10 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Actors Who Went On To Star In Supernatural

Star of countless TV shows across 30+ years in the business, including CSI, Dexter and Defiance, Julie Benz has more than earned her stripes on the small screen.

While her first role may have been as a regular on Hi Honey, I'm Home!, Benz scooped up the bulk of her '90s fanbase as Darla, one of the central antagonists in Buffy's first season. Lackey to The Master (Mark Metcalf) and the sire of Angel (David Boreanaz), Darla is a major figure in Buffy's mythology. Though killed by Angel during that initial run of episodes, she (un-)lives on in flashback throughout the next few seasons as we discover more about Angel's past misdeeds when a member of her gang.

But that's not all, folks! Where in Buffy dead characters usually stay dead, Angel had a habit of bringing them back, and Darla was one of the show's most significant revivals. Here, she was able to wreak a little more havoc, but also redeem herself and produce a human son with Angel who went on to define the remaining seasons of the show.

One of the very first Buffy guest stars on Supernatural, Benz played Layla Rourke for a single episode in season one. With a terminal brain tumour, Layla seeks the help of a mystic faith healer who, unbeknownst to even him, is taking the life of others to save his congregation. Though Layla's fate was left to the imagination, we can assume that her illness took her in the end.