2. Sarah Michelle Gellar - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
The Role That Made Her A Cult Hero: Playing the chosen one, Buffy Summers in Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Fan-Favourite Quote: 'The hardest thing in this world is the live in it. Be brave. Live.' Sarah Michelle Gellar gained herself some recognition in the mid 90's for her performance on All My Children, and earned herself a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series. But it was in 1997 when the role of a lifetime came along, as she starred in Joss Whedon's first television show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, as the titular character, Buffy Summers.
No one could have known just how massive BtvS would turn out to be. It's impact on pop culture and influence on countless shows and movies since is incredibly palpable. A huge part of the show's success is down to Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance as Buffy. It was a role so layered and delicate, which demanded confidence and strength but also vulnerability. SMG, who was young at the time, took the role and completely became it. Buffy was one of the first recognized television shows to have a strong, independent female lead. One who is physically more powerful than the male characters on the show, and this gender role reversal proved to be a great inspiration to many young girls and women, and set the bar high for any similar shows that would come after it. SMG gave a fearless performance for 7 seasons and made Buffy Summers one of the most well known and loved icons in pop culture history. Gellar went on to star in Cruel Intentions, Scooby Doo, The Grudge, Southland Tales, and a heap of other films and shows since Buffy The Vampire Slayer's birth. Her fanbase continues to be steady and many.