October 29, 2015 |website=Variety}}

Gellar has graced the covers of numerous magazines throughout her career. After her February 1998 appearance on Seventeen,{{cite web |last=Galindo |first=Brian |date=October 8, 2013 |title=Seventeen Magazine Covers That Immortalized 1998 In Pop Culture |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/seventeen-magazine-covers-that-immortalized-1998-in-pop-cult |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422152703/https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/seventeen-magazine-covers-that-immortalized-1998-in-pop-cult |archive-date=April 22, 2017 |access-date=October 19, 2016 |work=BuzzFeed}} the list went on to include Nylon, Marie Claire, Vogue, Glamour, Esquire, Allure, Cosmopolitan, FHM, Rolling Stone, and Elle, among others.{{cite web |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar – Publicity |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001264/publicity |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126070103/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001264/publicity |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |access-date=July 1, 2018 |publisher=IMDb}}{{cite magazine |date=September 16, 2009 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/leading-ladies-on-the-cover-of-rolling-stone-20090916/tv-on-the-cover-783-sarah-michelle-gellar-73882406 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916010753/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/leading-ladies-on-the-cover-of-rolling-stone-20090916/tv-on-the-cover-783-sarah-michelle-gellar-73882406 |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |access-date=September 11, 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{cite web |title=November 2006 |url=http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/magazine/covers/2006/november/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020041348/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/magazine/covers/2006/november/ |archive-date=October 20, 2016 |access-date=October 19, 2016}}{{cite book |last=Macnaughtan |first=Don |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L3JoCgAAQBAJ&q=sarah%20michelle%20gellar%20cosmopolitan%20cover&pg=PT315 |title=The Buffyverse Catalog: A Complete Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel in Print, Film, Television, Comics, Games and Other Media, 1992–2010 |date=August 30, 2011 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786487875 |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204412/https://books.google.com/books?id=L3JoCgAAQBAJ&q=sarah%20michelle%20gellar%20cosmopolitan%20cover&pg=PT315 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |url-status=live |via=Google Books}} She was featured on the cover of Gotham and their main story in the March 2008 issue, in which she spoke about how her style has evolved since she passed 30. She said: "It sounds clichéd, but when women turn 30, they find themselves. You become more comfortable in your own skin. Last night on Letterman, I wore this skintight Herve Leger dress. Two years ago, three years ago? I would never have worn it."{{cite web |date=February 29, 2008 |title=Celebrity Gossip, Entertainment News & Celebrity News | Sarah Michelle Gellar Gets Gotham |url=http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/photo-gallery/1085301/image/1085298/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-Gotham-Magazine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234438/http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/photo-gallery/1085301/image/1085298/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-Gotham-Magazine |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=POPSUGAR Celebrity}} She has appeared in "Got Milk?" ads as well as in the Stone Temple Pilots music video "Sour Girl" and Marcy Playground's "Comin' Up From Behind".{{cite web |date=August 6, 2015 |title='90s Celebrities In Got Milk Ads |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/lollaparooza/90s-celebrities-in-got-milk-ads-8s5g |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045324/http://www.buzzfeed.com/lollaparooza/90s-celebrities-in-got-milk-ads-8s5g |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=BuzzFeed}}{{cite web |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar | 45 Astonishing Movie Star Music Video Cameos |url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/music-video-cameos/p29?NID=30644&page=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826172429/http://www.empireonline.com/features/music-video-cameos/p29?NID=30644&page=2 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=Empire}}

In October 2015, Gellar, along with entrepreneurs Galit Laibow and Greg Fleishman, co-founded Foodstirs, a startup food crafting brand selling via e-commerce and retail easy-to-make organic baking mixes and kits for families. By 2018, the brand's products were sold at 7,500 retailers nationwide, including Starbucks, Whole Foods, Walmart, WW and Amazon.{{cite news |last=Kolodny |first=Lora |date=16 January 2017 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar on jumping from screen to startup with Foodstirs |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/11/sarah-michelle-gellar-on-jumping-from-screen-to-startup-with-foodstirs/ |access-date=16 January 2017 |work=TechCrunch}}{{cite magazine |last=Handler |first=Rachel |date=13 September 2015 |title=With Foodstirs, Sarah Michelle Gellar Is the Latest Celeb to Launch a Lifestyle Brand |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/sarah-michelle-gellar-foodstirs-website |access-date=16 January 2017 |magazine=Vanity Fair}}{{Cite web |title=Search keyword: Foodstirs {{!}} WW Shop {{!}} Weight Watchers Online Store |url=https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/shop/search?q=Foodstirs |access-date=2021-12-31 |website=www.weightwatchers.com}}

