Charisma was born in Las Vegas, NV but now resides in Los Angeles, CA with her pet golden retriever, Sydney . She actually moved to LA during the LA riot. Some people wonder if Charisma is actually her given name. In fact it is. She was named after a tacky bottle of avon perfume in the 1970's. While growing up she went to three high schools, the Gorman Catholic High School in Las Vegas, Bonita High School in Bonita, California and ultimately graduated from Chula Vista High School, a school of the creative and performing arts. She says that she never wanted to become an actress but hoped to become a teacher (those would have been some lucky students). Before she started acting a few years ago she held jobs as a video store employee, aerobics instructor, property management, and waitress. In 1991 she was a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers. Her first big break in acting was a role on Baywatch. From there she moved onto the short lived Aaron Spelling drama Malibu Shores. In 1996 she landed the role of the resident bitch Cordelia Chase in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has continued to play this role with enthuasiasm and vitality which has attracted a strong fan following. Despite playing mean and spiteful characters on both Malibu Shores and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charisma says "I'm nothing like my character. I'm a normal human being like everyone else. I really enjoy the outdoors and I spend a lot of time keeping and staying fit."

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