Gellar released a cookbook titled Stirring up Fun with Food on April 18, 2017. The book was co-authored by Gia Russo, and features numerous food crafting ideas.{{cite book |last1=Gellar |first1=Sarah Michelle |title=Stirring Up Fun with Food: Over 115 Simple, Delicious Ways to Be Creative in the Kitchen: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gia Russo |last2=Russo |first2=Gia |date=April 4, 2017 |publisher=Grand Central |isbn=978-1455538744}}

File:Sarah Michelle Gellar's Wax Statue.jpg]]

Known for often playing characters with "strength, sensitivity and snark" in the horror genre, Gellar has been viewed as a "scream queen" throughout the majority of her career.{{cite web | url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3699090/im-thing-monsters-nightmares-making-case-sarah-michelle-gellar-horror-icon/ | title="I'm the Thing Monsters Have Nightmares About" – Making the Case for Sarah Michelle Gellar as a Horror Icon | date=January 13, 2022 }} She has stated that horror offers actresses "the best roles" through which they "can really shine", and that it is in television where "women are the stars, but in films we're still struggling to play the leads". Thus, she feels that she "couldn't just be the girlfriend or the wife in a film". She has said: "So I'll be wherever the good female roles are. I like horror." Writing for Bloody Disgusting, Alex DiVincenzo asserted that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer alone should be enough to cement her horror icon status", and highlighting some of her roles in the genre, observed: "Regardless of whether they made it to the end credits, her characters were intelligent, resourceful, and empowering." She has ranked 6th among "The All Time Greatest Horror Scream Queens" by CinemaBlend,{{cite web | url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2558148/the-all-time-greatest-horror-scream-queens-ranked | title=The All Time Greatest Horror Scream Queens, Ranked | date=November 3, 2020 }} 4th among the "9 Greatest Scream Queens in All of Horror" by Syfy,{{cite web | url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/horror-movie-scream-queens-jamie-lee-curtis-janet-leigh-nerve-campbell-sarah-michelle-gellar?amp | title=The 9 greatest scream queens in all of horror | date=October 11, 2022 }} and 8th among the "10 Best Scream Queens of the '90s" by Screen Rant.{{cite web | url=https://screenrant.com/best-scream-queens-1990s-movies/#jennifer-love-hewitt---i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-1997 | title=10 Best Scream Queens of the '90s | website=Screen Rant | date=December 2, 2022 }}

By the late 1990s, Gellar had become a household name, as well as one of Hollywood's "It Girls". In 1998, she appeared on Entertainment Weekly{{'}}s Top 12 Entertainers of the Year and the "Most Beautiful" list by People magazine. In 1999, she signed on to be the face of Maybelline —becoming the company's first celebrity spokeswoman since Lynda Carter in the late 1970s—{{cite journal |last1=Cardona |first1=Mercedes M. |date=August 1999 |title='Buffy' star is new Maybelline 'face' |journal=Advertising Age |volume=70 |issue=33 |page=4}}{{cite web |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar |url=http://www.tv.com/people/sarah-michelle-gellar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121637/http://www.tv.com/people/sarah-michelle-gellar/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=TV.com}} and was voted number one in FHM{{'}}s "100 Sexiest Women" of the year.{{Cite web |title=Sweepstakes, contests, giveaways – Win money, prizes and free stuff online |url=https://winit.fhm.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111001316/http://www.fhm.com/girls/covergirls/sarah-michelle-gellar |archive-date=January 11, 2015 |website=FHM}} She was featured in the magazine's German, Dutch, South African, Danish and Romanian editions of the list since 1998.{{cite web |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar |url=http://www.amiannoying.com/(S(14c0ob45otihfn45itcmlrbm))/view.aspx?ID=576 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419070808/http://www.amiannoying.com/(S(bc0wab45mfgfhn45lruexm45))/view.aspx?ID=576 |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=August 8, 2008 |work=AmIAnnoying.com}} Topsocialite.com listed her as the 8th Sexiest woman of the 1990s.{{cite web |date=October 18, 2007 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the hottest women of the 90s according to Topsocialite.com |url=http://www.whedon.info/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-is-one-of.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124215/http://www.whedon.info/Sarah-Michelle-Gellar-is-one-of.html |archive-date=February 9, 2019 |access-date=August 8, 2008 |publisher=whedon.info}}

In 2002, Gellar was honored with a Woman of the Year Award by Glamour magazine,{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/people/sarah-michelle-gellar/biography/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Biography |work=TV.com |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309045940/http://www.tv.com/people/sarah-michelle-gellar/biography/ |url-status=live }} and her wax figure by Madame Tussauds, was unveiled as part of the "Trail of Vampires" exhibition.{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/sarahmichellegellar/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar: A Conversation |work=Empire |date=May 11, 2004 |access-date=April 15, 2020 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200303/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/sarahmichellegellar/ |url-status=live }} Between 2002 and 2008, she was featured on the annual Maxim "Hot 100" list.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.maxim.com/hot-100/2002-hot-100 |title=2002 Hot 100 |magazine=Maxim |date=May 1, 2002 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203014952/http://www.maxim.com/hot-100/2002-hot-100 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.maxim.com/hot-100/2003-hot-100 |title=2003 Hot 100 |magazine=Maxim |date=May 1, 2003 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=December 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229082128/http://www.maxim.com/hot-100/2003-hot-100 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.maxim.com/hot100details/2008 |title=Hot 100 Details |magazine=Maxim |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=November 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126061844/http://www.maxim.com/hot100details/2008 |url-status=live }} Wearing a black lace bra, she was on the cover of the December 2007 issue of Maxim and was named the 2009 Woman of the Year by the magazine.{{cite web |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/62113/sarah-michelle-gellar-hotter-than-this |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar—Hotter Than This |work=E! |date=November 12, 2007 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927052017/http://www.eonline.com/news/62113/sarah-michelle-gellar-hotter-than-this |url-status=live }} She was also featured in Google's Top 10 Women Searches of 2002 and 2003, coming in at No. 8,{{cite press release |url=https://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist2002.html |title=Google Press Center: 2002 Year-End Zeitgeist |date=December 9, 2002 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924155721/http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist2002.html |url-status=live }} and was included in UK Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sex Symbols in 2007, ranking at No. 16.{{Cite web|url=https://celebritiesworldwide.com/NameInNews.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513180104/http://www.celebritiesworldwide.com/NameInNews.php?Year=2006&ContentID=1164|url-status=dead|title=Celebrities Worldwide | Features and News |archivedate=May 13, 2012|website=celebritiesworldwide.com}} Other appearances and listings include Glamour{{'}}s 50 Best Dressed Women in the World in 2004 and 2005, Entertainment Weekly{{'}}s Top 100 TV Icons in 2007, and BuddyTV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/one-tree-hill/tvs-100-sexiest-women-of-2011-27145.aspx |title=TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2011 |work=BuddyTV |date=January 7, 2012 |access-date=January 13, 2012 |archive-date=June 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621064400/http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/one-tree-hill/tvs-100-sexiest-women-of-2011-27145.aspx |url-status=live }}

File:Freddie Prinze Jr and Sarah Michelle Gellar by David Shankbone (cropped).jpg in 2007]]

Gellar met her future husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., while they were filming the 1997 teen horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer,{{cite web |work=Freddie Prinze Jr |title=Entertainment Weekly Cover Story: The prinze and the slayer |url=http://www.ilovefreddie.com/article_ew02.html |access-date=November 1, 2006 |date=June 2002 |first=Clarissa |last=Cruz |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060529042012/http://www.ilovefreddie.com/article_ew02.html |archive-date=May 29, 2006 |url-status=dead }} but the two did not begin dating until 2000. She and Prinze have worked together several times, including when they played each other's respective love interests as Fred and Daphne in Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.{{cite web |last=Friedman |first=Megan |date=November 30, 2004 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Interview |url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/news/a1615/sarah-michelle-gellar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412154735/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/news/a1615/sarah-michelle-gellar/ |archive-date=April 12, 2016 |access-date=August 14, 2015 |work=Cosmopolitan}} They were engaged in April 2001 and married in Mexico on September 1, 2002,{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sarah-michelle-gellar-freddie-prinze-jr-selfie_n_4957924 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar And Freddie Prinze Jr. Post The Cutest Selfie Of The Century |work=HuffPost |date=March 13, 2014 |access-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807043600/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sarah-michelle-gellar-freddie-prinze-jr-selfie_n_4957924 |url-status=live }} in a ceremony officiated by Adam Shankman, a director and choreographer with whom Gellar had worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/celebrity/sarah-michelle-gellar-freddie-prinze-jr-celebrate-21st-wedding-anniversary/ |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. celebrate 21st wedding anniversary |last=Schepp |first=Calie |date=1 September 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=17 December 2023}} In 2007, in honor of their fifth year of marriage, Gellar legally changed her name to Sarah Michelle Prinze. Together, she and Prinze have two children, a daughter born in 2009 and a son born in 2012.Hochman, David (September 9, 2013). "Still Crazy: Years after Mork and Buffy, Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar hope to rope us in with a new sitcom". TV Guide. pp.16 – 19.{{cite news |last=D'Zurilla |first=Christie |date=September 25, 2012 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. have a new baby boy |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-sarah-michelle-gellar-baby-freddie-prinze-jr-20120925,0,6103098.story |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121205171852/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-sarah-michelle-gellar-baby-freddie-prinze-jr-20120925,0,6103098.story |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=September 20, 2014 |work=Los Angeles Times}} The family lives in Los Angeles.{{cite web |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar & Freddy Prinze Jr. List Their LA Home (Bid Farewell To New Neighbors Kim and Kanye) |url=http://www.domainehome.com/sarah-michelle-gellar-freddy-prinze-jr-la-house-for-sale-bel-air/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112163237/http://www.domainehome.com/sarah-michelle-gellar-freddy-prinze-jr-la-house-for-sale-bel-air |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |access-date=April 6, 2014 |work=Domaine}}

On February 10, 2021, Gellar expressed support for her Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Charisma Carpenter after Carpenter made allegations of abuse against series creator Joss Whedon. She also stated, "While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don't want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon."{{Cite news|last=Brodsky|first=Rachel|date=February 11, 2021|title=Sarah Michelle Gellar and more Buffy stars respond to 'not appropriate' Joss Whedon allegations: 'There was a lot of damage done during that time'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-michelle-gellar-buffy-joss-whedon-allegations-b1800689.html|access-date=February 13, 2021|work=The Independent|archive-date=February 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213060423/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sarah-michelle-gellar-buffy-joss-whedon-allegations-b1800689.html|url-status=live}} In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published January 18, 2023, Gellar is quoted as saying, "I'll never tell my full story because I don't get anything out of it."{{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Mikey |date=2023-01-18 |title=Sarah Michelle Gellar Returns to Fighting Form: "I've Earned the Right to Stand Where I Am" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/sarah-michelle-gellar-interview-wolf-pack-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-1235302016/ |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

{{More citations needed section|date=September 2024}}

{{Reflist}}

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{{Wikiquote}}

• {{IMDb name}}
• {{Iobdb name|id=11444|name=Sarah Michelle Gellar}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/interviews/458/-sarah-michelle-gellar-for-the-grudge-|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100622045159/http://www.darkhorizons.com/interviews/458/-sarah-michelle-gellar-for-the-grudge- |title=Interview: Sarah Michelle Gellar for The Grudge|website=Dark Horizons|date=October 11, 2004|archive-date=June 22, 2010|url-status=dead}}

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{{Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Younger Actress 1990–1999}}

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